Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Sermon: Changing from the Outside In, a Halloween Sermon – Psalm 109, Colossians 3:1-14, Job 29:14

October 22, 2021

It’s interesting to be talking about this passage on Hallowe’en, the day we celebrate dress up. I think part of us would resist thinking about these qualities of Christian life like clothing. Because if they are something we put on, then perhaps we are hiding something. Maybe our Christianity is a mask we are wearing, something that is just on the outside. But maybe clothing ourselves is a way to change who we are inside.

Zooming in on the Nativity: A Virtual Christmas Pageant

October 15, 2021

An adaptable reader’s theatre, made for a zoom presentation, with at least 12 characters. Suitable for either children, or an intergenerational cast.

Thanksgiving in Times Like These

October 8, 2021

God of all great gifts,
hear our thanksgiving prayer!
Thank you for this beautiful world spinning its way through space,
the earth, our home, magnificent beyond understanding.
Thank you for the golden sun beaming out energy,
and for moonlight and starlight gracing the night.
Thank you for the cycle of seasons and most particularly for autumn:
streams of golden grain flowing from combines,
fresh green and red apples mounded on market shelves,
pumpkins lined up at roadside stands.

Sermon: Travelling Mercies on Family Journeys – Genesis 37:17-35

October 5, 2021

The story of Joseph and his brothers has captured our attention for thousands of years. It’s a story of family violence. A story of a family walking a long journey with the consequences of that violence. It’s a story of how God can take violent people and turn them around.

Why did violence happen in that family? Maybe it wasn’t the coat they saw in the distance that tipped the balance on the day Joseph was sold into Egypt. Maybe it wasn’t because Joseph was a tattle tale, squealing on his brothers. Maybe it wasn’t the father’s love given unequally, unfairly. Maybe it wasn’t because of the dreams. Maybe it wasn’t any of those things. Maybe it was simply the weather was too hot, everyone was cranky.

Truth and Reconciliation Congregational Prayer

September 24, 2021

Thank you, God, for everything that is true and good:
for true love, and good friendships,
for true stories, and all who tell them,
for the good earth, which is truly a home for all your creatures.
Thank you for all who seek the truth;
journalists who try to reveal injustice,
scientists who figure out how things work,
judges who listen to every side.
Thank you for the desire for truth
that you put inside each one of us,

Before the Election Prayer

September 13, 2021

Almighty God, we need your presence in our land during this election time.

Guide the candidates to campaign fairly and present their viewpoints honestly.

Guide the voters as they listen and assess the positions of the different parties.

Jesus, you cared for those who were poor, physically challenged, social outcasts.

Walk with us into the voting booth and help us make a wise decision,

taking into account not only our own needs, but the needs of others.
Inspire many to vote, so the will of the people can be heard.

Labour Day Prayer in an Ongoing Pandemic

September 4, 2021

Thank you, God, for the changes that fall brings:
the sun sleeping in a bit longer each morning,
the cooler temperatures, the quiet dark evenings.
As peaches disappear from the market,
we have early apples, fresh and crisp.
The usual bustle of preparation for school and fall routines
feels different this year.
We are filled with uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sermon: Really Listening, The Story of the Wheat and the Tares – Matthew 13:24-30

August 12, 2021

It is sometimes very complicated to read the Bible and figure out a way forward. The best way to read the Bible is not to do it alone, but to do it with open ears…to listen to how other faithful people are reading the Bible, and to pray for God’s spirit to guide us. To listen not just to how people are interpreting the Bible in our congregation, or in our own conference, but to listen to the wider church here and around the world. And, importantly, can we listen to our own history, and see where we went wrong? Can we listen to the terrible things that happen when we read only one bible story, and ignore another?

Longest Night Prayer

July 5, 2021

There are good years and bad years,
and then there are years from hell.
Hear our prayer, O God, for all who suffer.
You hear the anguished cries,
you collect our tears,
you know when hearts turn to stone.
Send a Saviour now with good news
for those who sit in the shadow of death:

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

Sermon: Changing from the Outside In, a Halloween Sermon – Psalm 109, Colossians 3:1-14, Job 29:14

Zooming in on the Nativity: A Virtual Christmas Pageant

Thanksgiving in Times Like These

Sermon: Travelling Mercies on Family Journeys – Genesis 37:17-35

Truth and Reconciliation Congregational Prayer

Before the Election Prayer

Labour Day Prayer in an Ongoing Pandemic

Sermon: Really Listening, The Story of the Wheat and the Tares – Matthew 13:24-30

Longest Night Prayer

About Carol Penner

Recent Posts

Joyful Pentecost Prayer

Pentecost Call to Worship

Hope: An Advent Prayer from the Northern Hemisphere

Thanksgiving Prayer in Times Like These

Peace Prayer for Times Like These

We Are People Confession

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