O God,
in whom we live and move
and have our being,

O Love,
who embraced our sorrows
and took away our sins on the cross,

we have come to you today,
sometimes trusting,
sometimes fearful,

sometimes falling,
sometimes rejoicing.

O God, O Love,
as we spend these evening hours,
draw us to your loving heart,

where our fears may be quieted
and our tears wiped away,

and where we, with your Son Jesus Christ
may embrace the sorrows of the world
and answer your call to forgive,
in your most merciful heart.

Amen.