BIRTHDAY PRAYERS.

THEME: YOU ARE THE CHOSEN FLOWER IN GOD’S GARDEN.

Arathi (Music)

Introduction
In the deep silence of the dawn, the solitary hills and trees stand in great reverence under the
silent great sky. In the silent and solitude of this beautiful morning, Lord we want to travel the full
arc of the year, when the morning sun peeps and birds chirps from their nets, Lord make us a
flower that spreads its fragrance around. With the same wish, Lord we specially gathered here as
your beloved little ones. Today we celebrate the feast and birthday of our dear sisters Josmy,
sahaya, Catherine and Rosily. Lord we offer them in your burning heart with the love we have for
them. Help them to experience your love more closely, as they have entered into the arc of the
new year of their life. The birth day and feast day of every one is a sign of your love for us. For on
this day, not only they are born but also born for us to love, cherish and appreciate their gift to us.
They are wonderful signs of your immense love for us. We are happy that you are born for us
today.

II Hymn (This little guiding light of mine) followed by lightening of the lamp. (Dear sisters
now I request you all to light the lamp as a sign of a new beginning of a new arch of the year in
your life. It is a sign of giving thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love that the Lord has bestowed
on your past years.

III Every child is a gift from God, who creates every person in his own image and likeness.
Thus we share God’s own life in our life. We are so precious and unique in his eyes. This is
reflected in Gen: 1:26-31

IV Birthdays and feast days are great event in every family. They are constantly renewed
miracles. It’s a joy in which God shares. So dear sisters today we are happy that you belonged to
our family, and we are privileged to celebrate your Birthday and feast day in our IMD family. As
the book of wisdom tells us “His delight is to be with the children of men”. The greatest part of the
blessing of life is that it leads too much more than an existence in time and space on this planet.
It leads to eternal life. So birthdays and feast days are an appropriate time for taking stock of our
lives. We all have received gifts of nature and grace. The gifts of Holy Spirit are poured out on all
God’s people. The world is in need of the gift of each person on earth.

The birth days and feast days gives us an opportunity to look back and ask ourselves how our
particular gift have graced the lives of those around us. No one leaves their birthday or feast day
presents aside with a vague intention of opening them sometime in the future. So dear sisters
today is the day to recall the gifts god has given you and say thanks to Him. (Now I request to you
dear sisters to pause for a while and recall the gifts that God has given you and give thanks to
Him for the free gifts that you have received.) Psalm 23-4

V Not every birthday and feast day is remembered for the happiness it brings, but we can
regard such days as days of promise. In every seed there is the promise of beauty-the graceful
beauty of flower, the strength of a tree, a healing beauty of a herb. It takes time and patience and
careful tending to bring it to life. So that it can become a source of joy and manifestation of the
creator’s love in the world.

So dear sisters God our creator has planted the seed of your life in His beautiful garden adding
all fragrance in order to become a fragrant flower. Today you are a fragrant flower in His garden
of love. Your fragrance of love, patience, compassion, hard work, sharing talents, and simplicity
are the gift of God’s generosity. So offer yourselves totally at his feet and give thanks to him.
(Now I request all of you to offer yourself to God for specially choosing you as his own beloved
flowers in his garden of love.
Offering Prayer: Almighty God your love for us is so great. We thank you for the gift of life.
Lord, we humbly come before you. Bless us through the offering of these flowers because we
are specially chosen in your garden. We offer you our whole being in you we place our trust. We
are sure you will give us nothing but the best. Give us we pray a will that fulfills your holy will, a
mind that finds only good in others, a desire that acquires virtues and values, a heart that relishes
doing good. Lord in this precious moment at your feet our parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, all
the members of the congregation, our IMD family members, and all those who have helped us to
grow in your love. (Now, let us all lay our hands upon these sisters and pray silently).

(Now let us watch an action that each New Year brings new challenges and new
opportunities).

The king of the forest was having a meeting with all the animals. The bird came for ward
to speak to the king.

Bird: It’s about my Birthday. I don’t want a Birthday. Birthdays are not for me. Birthdays are a
way of saying goodbye to the way you are. I don’t want to say good-bye to the way I am. I don’t
want to change. I want to stay the way I am.

King: Well, Are you saying you don’t the want the key to your new Birth year?

Bird: I don’t want the key; I don’t want to face in to a Broth year. I want to stay the way I am. I
don’t want to change.

King: as you please but you do realize that you were going to learn to fly during this coming
year. You don’t want to fly.

Bird: I don’t want to fly. It’s dangerous. I don’t want get into trouble, I don’t want to grow older,
and I don’t want to grow up. When I grow up people expect me to be perfect, mature, sensible,
it’s not worth all the trouble. I don’t want to fly or grow up or change. Please don’t give me the
key to my new birth year.

King: All right, it’s your choice.

(The matter rested there the bird did not have to face the new Birth year. For a while it was great.
No flying, no problems, no worries, no challenges. But in time the bird got restless. She went
along to see how her friends who had taken the key to their new birt years were getting on. What
she saw shook her. They were all flying really flying on their own. They were singing and
chattering. She could not bear it. It was so exciting. She wanted to fly really badly. She went
back to the king.

Bird: Please let me have the key to my new Birth year.

King: (Smiled) and gave her the key. Enjoy your new Birth year. Face whatever comes.

Dear sisters God have given you a new life, a new birth, and a new feast year. Smile and
enjoy your year and challenge your life.

Hymn:
Intercessory Prayers: (Let us offer our intentions, desires in the hands of Jesus)

Concluding Prayer: Gracious God, create in our hearts a deep center of gratitude a center that
grows so strong in its thanksgiving. Jesus reminds often how much you cherish us how
abundantly you have offered gift to us especially in the hours of our greatest need may be always
be grateful for your reaching into our lives with surprises of joy, growth and love.