Carol Penner, Author at Leading in Worship

Abundant Life: Peter on the Road with Jesus

June 7, 2021

Abundant life, he says. That’s what he came to give us.
A somewhat surprising answer, since me and my friends
might have suggested that he had come to bring us abundant
blisters, leading us up hill and down, from morning to night.
Or an abundance of crowds,
or an abundance of Pharisees to argue with,
or an abundance of riddles;
those stories with their twists.
An abundance of days filled with amazing healings,
miraculous feedings, abundant piles of bread.
Abundant numbers of jaws dropping as even the dead are raised.

Sermon: Take Up Your Cross on the Home Front – Mark 8:27-38, Romans 5:1-11

June 7, 2021

Having looked at the biblical story, let’s turn now to our own context. How does our identity as followers of Jesus lead us to take up a cross? Today I want to share what I think “take up your cross” means in the context of family life Everyone is part of a family at some point…a family of origin or an adopted family, and even if you grow up and live alone, you still can reflect on that intense time of living together. Now we don’t usually put ‘family life’ and ‘take up your cross’ together. Maybe it even sounds like an oxymoron, something that doesn’t belong together. I have never heard a wedding sermon on this text, so we might think it doesn’t have much relevance for that context.

Father’s Day Congregational Prayer

June 2, 2021

Loving God, today we give thanks for those who have fathered us.
We give thanks for fathers and grandfathers who have nurtured us,
and for men who have been caregivers and teachers and mentors.
They have loved us unconditionally, and made us who we are.
We pray for everyone here who fathers someone.
Give them strength to nurture, protect and provide.
Give them wisdom to be role models.
Give them joy as they watch their children learn and grow.
Give them patience as their children test boundaries.

Joy of Salvation Call to Worship

June 1, 2021

Our call to worship is from Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?”
God, we come to worship
from a world where there is much fear.
We each have our own worries,
and the weight of the world can be heavy.
Your strength is what we need.
Help us to be of one mind this morning,
your light filling us with the joy of your salvation. Amen.

Our Peace and Our Path Call to Worship

May 30, 2021

Our call to worship is from Luke 1:78-79
“By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Merciful God:
we come together to worship longing for tenderness
because this world can be hard.
We come longing for light
because our lives are crowded with shadows
We come desperately needing direction,
because we don’t always know which way to go.
Fill us this morning with your peace:
your spirit is our peace and our path.

On the Road from Emmaus: Cleopas and His Wife

May 29, 2021

It was just too intense, we had to get away.
So much crying, so much sadness.
Mary Magdalene wailing,
Peter groaning out loud every five minutes
and pounding his fists against his knees.

But worst of all was Jesus’ mother Mary
just sitting motionless,
holding her sides, staring into space,
almost as if she was waiting for something.

Sermon: Jesus in the Synagogue; Terror and Hardheartedness – Mark 3:1-6, Psalm 143:3-8

May 26, 2021

If I was making a movie of this story, I’d start with a shot of Jesus and a few of his disciples walking up a dirt road in the bright sun. They’re talking among themselves, but Jesus is looking ahead. The camera pans around…”What is he looking at?” It’s a road lined with white clay buildings, women scattered here and there. No one is working, because it’s the Sabbath. They look at Jesus and his followers with curiosity. There are no men on the street. At the end, at the top of the hill is a building set apart a bit. The door is open, but you can’t see in. A closeup then of Jesus’ face, there’s a determination around his eyes….

Sermon: Scripture, a Door That’s Right For You – Matthew 7:7-10, Psalm 19:7-10

May 25, 2021

Here is where the similarity between vows and resolutions comes in. No matter how much you think and dream about being physically fit, or how many clothes you buy to exercise in, unless you actually do some physical activity, you will not become physically fit! And no matter how much you want to become a good piano player and think about the concerts you will give and dream about the beautiful music you will play, unless you actually put your hands on the keyboard and practice, you will not become a better piano player. And no matter how much you think, ”Wouldn’t it be great to deepen my faith this year, to draw closer to God,” unless there is some activity on your part, nothing will change…

Sermon: Epiphany in the Ordinary and Everyday – Matthew 2:1-15, Genesis 28:10-16, John 1:51

May 25, 2021

The story of Jacob’s ladder, and the story of the magi, are two very different stories of epiphany, from very different parts of the Bible. But they both teach us that epiphanies are gifts. And in some epiphanies there is choice involved. You can choose to do the work of unpacking the epiphany. You can take the journey it calls you to. You can embrace the epiphany, tell your family about it, and be forever changed. Or you can walk by the revelation, you can refuse to believe it’s happening in your ordinary, everyday time.

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

Abundant Life: Peter on the Road with Jesus

Sermon: Take Up Your Cross on the Home Front – Mark 8:27-38, Romans 5:1-11

Father’s Day Congregational Prayer

Joy of Salvation Call to Worship

Our Peace and Our Path Call to Worship

On the Road from Emmaus: Cleopas and His Wife

Sermon: Jesus in the Synagogue; Terror and Hardheartedness – Mark 3:1-6, Psalm 143:3-8

Sermon: Scripture, a Door That’s Right For You – Matthew 7:7-10, Psalm 19:7-10

Sermon: Epiphany in the Ordinary and Everyday – Matthew 2:1-15, Genesis 28:10-16, John 1:51

About Carol Penner

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