Money talks.
The money we give to you today
speaks of our identity as your children,
tells of our commitment to follow Jesus,
proclaims your Spirit’s generous presence here.
God of all good gifts,
hear our thankfulness in these offerings. Amen.
My friends, look for Jesus!
Seek him as a treasure in this great wide world.
Seek him in the eyes of your loved ones
and in the eyes of strangers.
May your heart burn within you
as the Lord draws close to you this week.
For what we are about to receive,
may the Lord make us truly thankful.
We pray today for all who are too jealous to be thankful,
who complain, “Why do they get everything?”
and who are always comparing themselves with those who have more.
We pray for all who have forgotten how to say thank you;
who have gotten used to saying, “I earned this,”
and who truly feel they have only themselves to thank.
We pray for all who are too busy to be thankful;
who asked themselves this morning, “Do I have time to go to church?”
Little girl, welcome to this house of worship
and to the community of faith.
Prayers have surrounded you these many months
as we waited expectantly for your safe arrival.
Little girl, you are a magnet for our love,
a compass that points to your Creator.
We are drawn to your fresh beauty,
fascinated by your personality, newly-minted….
Crippled by a mind
that sees menace in every corner
and malice in every look,
the anguished soul cries, “No more.”
At the last,
her sigh a white flag,
cheek resting on her hand,
weary beyond measuring,
Today I’m praying for one
imprisoned in their own mind,
locked behind bars of anguish
that no key can open.
Are you the God of the disordered mind?
Do you watch as ropes of anxiety
already tight pull tighter still,
making death seem a sweet release?
When being is misery, Lord,
the gift of life is torture.
On Friday night we left the tomb in silence,
our feet heavy on that grave road,
clinging to each other for support
every face wet with tears.
Our steps beating out the refrain of our hearts,
“He’s dead, he’s dead.”
No sleep for me all that long night.
Each time I closed my eyes
I was again on that road to Jerusalem
palm branches waving,
again at a table with Jesus
The grudge sits squat and heavy
in the middle of the road between two people.
Built of solid rock by a team of experts
schooled in hurt feelings,
every chink is cemented with spite.
There are no windows or doors.
Unmovable as a mountain
it sits in the thoroughfare saying,
“Road closed.”…
The family sits on either side of the bed.
The reedy rhythm raises her chest
slightly up, slightly down.
The quiet breathing slows, pauses,
resumes again, shallower now.
Life seeps away as night deepens.
Death dawns, gentle as silence.
This was the final hour….
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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