Season – Winter

Snowy Call to Worship

Our call to worship this morning is from Job 37:6,7,10.
For to the snow God says, “Fall on the earth”;
   and to the rain shower, “Turn into a heavy downpour.”
All human activity comes to a standstill
so that everyone may acknowledge God’s power.
By the breath of God ice is given,
   and the broad waters are frozen fast.   [NCB & NRSV]

God of this snowy season
your power is evident in all the world.
We come together in person and virtually;
with thankfulness, we sing praises,
with thoughtfulness, we listen to scripture,
with trust, we put ourselves in your hands.
In this service draw us close to one another
and form us as your people,
faithful in every season. Amen.

Read More »

Embracing Peace Congregational Prayer

Thank you, God, for snow!
Thank you for the brilliance of a Canadian winter
and the way snow changes our landscape,
unifying it, showing us new shapes and contours.
Thank you for children who delight in snow,
embracing snowmen, digging tunnels and sliding down slopes.
Thank you for the way snow interrupts our grownup lives.
slowing us down, helping us rely on our neighbours.
The snow is an invitation to experience peace,
the peace of the world in winter.

Read More »

Wintry Call to Worship

God of hope,
in this snowy season
we turn our minds to worship;
with thankfulness, we sing praises,
with thoughtfulness, we listen to scripture,
with trust, we put ourselves in your hands.
In this service, through your creative power,
draw us close to one another
and form us as your people,
faithful in every season. Amen.

Read More »

Longest Night Prayer

There are good years and bad years,
and then there are years from hell.
Hear our prayer, O God, for all who suffer.
You hear the anguished cries,
you collect our tears,
you know when hearts turn to stone. 
Send a Saviour now with good news
for those who sit in the shadow of death:

Read More »

Snowy Congregational Prayer

God, we have come to worship stomping snow off our boots,
our eyes watering and cheeks stinging from the cold.
Some of us have had to shovel our way out of our homes,
others have picked our way carefully on slippery sidewalks.
Thank you for bringing us here to worship
through this crystal-covered world,
where all the outlines and the sounds are softer.
Thank you for the mysterious beauty of this winter season. 
We pray today for all who face hardship because of winter;
for those who can’t afford heating, or who can’t afford both heat and food,…

Read More »

Winter Solstice Prayer

ven at mid-day today the winter solstice sun
crouched low over the southern horizon.
Low noon, and the day is short.
Darkness sits with us early and late,
lingering longer the further north we go.
Bundled against the cold,
the lack of light weighs on us,
and we are plagued with dark worries
in these troubled times.
And yet, you order this big old earth.
Sailing through space it tips only so far,
but no further from the sun.
Thank you for solar power and centripetal forces

Read More »

Questions of the People Congregational Prayer

od, we know spring is still a ways off,
but can we describe to you how the promise of spring feels?
How the springtime twittering of birds fills us with hope?
How the emergence of the ground out of the snow seem like a homecoming?
How the fragrance of spring flowers in the grocery store makes us smile?
How the feeling of the sun on our faces is like a benediction?
How can we thank you for the excitement of the change of seasons from winter to spring?

God hear our prayer

Read More »

Open Arms Congregational Prayer

Thank you God for the slanting rays of the sun in the morning,
making everything golden and new.
For the blessing of snow, falling on everything,
covering everything like a benediction.
Thank you for the shock of cardinals against bare branches,
and the liveliness of squirrels running through trees.
Thank you for the smell of coffee and tea in the morning,
for warm houses and comfortable clothes,
for days off and time to relax.
Thank you for this day, which we have been given as a gift!
We long to know you, and your will for our lives.
We confess there are places in our lives where we are confused and puzzled.
In complicated family relationships, we don’t know where to turn.
In heavy financial difficulties, we feel stuck.

Read More »

Prayer for a snowy day

God, thank you for heaps of clouds,
with all their many colours of gray,
the way they drop snowflakes willy-nilly,
blanketing us with white.
Thank you for the sounds of winter;
the echo of a train whistle,
the tick, tick, tick of icy crystals hitting the window,
the squishy sound of snow under under our boots.
Jesus, we want to follow in your footsteps,
placing each foot carefully in the place where you walked.
Your tracks leading straight to the place
where people are hurting,

Read More »

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

Recent Posts

Posts By Month
Categories
  • Popular Tags

    Your browser doesn't support the HTML5 CANVAS tag.