Thank you, God, for teachers
whose work this pandemic year
has made such a difference
in the lives of students and their families.
For the way they showed care and concern through a screen;
for hours spent adapting lessons to an on-line format;
for the way they made learning fun;
for the keeping track of every student,
even the ones that didn’t show up;
Go into the year,
ready to learn and to serve.
Go into the year,
ready to share knowledge and hope.
Go into the year,
prepared to do your best
knowing that will be good enough.
Go into the year,
there is compassion enough for all of us.
Go into the year,
we are in this together.
Go into this year,
which is a gift that will show us
more about ourselves
than we have ever known.
Go in peace.
God, our Great Teacher:
At the beginning of this new school year, hear our prayer for teachers!
Give teachers compassion to treat each student with dignity and respect,
remembering that every child has a story to tell.
Give teachers wisdom to be role models,
remembering that children learn more from who we are than what we say.
Give teachers your love that reaches out to children on the margins,
remembering that we see Jesus in the face of the poor, the challenged, the rejected.
Give teachers strength to carry heavy loads with patience and good-humour,
Thank you God for warm sunny weather,
for blue skies
and blue lakes.
Thank you God for big trees to climb
for city streets to explore
for cool shady places to hide in
for parks with slides and swings.
Thank you God for swimming pools and diving boards
for baseball diamonds
and soccer fields.
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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