I seek you, God, in the spaces of my life.
The spaces between what I’ve done
and what I’ve left undone.
The spaces between my convictions
and my actions,
the spaces between all that I hoped to do,
and what I’ve actually done.
I come with humility,
knowing that I can’t always see
the way I’ve disappointed you,
nor can I always see
the long-term effects of the good I’ve done….
Holy Wisdom:
We want to walk the path of generosity
but something holds us back.
We are fearful;
we don’t know how much money we will need
or how much money we can spare.
You invite us to faithful living.
Guided by your Spirit,
confident in your voice showing us the way,
we give these gifts faithfully, joyfully,
in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen.
Psalm 85:8-10 and
We meet you here, Lord,
at the intersection of love and faithfulness.
Here prayer and praise join hands,
scripture is embraced,
and our voices unite in hymns to you.
Speak tenderly to our hearts in this hour of worship,
God of all Creation,
and show us the path to peace. Amen.
Reader 1: In a world of where so many despair,
God lights a candle of hope in our hearts.
We wait together for a Saviour,
who will be Immanuel, Christ the Lord.
Hear the word of the Lord:
Reader 2: By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas. Psalm 65:5
Second Advent – Peace –Purple Candle
What I remember most
is the joy of God’s words on our lips
and in our hearts.
That good news bubbling out,
freely shared with any person we met,
old categories of friend and foe forgotten.
I remember the power of God changing us,
from empty Christians
to disciples full of fire.
I confessed my faith
and chose baptism, freely, consciously,
my prayer as the water trickled over me,
“O my Lord, my God!”
My family and friends,
Our souls magnify the Lord.
Our souls amplify the goodness of God–
we take a good close-up look at all our blessings.
Thank you for plants:
for the deliciousness of fresh lettuce
and the sharp tang of dill,
but also for their beauty, their leafy wonder,
their greenness, their fragrance.
Thank you for the miracle of growth,
for sun and rain which has made them grow
and for the mysteries of photosynthesis.
Creation at work at a molecular level,
Thank you for the miracle of our bodies;
for breath that fills us,
blood that circulates,
synapses that spark,
microscopic particles exchanging in good order,
everything working together in harmony.
We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
As creatures, we are vulnerable,
we have weaknesses and sicknesses.
Creator God, we need your healing presence:
when we have symptoms that are unexplained
and we wonder, “What does this mean?”:
We give thanks today, God of great gifts, for the Bible.
Thank you for these Bibles in our hands, the Bibles in our homes
the free access to holy scripture that we enjoy in this country.
Thank you for the many faithful people
who delivered this Bible into our hands today;
the people who wrote it,
the people who copied it out,
the people who died protecting it,
the people who translated it,
the people who interpreted it,
century after century.
Thank you for the people who shared it with us;
Holy is your name, God in heaven!
We come to worship today longing for your kingdom come.
What is your will in our lives, in our world?
In this hour of worship,
enlighten us with your Word,
inspire us with stirring songs,
enfold us with your community,
embrace us with a vision so strong
that we will go from here with good news for all people.
Amen
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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