Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Prayer for the Critically Ill in a Pandemic (when you can’t be physically there)

March 24, 2020

God of infinite care,
how we long for your presence in this heavy time.
Our loved one, (name), is so sick, they may be dying;
we know they are suffering,
and we cannot be at their bedside to hold their hand.
Like so many other family members
who are separated from the sick through travel restrictions,
or levels of quarantine,
our hearts are torn open with grief and anguish.
We need your presence at that bed,

Prayer in Virulent Times (after St. Patrick)

March 17, 2020

We bind onto ourselves
the loving power of God our Creator,
the enlivening power of the Spirit of Truth,
and the steadfast faithfulness of Jesus Christ.
We bind onto ourselves
the glories of the earth, this gift:
the power of heaven,
the light of the sun,
the brightness of the moon,
the splendour of fire,
the flashing of lightning,

Pandemic Prayer

March 11, 2020

Great God,
you are an ever-present help in times of trouble,
and that’s why we’re praying now.
We are troubled and we’re worried things
are going to get more troubling.
This virus is spreading around the world:
so many are seriously ill
or will be seriously ill,
so many health care systems are stretched
or will be stretched.

Tender Call to Worship

March 2, 2020

By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ [NRSV]

Merciful God:
We come together to worship longing for tenderness
because this world can be hard.
We come longing for light
because our lives are crowded with shadows.
We come desperately needing direction.
Fill us this morning with your peace:
your spirit is our peace and our path.

Prayer for this Warring World

February 9, 2020

God of angel armies, hear our prayer
for your beloved world.
Cast out the demon of bomb dropping.
Cast out the demon of rocket hurling.
Cast out the demon of bullet shooting.
Cast out the demon of hostage holding.
Cast out the demon of civilian persecuting.

Newborn at Christmas?

December 26, 2019

This Christmas can we find
a newborn love for Jesus?
Can this baby disarm us;
agendas, busyness and grudges
dropped on the ground?
Will we follow some sweet inner voice
urging us to go and see?
Can we go wondering,
unsure what we will find?
As we pass by all the places
we would expect to see God,

Last Christmas

December 15, 2019

To all of us a last Christmas comes.
The cycle of the year, so familiar and dear,
stops cycling for us, but not for those around us.
Some have no idea the end is near,
others look at the calendar,
and know they will not be turning more pages,
and so they enter this season with different eyes.

A last chance to put up Christmas decorations,
enjoying the memories that come with each ornament.
A last chance to taste those specific cookies,

Confession on Thanksgiving

October 10, 2019

We confess that we sometimes forget how to say thank you;
   we get used to saying, “I earned this,”
   thinking we have only ourselves to thank.
We confess that we are sometimes too jealous to be thankful;
   we compare ourselves to others who have more, “Why do they get everything?”
   and we rarely compare ourselves to those who have less.
We confess that we are sometimes too busy to be thankful;
   we asked ourselves this morning, “Do I have time to go to church?”
   and even in worship we are thinking about our to-do lists.

Justice Rolling Offering Prayer

October 5, 2019

God of grace,
we know you want justice rolling down like water.
Accept these gifts from our hands,
which we cast upon the waters of your love,
a generous ever-flowing stream
feeding the hungry and
helping those in need.
Accept these gifts for the work of your church. Amen.

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

Carol Penner

Prayer for the Critically Ill in a Pandemic (when you can’t be physically there)

Prayer in Virulent Times (after St. Patrick)

Pandemic Prayer

Tender Call to Worship

Prayer for this Warring World

Newborn at Christmas?

Last Christmas

Confession on Thanksgiving

Justice Rolling Offering Prayer

About Carol Penner

Recent Posts

Joyful Pentecost Prayer

Pentecost Call to Worship

Hope: An Advent Prayer from the Northern Hemisphere

Thanksgiving Prayer in Times Like These

Peace Prayer for Times Like These

We Are People Confession

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