God, you give life to life!
From Day One, your Spirit brooding over the deep,
your wind rushing, your breath filling.
As creatures of the earth, we inhale your grace
rejoicing in life abundant.
We use our breath, our being
to raise this hymn of praise:
for Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
and for the mission you give us
to spread your love to the world.
Thank you for the wind!
Thank you for the way it sweeps across our great country,
over the Pacific ocean, up the mountains,
flying across the plains and the great lakes,
whooshing over the boreal forest
till it arrives in Ontario in great gusts, [adjust to fit your geography]
making everything alive and lively,
blowing our hair and clothes into tangles,
filling our lungs and then blowing away
up the St. Lawrence all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
Fill us with your Spirit this morning like this wind,
enlivening us, moving us, stirring us….
We are waiting for your presence, God–
patient, like a lover sitting by the telephone
waiting for the voice of their beloved;
attentive as a farmer watching clouds for rain
waiting for the parched soil’s relief;
intent as a child standing by the road
waiting for the parade to appear;
empty as a satellite dish scanning the heavens
waiting for a message from the stars;
poised as the still arms of a windmill
waiting for the wind’s inspiration;
open as the wide sand beach
waiting for the tide’s embrace.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Lord you give life to life
from Day 1, your Spirit brooding over the deep,
your wind rushing, your breath filling.
As creatures of the earth we rejoice in life
using our breath, our being
to raise this hymn of praise:
Hallelujah to the sun’s hot passion
embracing the ground’s great shoulders.
Hallelujahs for the growth from seed to plant
greening the earth; its fruit—beauty and food!
Hallelujahs for generations of life
tumbling one after another….
Here’s a prayer for the corners of our lives
messy with yesterday’s business.
There’s the guilt about what was thrown in the garbage,
the regret about spending too much on extra things,
the time that was frittered away agonizing about details,
the energy wasted on trying to meet someone else’s standards.
Our memories are cobwebbed over with regret
of how it could have been different:
it could have been more responsible, more selfless,
more organized, more healthy, more something.
Even now, looking forward, there’s the sinking feeling
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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