Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

After the Election Prayer

November 10, 2009

We pray this day

that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray this day for our new government

that it will help us live in peace with each other.

Give our politicians keen hearing to hear the cries of the poor.

Give our politicians sharp vision to see the long-term effect of policies.

Give our politicians plain speech to speak the truth.

Give our politicians clean hands to withstand corruption.

Give our politicians honest hearts that are eager to right injustice.

We ask all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer for Teachers

November 10, 2009

God, our Great Teacher:

At the beginning of this new school year, hear our prayer for teachers!

Give teachers compassion to treat each student with dignity and respect,

remembering that every child has a story to tell.

Give teachers wisdom to be role models,

remembering that children learn more from who we are than what we say.

Give teachers your love that reaches out to children on the margins,

remembering that we see Jesus in the face of the poor, the challenged, the rejected.

Give teachers strength to carry heavy loads with patience and good-humour,

Kids Back to School Prayer

November 10, 2009

Thank you God for warm sunny weather,

for blue skies

and blue lakes.

Thank you God for big trees to climb

for city streets to explore

for cool shady places to hide in

for parks with slides and swings.

Thank you God for swimming pools and diving boards

for baseball diamonds

and soccer fields.

Blessing for Parents

November 10, 2009

We pray today for a blessing on parents;

two parents in one home,

two parents in two homes,

single parents,

extended family caregivers,

foster parents,

and all who are in a parental role.

Give patience when love wears thin.

Give tenderness even in the face of anger.

Give clarity in the face of difficult decisions.

Bed-time Prayer

November 10, 2009

Day is ending.

Shadows lengthen

and night falls.

Draw me close to you, God.

Pillow me on your love.

Blanket me with your peace.

Keep me safe in the darkness.

Shut nightmares out

and protect me from anxiety’s cold grip.

Meet me in my dreams tonight

and in tomorrow’s gift of a new day.

In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Prayer for Openness

November 10, 2009

Jesus, you open us

to new life, new hope, new possibilities.

You conquer the way we

close up, close down, and close in.

Jesus, lover of us all,

open our hearts to feel your compassion

for people we would rather walk by;

open our ears to hear the cries of the suffering

deep inside where we cannot fail to be moved;

open our understanding to new ways of living

Prayer to the Prince of Peace

November 10, 2009

Perfect love casts our fear

and so today we pray for your spirit of love on our world.

Cast out the shooting of bullets into people’s bodies.

Cast out the explosion of bombs in crowded places.

Cast out the desperation that leads people to terrorist acts.

Cast out the making of walls that divide and imprison us.

Cast out the prejudice against people of a certain race or culture.

Cast out the political structures that perpetuate violence.

Cast out the hatred that produces fear.

Send down the courage to reach out in peace.

Send down the resolution to not return evil for evil.

Prayer about Sexual Attraction

November 10, 2009

Thank you God for sexual attraction,

for the pull of thoughts and emotions and bodies.

Thank you that we are creatures

who feel for each other and with each other.

Give us wisdom in this give and take,

to give our best with kindness,

to take what’s given graciously.

Preserve us from dangers of intimacy,

from giving ourselves too hastily,

from taking without reverence.

In the flesh and blood of our relationships

may integrity and fidelity kiss.

Age-old Chorus

November 10, 2009

In the hospital for sick seniors

each pillow cradles a face

framed with white hair

underscored by bony knuckles

clutching white sheets.

Bodies, getting older together

join in a choir of symptoms;

the deep voice of bones broken

the tenor of organs failing

the soft alto of senses dulling

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

After the Election Prayer

Prayer for Teachers

Kids Back to School Prayer

Blessing for Parents

Bed-time Prayer

Prayer for Openness

Prayer to the Prince of Peace

Prayer about Sexual Attraction

Age-old Chorus

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

Posts By Month

Categories

Popular Tags

Stay Connected!