Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Hope against Hope Advent Prayer

December 3, 2017

God who hears us:
as advent begins, we are already filled up with waiting.
Waiting to hear the next report of bad news;
another mass shooting, another refugee crisis,
another famine, another environmental disaster,
another deadly virus outbreak, another war.
The news is a litany of things to fear
that fills our heads with dread.
We wait for your help.
Remind us of Mary and Joseph,
ordinary people living in a country
under the boot of an oppressive regime,

Letting Go Fall Congregational Prayer

November 18, 2017

Thank you for the extravagant letting go in nature all around us.
The clouds letting go of moisture in rain and snow.
Trees letting go of their leaves, revealing their naked beauty.
The winds letting loose and blowing everything away.
As the days grow short, and the nights grow long,
help us to open our hands and drop what is not essential.
Help us trust that nothing is wasted,
that all of life is held in your hands,
and finds a purpose that is beyond our knowing.
Help us let go of the fears that plague us in the long nights.
We pray for parents who are learning to let go of their growing children,

Learning to Die Prayer

October 19, 2017

Thank you for the gift of time,
unwrapped at birth and lived moment by moment
each and every day of our mortal lives.
We pray today for those who find time too heavy;
their suffering burdens them as they face death.
Choices need to be made about end of life care,
and the possibility of Medical Assistance in Dying.
We need courage on every level.
Courage to live, and courage to die.
Courage to speak the truth we carry
and courage to listen.
Courage to hang on to life,
and courage to let it go….

God Our Shepherd Prayer for the Dying

October 19, 2017

God our Shepherd,
you know the valleys we walk through,
the twisted roads of pain and suffering.
We want to fear no evil, we know that you are with us.
Today there are people in our congregations wrestling
with Medical Assistance in Dying;
considering it from every conceivable angle.
We need your assistance.
Assist us in important and sometimes difficult conversations
with dying people and those who love them,
and all of their many professional caregivers.

The God Who Calls

October 15, 2017

You are the God who calls.
You are hiding in the pauses of the winter wind
whipping around the corners of my house.
You are present in the space between the opening petals
of the first spring crocus.
You are there in the silence behind
the crickets chirping on the hot summer evening.
You are in the autumn aching for what’s been lost
when all is fallen.
You call to us from the other side of Eden,
your voice emanating from deserts, dreams,
whirlwinds and burning bushes.

Thanksgiving Prayer in Times Likes These

October 6, 2017

Thank you, God, for your care for all creation.
You watch over the sun, whose rays warm us,
you order the moon, whose light silvers the night.
The seasons follow your guidance,
and we give thanks for farmers and their harvests;
for the last combines collecting the crops,
for golden stubble fields stretched out for a long rest.
Even as food is collected and stored,
we are mindful of places where food is hard to find;
the rains didn’t come, and the plants didn’t grow,

Land of Broken Dreams Prayer

October 6, 2017

our mercies are new every day, God.
When I could hardly catch my breath,
fear clenching my stomach,
and every horizon dark,
you were there for me.
Whether I stood on the precipice
of grief and pain, or loneliness and despair:
you heard me calling.
My prayers not echoing in empty chambers,
not ricocheting into nothingness;

Our Evening and Morning Prayer

September 15, 2017

As night falls
as we lay our bodies down,
as muscles relax…
take, Lord, the burdens of the day,
hold, Lord, our loved ones in safety,
remove, Lord, all clinging fears,
give, Lord, the sweetest dreams,
grant, Lord, a restful sleep
in Jesus’ name.

As the dawn rises,
as we lift our bodies up,

Upright Call to Worship

September 6, 2017

Psalm 68:8-9 and
Here we are, God,
filled with life and breath,
citizens in the land of the living
by your grace.
You know our paths,
and the help we will need
to keep our feet firm.
In this time of worship,
equip us to be your upright followers,
in Jesus’ name we pray, 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

Hope against Hope Advent Prayer

Letting Go Fall Congregational Prayer

Learning to Die Prayer

God Our Shepherd Prayer for the Dying

The God Who Calls

Thanksgiving Prayer in Times Likes These

Land of Broken Dreams Prayer

Our Evening and Morning Prayer

Upright Call to Worship

About Carol Penner

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