We stand at the threshold of the year…
some of us stand solidly on two feet, ready to take a bold step forward.
Some of us are more tentative–
we have one foot still lingering in the summer break,
reluctant to put that foot forward in the new season.
Thank you, God, for teachers
whose work this pandemic year
has made such a difference
in the lives of students and their families.
For the way they showed care and concern through a screen;
for hours spent adapting lessons to an on-line format;
for the way they made learning fun;
for the keeping track of every student,
even the ones that didn’t show up;
Go into the year,
ready to learn and to serve.
Go into the year,
ready to share knowledge and hope.
Go into the year,
prepared to do your best
knowing that will be good enough.
Go into the year,
there is compassion enough for all of us.
Go into the year,
we are in this together.
Go into this year,
which is a gift that will show us
more about ourselves
than we have ever known.
Go in peace.
God of gardens,
you are the great Cultivator,
growing faith for the ages.
You aren’t picky about the size of the harvest.
You rejoice in the vast prairie field,
one crop from horizon to horizon,
just as you rejoice in the tiny plant
breaking through the inner city cement crack.
You carefully tend the tenderest of plants,
taking deep delight in burgeoning beauty.
Under the light of your gaze,
faith breaks out in different colours
God, our Great Teacher:
At the beginning of this new school year, hear our prayer for teachers!
Give teachers compassion to treat each student with dignity and respect,
remembering that every child has a story to tell.
Give teachers wisdom to be role models,
remembering that children learn more from who we are than what we say.
Give teachers your love that reaches out to children on the margins,
remembering that we see Jesus in the face of the poor, the challenged, the rejected.
Give teachers strength to carry heavy loads with patience and good-humour,
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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