Micah 6:8 and
It is good to be together, God,
in this place, with these people, at this time,
together listening for your voice.
In this hour of worship
tell us about your kingdom of kindness
so that we can seek it.
Show us your justice.
We want to walk with you,
humbly, closely, daily. Amen.
Thank you God for everything under us;
for these chairs on which we sit,
for this church’s firm foundation,
for the soil with its burrowing animals and insects,
for the rock down under that, layered by the sea in ancient times,
for the water that flows in subterranean channels far beneath us,
and for the miles upon miles of bedrock,
unknown and unexplored by all but you,
all the way down to the living heat of our planet,
the molten rock deep in the heart of the earth.
Thank you God for everything above us;
1. Dear God,
this grief for our loved one has hit us like a truck.
Our lives have not been the same since we heard.
You know the exact weight of our heavy hearts,
you know the volume of tears we shed,
you know the temperature of the places inside of us
that are frozen and numb.
Thank you God that you were with us before we knew this news,
and that you are journeying with us now.
2. God of our minds,
you know the thoughts that knock about our brains.
God of the working world:
thank you for meaningful work that fills us with satisfaction,
the way challenges can spur us on to greater efforts
that pay off with a job well done.
But that’s not always the case.
Sometimes the work we do isn’t productive, or it isn’t recognized.
We spend the whole day working and nothing gets done,
the machine breaks down just after we fixed it,
the house gets messy just when it was clean,
more tasks are assigned to us when we are already overwhelmed.
Some of us hate our work.
Thank you, God, for the joy of today.
It is still morning, and yet so many good things have come our way:
the joy of shelter, the joy of clean water coming out of taps,
the joy of food on the table.
Thank you for friends who understand us,
and the joy of meeting new friends.
Thank you that we are here in church, body and spirit,
thank you for the joy of worshipping you, our Creator.
And in the midst of joys, in all honesty
we admit that we come with fears.
Some of us have fears about new beginnings;
new schools, new relationships, new jobs.
We don’t know how we’ll do or how we’ll feel—
God, you give life to life!
From Day One, your Spirit brooding over the deep,
your wind rushing, your breath filling.
As creatures of the earth, we inhale your grace
rejoicing in life abundant.
We use our breath, our being
to raise this hymn of praise:
for Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
and for the mission you give us
to spread your love to the world.
Our call to worship is from John 8:32
“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32
God of heaven and earth,
we long to be truly free.
In this hour of worship,
help us to grasp the freedom that comes
from seeing you more clearly,
loving you more dearly,
and following you more nearly.
Day by day, give us strength and courage
to be your people in this time, in this place. Amen.
God of the open road,
God of the twisting path,
God of the narrow and upward way,
your people are gathered for worship!
In this hour, give us provision for the journey,
courage and faith and compassion,
and endurance to face any hardship.
Open our eyes to see you walking beside us,
protecting us, encouraging us, loving us.
We pray this in the name of Jesus,
who moves us, Amen
And now we come to worship.
And now we are gathered as one.
And now we turn our hearts.
And now we bless the God of all,
who everywhere works great wonders.
Great God, we long for your deliverance
from this world’s sorrows and troubles:
in your mercy give us gladness and peace, Amen.
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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