Loving Creator,
In your extravagance you have painted
the world with bold strokes and gloried in our differences.
When colors proclaim our uniqueness,
let our little eccentricities be expressions of our joy for living.
When our time together looks like a costume party,
let our gatherings be a time of genuine community.
Out of the abundance of your grace,
you have set before us only a small portion of your gifts:
time
color
food
and compassion.
Bless our time.
Bless our joyful celebration of creative life.
And bless both the food we share
and those who labored so we might enjoy it.
Most of all, use us:
our flamboyance, our joy and our sharing
that we may be a blessing to all we meet.
Amen.

Written by: The Reverend Dr. Jack E. Belsom
Pastor of Iao Congregational Church
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
for his sister, a Red Hatter.