Prayer for People who are Homeless

Hear our prayer today for all women and men, boys and girls who are homeless this day.

For those sleeping under bridges, on park benches, in doorways or bus stations.

For those who can only find shelter for the night but must wander in the daytime.

For families broken because they could not afford to pay the rent.

For those who have no relatives or friends who can take them in.

For those who have no place to keep possessions that remind them who they are.

For those who are afraid and hopeless.

For those who have been betrayed by our social safety net.

For all these people, we pray that you will provide shelter, security and hope….

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The Wrong Good-bye

This is the wrong good-bye.

At thirty, death stands on the threshold

ghoulish as an x-ray

staring straight through all our hopes and plans.

We will not welcome this grim usher

who comes before the play’s half-done.

 Against the injustice,

against the desperation,

against the running out of time,

against the fear of my body’s demise,

against all these,

Love stands.

We crave your presence, Lord,

even in the wrong good-bye.

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The Sweet Good-bye

At the last, let it be a sweet good-bye.

All business finished.

All affairs tidied.

All loose ends attended.

All regrets squared away.

All loved ones gathered.

All words of love spoken.

All life lived fully.

One last look,

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Summer Sun Call to Worship

Summer sun sends its heat

and the earth lays wide.

Flat fields shimmer, tall wheat ripens,

the earth bakes.

All creatures seek shade

as the haze builds and thickens.

This summer day compels repose.

This heat a benediction,

a heavy warm hand

pressing down….

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Sanctuary Prayer

I weave a circle of prayer around this sanctuary

Protect, dear God, this space from sin.

Let evil thoughts be dropped in the parking lot

along with petty quarrels and all bitterness.

Let selfishness be relinquished on the steps

and pride be renounced at the threshold.

Let quarrelling be left at the door

and all hard feelings be hung up in the cloakroom.

Help us enter this hour of worship simply,

as children, eager to meet you here….

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Prayer for a Friend Not Seen

God who sees the heart of things,

who sees my heart,

you know the love still lodged

for friends long absent.

Once, long past,

we found a home

in each other’s presence.

A genuine meeting then

a parting of ways,

the currents of life and time…

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Praying on a Windy Day

On this wind-swept day

my prayer is a kite

rising from outstretched arms

stringing taut and fast

up with sailing clouds

up with soaring hawks

my kite swoops

in the high blue

writing thank-you

thank-you.

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Waiting in the Waiting Room

A loved one’s heart attack is like a closed door;

he is on that side and we are on this side.

The door opens with the sudden collapse.

Ambulance attendants act as ushers.

Now we are in the waiting room waiting

and he is on the other side of the door

in ICU having a heart attack.

The waiting room is suspended in time….

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The Starry Host

For the starry host of heaven

for the velvet black of night

for the moon a brilliant circle

for the clouds reflecting light

for the land in silence resting

for the stillness everywhere

for the dew like grace descending

for the fragrance in the air;

for God is in the evening

for Christ is drawing near

for the Spirit now is longing

to make beauty’s presence clear.

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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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