Pandemic Prayer this Christmas

December 21, 2020

It’s the eve of another celebration of Jesus’ birth–
but this year is different than any other.
It’s hard to cast our thoughts to Bethlehem
when the here and now is so heavy.
On this Christmas Eve, we feel like we are on the eve of everything.
Are we on the eve of sickness or health;
will this pandemic touch the lives of those we love?
Will our hospitals manage this second wave of patients
in the long winter ahead?
We are on the eve of loneliness;
there are too few chairs around our holiday tables

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Advent Pandemic Prayer

December 5, 2020

Thank you, God, for thick, warm socks on crisp winter days.
Thank you for the smell of pine needles,
for the taste of a juicy orange,
for packages delivered in trucks,
and colourful lights dancing in the dark.
Thank you for the poignant pleasures
of unpacking Christmas ornaments,
and looking at photos from years gone by.

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Blue Christmas Zoom Service in a Pandemic

November 24, 2020

Welcome to this virtual prayer service.
The Christmas season is upon us.
Christmas is a time where we want to be merry and bright,
but in this pandemic year, that can feel impossible.
Many people are weighed down with anxiety and grief,
and it’s hard to remember the reason for the season.
Celebrations that usually happen at this time of year are cancelled
or are being shoehorned into two dimensions on a screen.
Even this service would feel better if we were physically together.
But this is our reality.
I want to thank each of you for coming today;
we are here for each other in this time, in this space.
We are here to talk to God and to listen.
This service will consist of prayers, some readings and some music;
it will take around 30 minutes. 

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Advent Candle Lighting in a Pandemic

November 23, 2020

Today we mark the first Sunday of Advent,
and today we light the candle of hope.
Advent is the season of hope.
We hope for a Saviour who can save us,
a Healer who can heal us,
and a Counsellor who hears all our sorrows.
In darkness that deepens,
we wait for the coming of the light of the world.
We wait in hope as we light this candle of hope.

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Pandemic Eternity Sunday Ritual

November 14, 2020

Eternity Sunday is a day to remember that death comes to every one of us.
Death is a constant in human existence.
For some, death comes suddenly, through an accident or sudden illness,
for others, the movement towards death is years long.
Young people sometimes die, and old people always die.
Death is hard to handle, and even very strong Christians can get the shivers
when we face the death of a loved one:
as we let go of their hands we wonder,
“God are you there?  Do you hold their hands now?  Can we trust you?”

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Indigenous Land Acknowledgement – For Children

November 14, 2020

Our church, First Mennonite, wants to tell you something about the land we live on…
the land where our church, our homes, our towns and cities and farms are.
We aren’t the first people to live here,
 there were people here for thousands of years before we got here.
They are called indigenous people, and they still live here;
they have beautiful names:  Anishinaabe, Haudenosauneee, Attawandaron.
Let’s say those names:  Can you repeat after me? Anishinaabe.  Haudenosauneee, Attawandaron.
We didn’t live up to the promises we made with them on how to share the land,
and it’s not been fair to them.
We have hurt the people with these beautiful names, the indigenous peoples.
We are trying to figure out how to make things right,

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Eternity Sunday Call to Worship

November 14, 2020

Our call to worship is Psalm 119:50

This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life.

Let’s pray:
We come to worship you, God,
and we long for comfort.
In your arms, this morning,
can our distress subside?
In the name of Jesus,
you hold us as your children
and you promise us life,
life eternal, life with you.
May these promises
guide our thoughts and our prayers
this morning. Amen

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Child Dedication with Children’s Story

October 20, 2020

Families come in all shapes and sizes, some people live in a family with grandparents and parents, some people live in a family with just one parent or caregiver, some live as an only child in a family, some live with many kids in a family.

Today I want to tell you about a different kind of family.  It’s a church family.  Stand up and look around at everyone here (they turn and look)…all these people together make up something we call a congregation.  We are a group of people who love God and are trying to follow Jesus together. Another name for a congregation is a “church family.”  We are a family because when we love Jesus, we become part of a group that takes care of each other.  We help each other. We encourage each other.

Today we are going to have something called a child dedication. ….

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Zooming to Bethlehem: A Virtual Christmas Pageant

October 17, 2020

A pageant designed for Zoom, that can be recorded ahead of time, and played at an in-person service (no stress on Christmas Eve!), or shared on-line. For an intergenerational cast of 15-18 participants. You can look on YouTube for examples of how this has been staged.

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About Carol Penner

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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