Thank you God for night sounds;
frogs singing in the spring,
crickets chirping to their mates,
dry leaves rustling,
winter winds howling,
the plaintive call of a train whistle,
the wail of a siren,
the sound of my own breath.
God, you are in the night sounds.
Tune my ears to the pitch of your voice
calling to me in the darkness. Amen.
At the starting line of this day,
we call on your name, God of grace.
As we run the race you have set before us,
help us to keep our eyes on your goals, not our own.
When we falter, give us fresh strength and courage.
When we are fleet-footed, let us give you the glory.
Keep us from wanting to win at other’s expense
or to count ourselves better than those at our side.
All runners are your children.
In the race You imagine,
each one is a winner.
The sun slides to the horizon
and our thoughts slide to you,
God of heaven and earth.
As the shadows lengthen,
we rest our weary bodies.
Let the peace of the evening
fill us as we pray.
Thank you for all that we experienced today:
moments of energy and engagement,
moments of inactivity and quietness,
When a day opens
like a beautiful blank page,
I give thanks, God of my life, for time.
Time to stretch, time to curl up;
time to eat, time to digest what I’ve eaten;
time to read, time to put the book down;
time to walk, time to look at where I’m walking;
time to be alone, time to call a friend;
time to work, time to lay my work down;
time to rest, and time to feel energized from resting.
I give thanks even for this time to pray,
this poised moment at the open door of the day.
Good morning.
As the evening darkens down,
as the evening lamps are lit,
as the peace of the evening star begins to shine,
here and now we share our evening prayer.
Prayers for those with tears on their cheeks.
Prayers for those with hunger in their stomachs
Prayers for those with weapons in their hands.
Prayer for those with hatred in their hearts.
Prayers for those whose shoulders are heavy with despair.
As shadows of the earth deepen over us,
we trust that you can guide us on starlit paths.
Help us find each other’s hands in the dark,
as we dream together till the morning comes.
As night falls
as we lay our bodies down,
as muscles relax…
take, Lord, the burdens of the day,
hold, Lord, our loved ones in safety,
remove, Lord, all clinging fears,
give, Lord, the sweetest dreams,
grant, Lord, a restful sleep
in Jesus’ name.
As the dawn rises,
as we lift our bodies up,
God of Slumber,
we go to bed
trusting in your arms
to hold the world close,
knowing that you
will whisper words of love
in our ears
as we sleep.
Amen
God, let this be a fruitful day!
Open our eyes to beauty.
Tune our ears to harmony.
The fragrance of your love
permeating every moment.
The touch of your hand
guiding all we do.
Tasting the delight of your presence
in the sweet ripeness of joy.
As night falls
as I lay my body down
as muscles relax,
take, God, the burdens of the day,
hold, God, my loved ones in safety,
remove, God, all clinging fears,
give, God, the sweetest dreams,
grant a restful sleep
in Jesus’ name.
As the dawn rises,
as I lift my body up,
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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