Reforming Spirit,
you blew through the lives
of common folk in Switzerland in 1525.
A realization gradually dawned
that what they had been taught from childhood
about being a Christian
was not the only way to think.
Reading the Bible opened a new way.
They envisioned a church
not automatically filled with…
Our prayer this Advent is beyond words.You find it in the silence of the sleeping forest,down under the ice.It’s resting on the set table,and twinkling
n this season of spring, God,
we see your Spirit pouring through our world;
leaves unfurling with delicate beauty,
birds waking us up with their spring songs,
the good soil filled with worms and potential,
lilacs pouring forth their fragrance,
green as far as the eye can see!
The earth in all its glory—it fills us with joy!
Thank you for your Spirit
moving through us in other ways;
for the way love bubbles up,
finding a way even in hard times.
Thank you for the strength you give us
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Acts
God, you see us here in the northern hemisphere.
The days get shorter and the arc of the sun
creeps towards the horizon.
Winter has come
with its great swaths of darkness.
Hope hunkers down with us
as the cold north winds make us shiver.
The last geese fly across the sky heading south,
and the trees are suddenly bare.
In this emptiness you give us advent.
We reach into dark corners and pull out dusty boxes.
Hope glimmers as we string up colourful lights,
and set up nativity scenes that bring to mind
the gift of a baby in Bethlehem.
Hope is hard to find in that war torn place of your birth,
and in so many places this year.
Bombs and bullets crater communities,
God, being thankful for peace and plenty
is complicated, especially this Thanksgiving.
Whose peace and whose plenty?
So many people here and around the world
face violence every day.
And while some tables are full,
others have empty cupboards
or no cupboards at all.
In some countries homes are torn to smithereens
and grieving families are scattered to the four winds.
So teach us, Jesus, to be thankful in times like these.
Thankful for the good earth, the sun and the rain.
Thankful for farmers who labour to feed us….
Hear our cries, God!
Invasion, occupation, and terror,
bombs, bullets and missiles.
Dead bodies, wounded bodies, orphans,
bombs, bullets and missiles.
Prisoners, hostages, refugees,
bombs, bullets and missiles.
Anguish, hopelessness, rage,
bombs, bullets and missiles.
Destruction on the grandest scale,
the earth cratered with hatred.
Jesus, make it stop.
Every war ends.
Help us…
We are people here like Peter sinking.
We step out in faith because we want to follow you,
but we fall short in so many ways.
We are afraid of what other people think of us.
We are not sure we have the ability to do what you ask us.
We think the job is too big for us.
We are people here like Thomas doubting.
We are not sure what it means to be a Christian.
We are not sure what good it does to come to church.
We are not sure what you can do in this world that is so wounded.
We won’t take one step until we see the whole way ahead.
Will there be cars in heaven?
Will there be motors to tinker with and fix,
mechanical problems to figure out?
Will there be siblings to tease?
Will there be dogs to run with?
Will there be a familiar landscape
that feels like home, like this home?
Will there be parents who love me?
Will there be a body that works
and doesn’t hurt?
Is dying like a great leap
from the diving board of life,
or a quiet settling
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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