Thank God for old friends
who take the long view—
who are not startled by temper flares
or momentary lapses of judgement.
The ballast of high regard
floats all ships:
you think well of me
and I strive not to disappoint.
Thank God for old friends
who see the lighter side,
God, hear these sixteen prayers
that I am praying for sixteen good reasons.
I’ve loved her sixteen years,
protected and nurtured her each and every day.
Sixteen birthdays she’s made wishes
on cakes baked by my hands.
Sixteen years of trying to give good advice
and about a million “Be carefuls.”
And now, at this age of sixteen
when all the world is coming up roses,
my prayer for her is “Be yourself.”
Bitterness, like some evil intravenous
drips into each day
from a clear bag of memories.
He said, she said,
he did, she did,
he was, she was.
Daily, nightly, a steady dose
poisoning the soul.
Too many times the body convulses
shaken with anger
racked with sorrow
The grudge sits squat and heavy
in the middle of the road between two people.
Built of solid rock by a team of experts
schooled in hurt feelings,
every chink is cemented with spite.
There are no windows or doors.
Unmovable as a mountain
it sits in the thoroughfare saying,
“Road closed.”…
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.
Even in the small schemes of our lives
there are times when we come upon the big mess
which we may or may not have caused.
The challenges given, the first shots fired,
volleys of words thrown like grenades,
the bodies prone, the revenge promised…
war even on the tiniest scale wreaks havoc
and rejects consolation through the years.
The fog of war never completely lifts
but the casualties are completely clear.
Trust and innocence blown to smithereens,
hope sidelined in the trenches
with bitterness like a rat
So much in love
this happy couple can’t stop smiling,
their eyes drawn into each other’s joy.
The pictures will capture this moment
but only you can capture this spirit
embedding it in the long-term memory
hardwiring it as the default setting
making it a part of their life’s blood.
Grant them love that is long in forgiveness
and wide in laughter.
God who gave me children,
give me wisdom in the in-between.
Between the child and the adult,
between the clinging and the pushing away,
between the I love you and the I hate you,
between the we and the me,
between the innocence and the maturity,
between the fearfulness and the confidence,
between the needing and the not needing,
between the staying together and the going away,
In the sweet light blossom of first love,
God of new beginnings, be near us.
Let us discover wonder and beauty
in the smile of another.
Let us feel ourselves embraced
in arms and open minds.
Let us be giddy with happiness
at the world’s freshness.
In the wide swoop of love’s new dance
you are the ground beneath our feet,
the air we breathe together
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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