Justice Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Leading in Worship

Prayer Against Patriarchy

February 11, 2018

God, you see our world.
The girl baby told she is sweet and lovely,
the boy baby praised for strength and power.
The little girl told to be quiet and sit still,
the boy allowed to run and play because boys will be boys.
The adolescent girl not giving the answer in school,
because the boys make fun if she stands out.
The teenage girl crossing her arms over her breasts,
after the boys comment and reach out to touch.
The young woman watching where she walks,
noticing in every room if there is a threat,

Prayer for Those Seeking Shelter

September 4, 2017

Today we pray for those among us
who seek shelter every day.
Home is gone for them, for many reasons;
addiction, mental illness, violence,
or they just couldn’t pay the rent.
Evicted or just drifting, they wander.
Some live in their vehicle,
holding on to suitcases of possessions.
Others have left it all behind,
and with a bag or two
go to shelters for a meal or a bed.
Others sleep rough, under bridges,

Social Fabric Prayer

May 12, 2017

The transgender man beaten,
and the woman harassed on the bus.
The disabled student not accommodated,
and the bomb threat at the Jewish child-care centre.
Racial profiling at the border
and another refugee told to go home.
A million tiny teeth ripping at the webs that connect us,
fissures fracturing the social fabric.
Reading the news my heart feels tattered,
and all that’s good seems lost
and left behind.

Can we defend, say, “Not here!” to hatred,
hold firm to every last strand of civility?

A Prayer for Times like These

December 19, 2016

or a world where lies are accepted at face value;
hear our prayer, God of truth.
For a world where racism in high places is tolerated;
hear our prayer, God of the oppressed.
For a world where people with disabilities are mocked;
hear our prayer, God of the disadvantaged.
For a world where the rich hold the reins of power;
hear our prayer, God of the poor.
For a world where men violate women with impunity;
hear our prayer, God of the downtrodden.
For a world where the earth is ignored and neglected;
hear our prayer, God of the voiceless.
For a world where nations interfere in enemies’ elections;
hear our prayer, God of the disenfranchised….

A Prayer for a Thousand Tongues

December 3, 2016

God of every tongue and nation:
thank you for the multiplicity and beauty of languages,
each one a treasure, each one unmatched and irreplaceable.
Thank you for the slow growth of languages over time,
their plasticity and adaptability,
their ability to convey and carry culture,
the heart of a people.
As a white Canadian, I mourn the colonial decision
to declare only two languages official,
the languages of white people.
Settler peoples waged war on First Nations and Inuit,

Prayer for Reporters

December 2, 2016

Hear our prayers for reporters, Lord.
In this surroundsound world
with information and lies
mixed on every platform,
raise up truth-tellers
who want to get the story right.
People who are not content with face value,
who smell a rat at any distance,
who are not intimidated by intimidators.
Reporters who care about those
who others abuse and discard.
Reporters who seek out sources,
work diligently to get the whole picture,
and who write with passion and integrity….

A Settler Prayer for Peace

November 27, 2016

Creator God, hear our prayer for settlers everywhere;
for people living on land stolen
and traded unfairly from Indigenous peoples.
You know our cruelties, our disregard for cultures and histories,
our cavalier dismissal of treaty rights,
our personal prejudices, our institutional racism.
The colonial system is so insidious, we who benefit
often don’t even see it, even when it’s in front of our faces.
You are a God who names, and a God who hears.
You know the name of every missing and murdered indigenous woman.
You heard the cries of every child in every residential school.

Call to Freedom Call to Worship

June 27, 2015

Psalm 102:18-22 and
God of grace,
we are a people gathered together in your name.
In your name we pray, we sing,
in your company we find peace.
Bless each person who has come today
with the knowledge that they are heard.
Help us to hear your call to freedom
ringing out over all the earth. Amen.

Prayer of the Unemployed

August 2, 2013

In the wrench of job loss, we fall at your feet, Lord Jesus.
Occupation and income all suddenly thrown aside,
our life’s apple cart overturned.
Uncertainty is thrust upon us,
not-knowing haunting our waking hours,
anxiety our companion all night long.

Jesus stand among us.
Look in our eyes with love,
assuring us that we are loved just as we are,
even as people without jobs.
Grasp us by the shoulders,

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

Justice

Prayer Against Patriarchy

Prayer for Those Seeking Shelter

Social Fabric Prayer

A Prayer for Times like These

A Prayer for a Thousand Tongues

Prayer for Reporters

A Settler Prayer for Peace

Call to Freedom Call to Worship

Prayer of the Unemployed

About Carol Penner

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