Carol Penner

Praying at the New Year

December 31, 2018

Creator of this new year, and every year,
thank you for the changeable gift of time.
Some years slip through our fingers like too many beads to hold,
beautiful memories bouncing every which way.
Other years are like burrs in our hair, unwanted, uncomfortable,
and really hard to shake off.
We stand at this threshold of the old and the new,
hoping for a good year.
We all want health and peace in our time,
we want safety for loved ones,
food on the table every day and clean fresh water.

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God of Deep Peace Prayer

December 23, 2018

God of deep peace, hear our prayer for peace this morning!
Thank you for the peace of the earth, felt bodily,
our feet on this good ground,
our eyes towards the stars.
Thank you for the peace of fellowship, around us now,
Christians joining here to worship and to praise you.
Thank you for the peace of harmony and love,
and the many caring and supportive people who surround us,
making sure that no one is forgotten.
Thank you for the peace of the ages, because we know
we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
who rest in your presence.
There is so much peace to celebrate, all gifts from your hand.

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Longest Night Prayer

December 21, 2018

There are good years and bad years,
and then there are years from hell.
Hear our prayer O God, for all who are tortured by war.
You know the anguished cries,
and the hearts that have turned to stone.
These are people who will die unless you save them.
We need a Saviour for those who sit in the shadow of death:
for children who have lost their parents,
and have no one to take care of them;
for teenagers forced to fight,
and who can’t imagine a normal life;
for all who have killed and have witnessed the killing;
for all who are fleeing the violence

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Blue Christmas Prayer

December 20, 2018

There are good years and bad years,
hear our prayer O God, for all who are slogging.
You know the tears that slide into pillows at night,
you hear the cries of people at the end of their rope.
We acknowledge that not all is sparkling and bright,
and that people are desperate for glad tidings.
And so we pray for good news;
for children being hurt by their parents,
who fear the people they also love;
for teenagers who struggle because they are being bullied
not just at school, but at home through social media;
for young adults who are caught
in the web of drug addiction;

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Joy to the World Advent Prayer

December 15, 2018

God, giver of joy,
thank you for the open sweet gaze of babies,
for the irrepressible giggles of toddlers,
and for the sight of preschoolers holding hands as they play.
Thank you that we are made for joy
and that advent reminds us of this.
Help us wait in hopeful anticipation for this gift of joy–
an incongruous Saviour, the Prince of Peace
come down to us as a baby in diapers.
Jesus, give joy this week even to those who are suffering:
joy in the midst of illness, through a keen sense of your presence,
joy in the midst of grief, through an awareness of love deeper than death,

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Loving Advent Prayer

December 8, 2018

Thank you that your love falls down like snow, covering everything.
We need your love now, more than ever.
We confess that we hate some people:
people who have hurt us,
people who think differently than us,
people who look differently than us.
And we are careless enough to let hatred grow,
underestimating its power in our world.
God, we need a Saviour who can save us from ourselves.
Thank you for your love that covers our world like oceans….

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Advent Peace Prayer for Marriages

December 5, 2018

Mary and Joseph were making an uneasy journey in advent.
Hugely pregnant, and with bills to pay,
they were barely through a conflict that nearly divided them.
God of grace, hear our advent prayer
for people whose marriages are in trouble.
Thank you for romantic love, and the rush of desire:
help couples who feel empty when that fades or disappears,
show them that love is deeper than romance.
Thank you for harmony and partnership:
help couples that have lost their way,
who wallow in conflict rather than pulling through to the other side.
Thank you for lovers who honour and delight:

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Darkness on Christmas Eve Poem

December 5, 2018

On the darkness of the road
a couple walks, bone-weary,
seeking a sanctuary
where new life can be born.

In the darkness of the womb
a baby stirs and turns,
unaware of a destiny
and a coming birth day.

In the darkness of the night,
Herod looks out at his kingdom

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Bible Story Christmas Prayer

December 5, 2018

The news that the Word is made flesh
comes to us on the pages of our holy book.
Tens of thousands of Bibles opened around the world this night
and the good news read out in basilicas and barrios,
in chapels, churches and television broadcast studios.
In every language of the world the good news rings out,
“And it came to pass in those days.”
Thank you God for the gift of scripture,
telling us of those first witnesses of your coming.
Mary, heavy with child, journeying to Bethlehem.
Joseph, anxious with worry, hurrying to arrive in time….

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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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