God, let this be a fruitful day!
Open our eyes to beauty.
Tune our ears to harmony.
The fragrance of your love
permeating every moment.
The touch of your hand
guiding all we do.
Tasting the delight of your presence
in the sweet ripeness of joy.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
praise God all creatures here below
for on this day of joy and gladness
Christ is risen from death and sadness!
Praise with hands and voices singing
praise with verse and chorus ringing
Christ the Lord is risen today
He is the Truth, the Life, the Way!
Before the offering:
We worship a generous God
whose son Jesus was both a gift and great giver.
As followers of Jesus
we find our deepest joy in giving,
and that’s why we give this offering cheerfully!
After the offering:
May the words of our mouths
and the meditations of our hearts
and the giving of this offering
all show our thankfulness to you,
O God our Rock and our Redeemer.
The family sits on either side of the bed.
The reedy rhythm raises her chest
slightly up, slightly down.
The quiet breathing slows, pauses,
resumes again, shallower now.
Life seeps away as night deepens.
Death dawns, gentle as silence.
This was the final hour….
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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