joy

Joys and Fears Congregational Prayer

Thank you, God, for the joy of today.
It is still morning, and yet so many good things have come our way:
the joy of shelter, the joy of clean water coming out of taps,
the joy of food on the table.
Thank you for friends who understand us,
and the joy of meeting new friends.
Thank you that we are here in church, body and spirit,
thank you for the joy of worshipping you, our Creator.
And in the midst of joys, in all honesty
we admit that we come with fears.
Some of us have fears about new beginnings;
new schools, new relationships, new jobs.
We don’t know how we’ll do or how we’ll feel—

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Joy to the World Advent Prayer

God, giver of joy,
thank you for the open sweet gaze of babies,
for the irrepressible giggles of toddlers,
and for the sight of preschoolers holding hands as they play.
Thank you that we are made for joy
and that advent reminds us of this.
Help us wait in hopeful anticipation for this gift of joy–
an incongruous Saviour, the Prince of Peace
come down to us as a baby in diapers.
Jesus, give joy this week even to those who are suffering:
joy in the midst of illness, through a keen sense of your presence,
joy in the midst of grief, through an awareness of love deeper than death,

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Easter Morning Call to Worship

Early in the morning we come to you, God,
with gratefulness and wonder,
and with awe at your power to save us.
This morning we want to follow the women to the tomb.
We want to hear the surprising words, “He is not here!”
We want to kneel before Christ with joy and thankfulness.
And we want to leave here bursting with good tidings of great joy
which shall be for all people.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

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Was that Joy?

Joy may be like a fountain,
but it has no on/off switch.
We can’t manufacture joy
or produce it on demand.
Running after joy is
like running after the wind;
you can’t catch it.
Joy is wild and treasured,
like a rare shy bird
that suddenly appears.
It can be fleeting,
or its presence can rest with you…

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Guided Silent Prayer

We come to God each week with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
This morning I will lead you in a guided silent prayer.
Even though each of us prays in our own hearts,
our prayers are not solitary
when we join together as the people of God,
praying as one in many voices.

God,
creation is so much with us,
sights, sounds, tastes, fragrances;
we pause to give thanks for something
in nature that gave us joy this week.   [PAUSE]

You have brought people into our lives,

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Our Delight and Our Devotion

2 Corinthians 9:7 and
God of grace,
it is our delight and our devotion
to give these gifts to you.
All we are and all we have
are yours alone.
Accept this joyful offering
as a token of our abiding love:
use it to bring peace, justice
and comfort to all the world, Amen.

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Wholly Yours Call to Worship

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory. [Isaiah 6:3 NRSV]
The Lord of hosts is with us.
Let us lift up our hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
It is a good and joyful thing to give God thanks and praise!
Let us pray:
Holy God,
we come together as your people
searching for sacred space,
longing to be cherished,
craving a real connection.

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Delightful Responsive Call to Worship

1. In the name of Jesus Christ, I welcome you to worship!

2. It is a delight to be together in the house of God!

1. We lift our voices with joyful hearts!

2. It is right to give God thanks and praise!

1. May the grace of God, the love of Jesus,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with us now in this hour and always.

Amen.

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God of Great Wonders Offering Prayer

God of great wonders,
we join with you in the joy of giving.
You give us life and breath,
you fill the world with beauty,
our hands with bounty,
and our hearts with the desire to give.
Accept these gifts, and ourselves in your service.
Amen. 

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About Carol Penner

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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