Psalm 119:1-2 and
We’ve come to worship, God,
straight to your house, to your people,
to hear your words and learn of your ways.
This morning, give us strength for the journey.
Thank you for all these people seated here,
faithful companions on the road.
Help us as we map our way together,
following the route that Jesus showed us.
In his name we worship, and we pray, Amen.
God, let this be a fruitful day!
Open our eyes to beauty.
Tune our ears to harmony.
The fragrance of your love
permeating every moment.
The touch of your hand
guiding all we do.
Tasting the delight of your presence
in the sweet ripeness of joy.
Did I see you?
When I was hungry, you broke bread with me.
When I was sick, you sat by my bedside.
When I was in prison, you petitioned for my release.
When I was sexually assaulted, you listened to my pain.
When I was afraid to be alone, you stayed with me.
When I felt guilty and ashamed, you told me it was not my fault.
When I had to go to court, you went with me.
When I was filled with anger and hatred, you did not reject me.
When I was filled with sorrow and hopelessness, you held my hand.
When I kept my story secret for years, you understood why.
When I called on God for help, you came and helped me.
Thank you, God, for farmers!
For those people who have touched the soil,
who have known it intimately,
the feel of it in their fingernails,
the taste of it, the way it smells after the rain.
For those who have cared for animals,
touched them, heard their cries,
nurtured them carefully.
Being a farmer can be a hard life,
the bills don’t match the income,
the weather doesn’t co-operate
This morning, God of grace,
we want everything to be for your glory.
We want our thoughts,
our words, our songs,
our church, our community,
our resources, our time, our lives:
all to be for you.
Everything ours is yours,
and we come together to declare this to be so,
on this holy day of thanksgiving.
Bless our time together with your holy presence,
Amen.
We give our offering hopefully,
hoping that you can use these gifts
hoping that these gifts can further your kingdom
hoping that your kingdom will come.
Your kingdom, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
Here we are, God!
We come into your presence
seeking your peace
seeking your hope
seeking your comfort.
We come asking for a blessing.
Equip us in this hour to be your people,
saved and sent, a blessing for all the world.
Jesus’ life was bookended by the kindness of strangers.
At the beginning: innkeepers giving the pregnant Mary shelter,
a place for newborn Jesus to rest his head.
And at the end of a terrible Friday,
Joseph of Arimathea bearing the lifeless body of Christ
to a cold dark place of rest.
Before Jesus’ first breath, and after his last one,
at the gateways of life and death,
acts of kindness.
What to do, then, about the man in the gray car
tailgating me today in heavy traffic,
Thank you for water;
for its smooth cleanness as it runs from our taps,
water that is safe for drinking,
water that doesn’t stop running.
Thank you for beautiful blue of lakes,
for the chortling of streams, for the rushing of rivers,
for the richness of water resources.
Thank you for water from the skies,
for water that falls on gardens and crops,
fuelling green growth, food for the world.
Thank you for water for fun;
for swimming pools filled with laughing children,
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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