Earth

Psalm of Praise

Lord you give life to life
from Day 1, 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….

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Ambassadors of Life Congregational Prayer

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.

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The World is God’s: A Psalm of Praise

The earth is God’s and all that is in it:
the earth’s crust, the earth’s surface,
the earth’s atmosphere.
From molten rock to glaciers,
all this, everything is God’s.
The world belongs to God.
The working world, the academic world,
the old world and the new world order,
the worldwide web, the real world,
the whole world is God’s.
The world and those who live in it:
all creatures great and small,

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Prayer After a Tsunami

God of Hope,
in this time of tumult we lay before you the country of _____.
With their land still trembling,
they try to comprehend devastation too broad in its scope:
the sea sweeping through leaving people killed and missing,
homes and towns and cities demolished.
Our prayers are for the people of ______:
Holy Comforter, bring your peace.

We are acutely aware of all who need rescue:
those trapped in buildings and remote areas,
those without food or clean water or shelter,
the injured, the terrified, the anguished….

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Tree prayer

Help us to learn from the trees to be your people.
Like the strong oak with its deep roots,
establish us in your word, in community, in prayer.

Like the graceful willow bending in the wind,
strengthen us to withstand tumults and trials.

Like the tall jack pine, true and straight,
make us pure and single-minded, always looking to you.

Like the rustling poplar, shining and shimmering,
give us joy in the winds of life….

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The Starry Host

For the starry host of heaven

for the velvet black of night

for the moon a brilliant circle

for the clouds reflecting light

for the land in silence resting

for the stillness everywhere

for the dew like grace descending

for the fragrance in the air;

for God is in the evening

for Christ is drawing near

for the Spirit now is longing

to make beauty’s presence clear.

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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

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