So last night I did a google search for a prayer to say with the congregation today as it is the last Sunday a family will be with us before they move out of the area. Either my google skills were poor or there aren’t many of these posted up online. So I pulled out several resources and wrote this up. It is rooted in a prayer for “moving on” from Praying our Goodbyes by Joyce Rupp.

We praise and thank you, God of the journey, for nn who are soon to leave us. We entrust them into your loving care, knowing that you are always the Faithful Traveler and Companion on our way. Shelter this family whose presence has blessed us over the past {length of time with congregation} and protect them from all harm and all useless anxiety. May the warmth of the welcome they have felt in this place strengthen them for their journeys. May they bear true witness of your love to all whom they encounter. And may their future be a source of many enriching and transforming moments. Amen.

It may need further refinement, but I am convinced that part of our work must be good endings as well as good beginnings. We live with a reality of a more mobile society where folks regularly move for better work opportunities. We live in a time when people will come into our communities for a season of their life (childrearing, grieving a major loss, adjusting to a new community) and may or may not continue their relationship with us when their life moves into a new season. We need to be able to welcome newcomers with grace and hospitality and we need to be able to bless friends as they move on, whatever the reason.