God of grace,
financially, we are sometimes in the dark.
We don’t always know how much money we have,
or how secure our resources are,
or even what expenses we will have in the future.
We choose to give our money to you with light hearts,
gifting boldly and cheerfully,
knowing that our security lies in your grace,
and not in our bank accounts.
Accept these gifts from our hands,
for the work of your church. Amen.
On our dry journey,
forgiveness is the water on the horizon,
and we’re the pilgrims in the desert
who cannot possibly walk there.
Tied up tight,
revenge is a hot little bundle
we hug to our chest.
We are plagued with hurt;
the betrayal, the murder,
the verbal barbs, the abandonment
the lack of love, whatever.
We have been robbed
There’s a swamp of secrets here
stretching as far as the eye can see.
Secrets, crossed over with lies, half-submerged,
the muck of deception clings close
and there is something rotten in the state of grace.
You speak about your life, lightly,
and politely comment on the weather.
Your eyes tell a different story.
You are mired here, bone-mired,
in mud that will not let you go.
You are trapped and alone
Bitterness, like some evil intravenous
drips into each day
from a clear bag of memories.
He said, she said,
he did, she did,
he was, she was.
Daily, nightly, a steady dose
poisoning the soul.
Too many times the body convulses
shaken with anger
racked with sorrow
Thank you God for all food,
grown, raised, bought, served;
for all food,
tangy, spicy, salty, sweet;
for all food,
crunchy, juicy, chewy, smooth;
for all food,
baked, boiled, roasted, raw.
For all food,
thanks, praise, glory, honour
to our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.
Bless this food to our use,
and us to your service. Amen.
In the hospital for sick seniors
each pillow cradles a face
framed with white hair
underscored by bony knuckles
clutching white sheets.
Bodies, getting older together
join in a choir of symptoms;
the deep voice of bones broken
the tenor of organs failing
the soft alto of senses dulling
God of social graces
be with me in this gathering today.
In every interaction, stand by my side.
When words are needed, help me find them.
In the give and take of conversation,
help me to give carefully
and take freely.
When others choose to put me down,
be with me in humiliation’s slow burn.
Keep me from returning evil for evil
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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