Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Holding the Baby

December 25, 2016

The night God took a deep breath
for all that must be saved,
even the stars outshone themselves
and hillsides gloried with angelic music,
the good, good, good news bouncing down
like boulders, shaking the foundations royally,
announcing the advent of a ruler born
for all who must be saved.
It was the bloody same way
we all arrive on the scene
through the mother of all labour and sweat,
the pain stretching out like tidal waves
for all that must be made flesh.
Love is now newborn, if not exactly

A New Year Prayer of Thanks

December 23, 2016

God of every blessing, for your protection
and all the good of this past year,
accept our heartfelt and humble thanks.
For every closed mind
that has creaked open just a crack;
For every call to arms
that was not heeded;
For every homemade bomb
that was not left in the shopping mall;
For every generous gift
that made the difference between life and death;
For every time past mistakes
have given us pause;
For every estranged family member

Prayer for the Scientific Method

December 22, 2016

Thank you for human ingenuity, God,
for our ability to think and reason
and figure things out.
Thank you for people who toil away
year after year in laboratories,
hypothesizing and testing,
and re-hypothesizing and re-testing.
The result is a world largely free from small-pox,
free from epidemics of polio,
free from the scourge of mumps, measles, tetanus,
and scores more diseases.
Thank you for countries rich enough
to devote money to universal health-care,
and for the doctors and nurses
who give and track vaccines.
In a world where some of our worst enemies

Winter Solstice Prayer

December 21, 2016

ven at mid-day today the winter solstice sun
crouched low over the southern horizon.
Low noon, and the day is short.
Darkness sits with us early and late,
lingering longer the further north we go.
Bundled against the cold,
the lack of light weighs on us,
and we are plagued with dark worries
in these troubled times.
And yet, you order this big old earth.
Sailing through space it tips only so far,
but no further from the sun.
Thank you for solar power and centripetal forces

A Prayer for Family Holiday Gatherings

December 20, 2016

esus, you grew up in a family
that did not always understand,
who questioned you and no doubt squabbled;
hear our prayer for family gatherings this year.
Thank you for families that get along,
showing unconditional love and support:
families that are flexible and adaptive,
that can stand any storm.
Bless all who are travelling to gatherings
that they can’t wait to get to.
And then there are other families,
where tension, suspicion and judgement
vie for power with love and acceptance.
Sentences begin with “You always…”

A Prayer for Times like These

December 19, 2016

or a world where lies are accepted at face value;
hear our prayer, God of truth.
For a world where racism in high places is tolerated;
hear our prayer, God of the oppressed.
For a world where people with disabilities are mocked;
hear our prayer, God of the disadvantaged.
For a world where the rich hold the reins of power;
hear our prayer, God of the poor.
For a world where men violate women with impunity;
hear our prayer, God of the downtrodden.
For a world where the earth is ignored and neglected;
hear our prayer, God of the voiceless.
For a world where nations interfere in enemies’ elections;
hear our prayer, God of the disenfranchised….

All I Want for Christmas: A Prayer List as I Go to the Mall

December 17, 2016

his Christmas I would like…
the clear conviction
that beauty is for beholding
and that I don’t have to own
everything that gives me pleasure.
I want to have joy in gift-giving,
seeking to delight those I love.
I would like protection from over purchasing:
and reminders that more gifts
don’t always bring more delight.
I would like contentment this year,
and freedom from envy as I look at things
that I cannot afford to buy.
I would like mindfulness for Christmas,

Final Goodbyes (for Mimi)

December 16, 2016

Immanuel,
thank you that you are God with us
even in our final good-byes.
Thank you for the ebbing of life,
which is as holy as its birth,
even with all the indignities
that infirmities bring.
Thank you for loved ones gathered,
for memories shared and savoured,
and for quiet vigils,
sweeter than all words,
where all we do is breathe.

And at the stillest moment of all,

Message from the Manger

December 15, 2016

We love you in the manger, Jesus.
Your little hands and feet,
your soft breathing,
your eyes closed in sleep.
You may be a revolutionary,
but we like our revolutionaries in diapers.
Forgive us, Lord,
for preferring a Saviour that doesn’t talk;
a Saviour that has no words of judgement
for our callousness to the suffering of others,
whose arms aren’t tossing over tables,
whose feet aren’t leading us to Jerusalem.,,,

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

Holding the Baby

A New Year Prayer of Thanks

Prayer for the Scientific Method

Winter Solstice Prayer

A Prayer for Family Holiday Gatherings

A Prayer for Times like These

All I Want for Christmas: A Prayer List as I Go to the Mall

Final Goodbyes (for Mimi)

Message from the Manger

About Carol Penner

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