Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Thanksgiving grace

October 4, 2012

We are people with full hearts:
we feel blessed, we are blessed,
and on this thanksgiving day we say thank you with all our hearts.
Thank you for your love, and for the gift of your son.
Thank you for those dear to us, those near at hand,
and those much farther away.
Thank you for food.
Thank you for rich soil, good weather, hard-working farmers.
In a society where we are so often
self-sufficient, self reliant and self-satisfied,
give us humble hearts.
All we are and all we have comes from your hand;

River of Love Offering Prayer

August 8, 2012

Giver of all good things,
let your grace flow through us;
a generous stream,
unstoppable, refreshing, abundant.
We release these gifts into your river of love,
flowing out to all the world.
Amen.

Congregational Prayer for Doubters

August 3, 2012

You call us to be people of faith,
yet we are often people with doubts.
We doubt that love can grow again in relationships
where anger and bitterness reign supreme.
You know the strength of love and the power of prayer:
help us to be faithful lovers.
We doubt that peace can come in Israel and Palestine;
where hatred and racism are so powerful.
You know that peace is growing there:
help us to be faithful peacemakers.
We doubt that the hungry can be fed in countries experiencing drought,

Faith-filled Call to Worship

August 2, 2012

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for
the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
We come to worship faithfully, God–
we’re here again this morning.
We come faithfully,
but there’s a part of all of us that doubts, that wonders,
“Are you really there?
are you really listening?
can we really trust you?”
We live in a world where we can’t live without you.
This morning, give us an assurance of what we cannot always see,
a conviction of hope in your presence and your power.
We want to be faith-filled,
confident in your abiding and unfailing love for us. Amen.

True Home Call to Worship

August 1, 2012

“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never.
Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.”

Thank you, God, that worship is always our true home.
Thank you that it is here that we are welcomed,
here that we can show our true selves
and be truly accepted and loved for who we are.
Help us in this hour to rest in your love,
in the presence of our church family,
children of God, together.

Ambassadors of Life Congregational Prayer

July 27, 2012

Lord you give life to life!
From day one, your Spirit brooding over the deep,
your wind rushing, your breath filling.
As creatures of the earth we rejoice in life
using our breath, our being,
to raise this hymn of praise:
Hallelujah to the sun’s hot passion
embracing the ground’s great shoulders.
Hallelujahs for the growth from seed to plant
greening the earth; its fruit—beauty and food!
Hallelujahs for generations of life
tumbling one after another.
Life creeping, swimming, flying, running,
below, above, upon, within.

Faith, Hope, Love Call to Worship

July 26, 2012

Our call to worship is from I Corinthians 13:3
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

God of Gods:
We come to worship today to hear your good news,
to hear stories of faith, hope and love.
We know that doubt, fear and hatred are everywhere
and can shake even the strongest.
Shape us into faithful, hopeful people:
fill us with your love that passes all understanding.
We pray this together in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Graceful Life Congregational Prayer

July 25, 2012

Grace us, God, with your presence,
because sometimes things can be such a mess.
We try to live ordered organized lives
with good principles and lofty goals,
but then there we stand at the end of it;
our days scattered with broken dreams,
words that should not have been spoken,
actions we wish we could take back,
and many many things we did not do.
In the shattered life, in the fractured family,
in the falling apart world,

Canada Day Prayer

June 30, 2012

Thank you, God, for this piece of the world called Canada,
a slice of land broad and wide,
blessed with rivers and great lakes,
wide skies and great forests,
high mountains and gracious plains,
beautiful from sea to sea to sea.
Thank you for letting us live in this land,
even though we do not own it;
this land is your land,
which we use in trust for future generations.
Thank you for its rich history,
which includes the Inuit and Aboriginal and Metis peoples.

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

Thanksgiving grace

River of Love Offering Prayer

Congregational Prayer for Doubters

Faith-filled Call to Worship

True Home Call to Worship

Ambassadors of Life Congregational Prayer

Faith, Hope, Love Call to Worship

Graceful Life Congregational Prayer

Canada Day Prayer

About Carol Penner

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