On this May morning
as the very ground around us
is resurrected from winter’s death,
we are filled with thankfulness.
New colours blaze around us:
crowds of golden daffodils,
flotillas of white blossoming trees
and every possible shade of green.
Here’s a prayer for the corners of my mind
littered with unfinished business—
hopes squashed decades ago,
orphan words that never had a listening ear,
yearnings unhinged, glances missed,
potential unrealized,
torn maps of roads not taken.
In lonely moments, if you listen closely,
you can hear regret gnawing away there
sharpening its teeth on yesterday’s sorrows.
Thank you, God, for the beauty of spring;
for the sound of frogs, singing,
for the taste of rhubarb, tangy on our tongues,
for the colours of tulips…the brilliance of yellow, red, purple,
for the fragrance of hyacinths and lilacs,
and blossoms of all kinds that perfume the air.
We thank you for the soft wrinkled newness of leaves
and the vivid greening of the earth around us.
We enjoy all this under a warm sun.
We listen this morning to the sound of our own breath,
and the breathing of those around us. [pause for 30 seconds]
Thank you God for breath,
for life flowing in and out of each of us.
It is wonderful to be alive—thank you for life!
Thank you for the sweet scent of the breath of spring;
for blossoms, apricot, cherry, peach,
for daffodils and sweet hyacinths,
for the good earth, turned over and ready for seed,
for the strong sun and its power.
Thank you that you are a God who hears our breath.
God, thank you for the dawn that comes every morning,
even after our darkest nights.
We give you thanks for life resurrecting from the death of winter.
For birds singing their spring songs in the dark before the dawn;
for the ice on rivers, shattered,
for the first green spikes of spring poking up through the melting earth,
for the smell of spring air fresh when we open the door,
for the sun’s rays on our face, warming us.
For every sign of spring, we give you thanks!
We give you thanks for your son Jesus Christ,
for his sacrifice for us, for his teaching.
Help us to grasp resurrection; to understand its power,
Great God of heaven and earth;
we come to sing of your mighty power this morning,
your wisdom, your goodness, your strength flaming out.
We come to give thanks for great gifts.
This morning, we ask that you would resurrect us,
opening us petal by petal, with your shining love,
warming us into life
even in the places where we feel cold and dead.
Shine in our hearts, Lord Jesus!
Great God,
this week we have been witnesses to the power of hope and resurrection;
slow motion explosions of green soundlessly changing our landscape,
blossoms blossoming pink, tulips tulip-ing their brilliant colours,
opening their mouths to the warmth of the sun.
We find ourselves opening up too in these warm days,
opening our windows, turning our faces upward, breathing deeply.
The fragrance of spring permeates our world,
and we give you thanks for the blessing of life renewed.
We pray for our government;
Thank you God for the sound of geese high in the morning sky
being pulled northward by the call of spring.
Thank you for the way you are pulling life out of the ground.
You call and all life answers, up from the brown earth,
up through last year’s dead leftovers; new life greening all around us.
Thank you that you call us in the same way, pulling us towards life.
As sure as plants are pulled towards the sun, we yearn for you.
Forgive us for times we have leaned in other ways,
preferring to stay buried, preferring to do nothing,
preferring to lean towards evil thoughts and actions.
Your love calls us, yearns for us,
rejoices every time our thoughts lean towards you,
Here’s a prayer for the corners of our lives
messy with yesterday’s business.
There’s the guilt about what was thrown in the garbage,
the regret about spending too much on extra things,
the time that was frittered away agonizing about details,
the energy wasted on trying to meet someone else’s standards.
Our memories are cobwebbed over with regret
of how it could have been different:
it could have been more responsible, more selfless,
more organized, more healthy, more something.
Even now, looking forward, there’s the sinking feeling
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
Get regular resource updates and special announcements!
