Thank you God for night sounds;
frogs singing in the spring,
crickets chirping to their mates,
dry leaves rustling,
winter winds howling,
the plaintive call of a train whistle,
the wail of a siren,
the sound of my own breath.
God, you are in the night sounds.
Tune my ears to the pitch of your voice
calling to me in the darkness. Amen.
The sun slides to the horizon
and our thoughts slide to you,
God of heaven and earth.
As the shadows lengthen,
we rest our weary bodies.
Let the peace of the evening
fill us as we pray.
Thank you for all that we experienced today:
moments of energy and engagement,
moments of inactivity and quietness,
As the evening darkens down,
as the evening lamps are lit,
as the peace of the evening star begins to shine,
here and now we share our evening prayer.
Prayers for those with tears on their cheeks.
Prayers for those with hunger in their stomachs
Prayers for those with weapons in their hands.
Prayer for those with hatred in their hearts.
Prayers for those whose shoulders are heavy with despair.
As shadows of the earth deepen over us,
we trust that you can guide us on starlit paths.
Help us find each other’s hands in the dark,
as we dream together till the morning comes.
God of Slumber,
we go to bed
trusting in your arms
to hold the world close,
knowing that you
will whisper words of love
in our ears
as we sleep.
Amen
Day is ending.
Shadows lengthen
and night falls.
Draw me close to you, God.
Pillow me on your love.
Blanket me with your peace.
Keep me safe in the darkness.
Shut nightmares out
and protect me from anxiety’s cold grip.
Meet me in my dreams tonight
and in tomorrow’s gift of a new day.
In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
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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