Thanksgiving Revolution

October 4, 2012

God, on this Thanksgiving we know enough to give thanks.
Our prayers often begin, “Thank you God for…”
and then we make a list.
The list is longer today, because it’s thanksgiving. 

But what if thankfulness has nothing to do with lists?
What if thankfulness is more like the difference between night and day,
the difference between being shut in and being free,
the difference between holding on and reaching out?
What if thankfulness is not something to be grasped,

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Thanksgiving grace

October 4, 2012

We are people with full hearts:
we feel blessed, we are blessed,
and on this thanksgiving day we say thank you with all our hearts.
Thank you for your love, and for the gift of your son.
Thank you for those dear to us, those near at hand,
and those much farther away.
Thank you for food.
Thank you for rich soil, good weather, hard-working farmers.
In a society where we are so often
self-sufficient, self reliant and self-satisfied,
give us humble hearts.
All we are and all we have comes from your hand;

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River of Love Offering Prayer

August 8, 2012

Giver of all good things,
let your grace flow through us;
a generous stream,
unstoppable, refreshing, abundant.
We release these gifts into your river of love,
flowing out to all the world.
Amen.

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Congregational Prayer for Doubters

August 3, 2012

You call us to be people of faith,
yet we are often people with doubts.
We doubt that love can grow again in relationships
where anger and bitterness reign supreme.
You know the strength of love and the power of prayer:
help us to be faithful lovers.
We doubt that peace can come in Israel and Palestine;
where hatred and racism are so powerful.
You know that peace is growing there:
help us to be faithful peacemakers.
We doubt that the hungry can be fed in countries experiencing drought,

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Faith-filled Call to Worship

August 2, 2012

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for
the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
We come to worship faithfully, God–
we’re here again this morning.
We come faithfully,
but there’s a part of all of us that doubts, that wonders,
“Are you really there?
are you really listening?
can we really trust you?”
We live in a world where we can’t live without you.
This morning, give us an assurance of what we cannot always see,
a conviction of hope in your presence and your power.
We want to be faith-filled,
confident in your abiding and unfailing love for us. Amen. 

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True Home Call to Worship

August 1, 2012

“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget,  I’d never forget you—never.
Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.”

Thank you, God, that worship is always our true home.
Thank you that it is here that we are welcomed,
here that we can show our true selves
and be truly accepted and loved for who we are.
Help us in this hour to rest in your love,
in the presence of our church family,
children of God, together.

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Ambassadors of Life Congregational Prayer

July 27, 2012

Lord 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 rejoice in life
using our breath, our being,
to raise this hymn of praise:
Hallelujah to the sun’s hot passion
embracing the ground’s great shoulders.
Hallelujahs for the growth from seed to plant
greening the earth;  its fruit—beauty and food!
Hallelujahs for generations of life
tumbling one after another.
Life creeping, swimming, flying, running,
below, above, upon, within.

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Faith, Hope, Love Call to Worship

July 26, 2012

Our call to worship is from I Corinthians 13:3
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.  

God of Gods:
We come to worship today to hear your good news,
to hear stories of faith, hope and love.
We know that doubt, fear and hatred are everywhere
and can shake even the strongest.
Shape us into faithful, hopeful people:
fill us with your love that passes all understanding.
We pray this together in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Graceful Life Congregational Prayer

July 25, 2012

Grace us, God, with your presence,
because sometimes things can be such a mess.
We try to live ordered organized lives
with good principles and lofty goals,
but then there we stand at the end of it;
our days scattered with broken dreams,
words that should not have been spoken,
actions we wish we could take back,
and many many things we did not do.
In the shattered life, in the fractured family,
in the falling apart world,

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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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