On our dry journey,
forgiveness is the water on the horizon,
and we’re the pilgrims in the desert
who cannot possibly walk there.
Tied up tight,
revenge is a hot little bundle
we hug to our chest.
We are plagued with hurt;
the betrayal, the murder,
the verbal barbs, the abandonment
the lack of love, whatever.
We have been robbed
God of our hearts…here we are!
We’ve come with thirsty hearts,
praying that your word will satisfy us.
We come with aching hearts,
praying for good news to comfort us.
We come with overflowing hearts,
praying for a chance to share your love.
You, who know our hearts and hear our prayers,
be with us now in this hour of worship.
Amen.
Lord Jesus, you are the one who came to set captives free.
Today we pray for all among us who are slaves to addictions,
fettered in body and mind to behaviours that destroy.
We call out for one more;
one more bet, one more illicit meeting,
one more cigarette, one more snack,
one more year of working this hard,
one more hit, one more downloaded picture,
one more meal to be purged,
one more little drink that won’t hurt anyone.
Open our eyes to the chains that bind us
and the destruction it is causing in our lives
and the lives of those we love….
What child is this?
This hungry child, this child with AIDS,
this child afraid of bombs and soldiers,
this child too poor to go to school,
this child from a refugee camp,
this child abused and neglected,
this child crying and uncomforted.
What child is this?
This child is not a statistic,
this child is not collateral damage,
Jesus, you know the 35,000 people in jail in Canada
by name, not number.
You know each holding cell, each regional detention centre,
each provincial institution and federal prison.
You were a captive, you too wore chains.
No one falls through the cracks in your kingdom,
you witness every tear shed in the night.
Where there is loneliness, bring companionship.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is fear, courage.
Where there is confinement, your freedom.
We pray for every imprisoned person who misses their family,
We are people of the light…
we say, “Let there be light!” And behold!
Lamplight, headlight, spotlight,
flashlight, floodlight, footlight,
searchlight, stoplight, streetlight,
windows cascading light,
skyscraper towers of light,
satellites that compete with starlight,
screens of all kinds lit with light,
light sabres, lighthouses and light bulbs;
halogen, incandescent, fluorescent!
We dodge deep darkness with twinkly lights.
We say a prayer of thanks today for those among us
in our community, in our country,
who are living in poverty.
Thank you for the courage of people with no money,
for their resourcefulness and ingenuity,
for the way they show that loving relationships do not depend on income,
for their joy and laughter in difficult circumstances
and for the willingness of those who live with little
to share with anyone who asks,
for they understand the spirit of Christmas.
We ask for help for those among us suffering because of poverty;
As we wait for the anniversary of your birth, Lord Jesus,
we are waiting for peace in Afghanistan.
We have created a war that goes on and on;
military operations come and go,
bombs get dropped or planted,
hospitals fill up and empty,
graveyards in Afghanistan and around the world
are visited by those who mourn.
And we have not found peace.
Saviour, where is your relief?
We need your strength and consolation.
We need release from fear and sin.
Something is not right.
The fever that won’t break,
the lump that we never noticed before,
the appetite that’s disappeared,
the weight put on, or off,
the persistent headache,
the seizure, the flushed face,
the voice crying, “It hurts.”
Parents flocking to doctors,
holding babies, hugging toddlers,
arms around adolescents,
hanging on to the hands of teenagers….
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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