Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Big Picture Congregational Prayer

August 24, 2019

Thank you God for everything under us;
for these chairs on which we sit,
for this church’s firm foundation,
for the soil with its burrowing animals and insects,
for the rock down under that, layered by the sea in ancient times,
for the water that flows in subterranean channels far beneath us,
and for the miles upon miles of bedrock,
unknown and unexplored by all but you,
all the way down to the living heat of our planet,
the molten rock deep in the heart of the earth.
Thank you God for everything above us;

Suicide: Five Prayers from Those Left Behind

August 19, 2019

1. Dear God,
this grief for our loved one has hit us like a truck.
Our lives have not been the same since we heard.
You know the exact weight of our heavy hearts,
you know the volume of tears we shed,
you know the temperature of the places inside of us
that are frozen and numb.
Thank you God that you were with us before we knew this news,
and that you are journeying with us now.

2. God of our minds,
you know the thoughts that knock about our brains.

God of the Working World: A Prayer for Labour Day

August 17, 2019

God of the working world:
thank you for meaningful work that fills us with satisfaction,
the way challenges can spur us on to greater efforts
that pay off with a job well done.
But that’s not always the case.
Sometimes the work we do isn’t productive, or it isn’t recognized.
We spend the whole day working and nothing gets done,
the machine breaks down just after we fixed it,
the house gets messy just when it was clean,
more tasks are assigned to us when we are already overwhelmed.
Some of us hate our work.

Joys and Fears Congregational Prayer

August 16, 2019

Thank you, God, for the joy of today.
It is still morning, and yet so many good things have come our way:
the joy of shelter, the joy of clean water coming out of taps,
the joy of food on the table.
Thank you for friends who understand us,
and the joy of meeting new friends.
Thank you that we are here in church, body and spirit,
thank you for the joy of worshipping you, our Creator.
And in the midst of joys, in all honesty
we admit that we come with fears.
Some of us have fears about new beginnings;
new schools, new relationships, new jobs.
We don’t know how we’ll do or how we’ll feel—

Rejoicing in Life Congregational Prayer

August 1, 2019

God, 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 inhale your grace
rejoicing in life abundant.
We use our breath, our being
to raise this hymn of praise:
for Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
and for the mission you give us
to spread your love to the world.

Free Call to Worship: John 8:32

August 1, 2019

Our call to worship is from John 8:32

“If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32

God of heaven and earth,
we long to be truly free.
In this hour of worship,
help us to grasp the freedom that comes
from seeing you more clearly,
loving you more dearly,
and following you more nearly.
Day by day, give us strength and courage
to be your people in this time, in this place. Amen.

Journey Call to Worship

August 1, 2019

God of the open road,
God of the twisting path,
God of the narrow and upward way,
your people are gathered for worship!
In this hour, give us provision for the journey,
courage and faith and compassion,
and endurance to face any hardship.
Open our eyes to see you walking beside us,
protecting us, encouraging us, loving us.
We pray this in the name of Jesus,
who moves us, Amen

And now…Call to Worship

August 1, 2019

And now we come to worship.
And now we are gathered as one.
And now we turn our hearts.
And now we bless the God of all,
who everywhere works great wonders.
Great God, we long for your deliverance
from this world’s sorrows and troubles:
in your mercy give us gladness and peace, Amen.

Windy Day Congregational Prayer

July 31, 2019

Thank you for the wind!
Thank you for the way it sweeps across our great country,
over the Pacific ocean, up the mountains,
flying across the plains and the great lakes,
whooshing over the boreal forest
till it arrives in Ontario in great gusts, [adjust to fit your geography]
making everything alive and lively,
blowing our hair and clothes into tangles,
filling our lungs and then blowing away
up the St. Lawrence all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
Fill us with your Spirit this morning like this wind,
enlivening us, moving us, stirring us….

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

Big Picture Congregational Prayer

Suicide: Five Prayers from Those Left Behind

God of the Working World: A Prayer for Labour Day

Joys and Fears Congregational Prayer

Rejoicing in Life Congregational Prayer

Free Call to Worship: John 8:32

Journey Call to Worship

And now…Call to Worship

Windy Day Congregational Prayer

About Carol Penner

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