Jesus, you open us
to new life, new hope, new possibilities.
You conquer the way we
close up, close down, and close in.
Jesus, lover of us all,
open our hearts to feel your compassion
for people we would rather walk by;
open our ears to hear the cries of the suffering
deep inside where we cannot fail to be moved;
open our understanding to new ways of living
As children, as young people, and as adults
we thank you God for time to rest and play!
Help us to choose activities in our leisure time
that re-create us and diminish no one.
Tune into TV programs with us.
Listen to music with us.
Surf websites with us.
Play sports with us.
Party with us….
Thank you God for your good and faithful servants
our forefathers and foremothers in faith
who nurtured us and encouraged us
to journey in Jesus’ footsteps.
We follow their examples and find
that your steadfast love sustains us
in dark valleys of disbelief
on mountains of joyful clarity
along each daily dusty road we walk.
You listen patiently to our complaints:
“Our feet hurt!”
“We’re tired!”
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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