Such a good idea, the family.
Generations supporting each other,
the network of love binding us together,
stronger than any genetic tie.
How can such a good idea fall so flat?
Here’s the damage:
broken trust
broken vows
broken feelings
broken futures.
Today we pray for the sorely tempted.
When the body aches for one thing alone
when the mind longs for one thing alone
when the spirit knows one thing alone
when we are on autopilot for disaster
lined up for the sweet siren rocks–
your voice in our headsets
calm and firm:
“Alter course. Pull up. Engage.”
You lift our glazed eyes to a distant horizon
and talk us through to a different landing.
We step on solid ground, shaking,
For what we are about to receive,
may the Lord make us truly thankful.
We pray today for all who are too jealous to be thankful,
who complain, “Why do they get everything?”
and who are always comparing themselves with those who have more.
We pray for all who have forgotten how to say thank you;
who have gotten used to saying, “I earned this,”
and who truly feel they have only themselves to thank.
We pray for all who are too busy to be thankful;
who asked themselves this morning, “Do I have time to go to church?”
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
God, this is about the secret sins
which we have managed, we think,
to conceal from others
but which are an open book to you.
You see the sly dishonesty, the creeping pride,
the selfish preoccupation,
the lustful thoughts, the abusive actions,
the crooked business dealings, the tight-fisted stinginess
and the fear of facing consequences we deserve.
We have prepared a bitter table and sit alone.
The unseen guest at every table surprises us
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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