leadinginworship

Are you called to lead people in worship?

Are you looking for resources for a Christian service? Feel free to use or adapt my prayers, poems and litanies.   They are written in a Mennonite voice, for ears of all kinds. 

 

Feel free to use these orally in a worship service, but if they are printed in a bulletin please use the following credit “Copyright Carol Penner  www.leadinginworship.com.”  Contact me for use in newsletters or printed resources, I am happy to grant permission but I would like to know how my writing is being used.  You can reach me at     [email protected].

 

 

 

The Best First Day of the Week: A Zoom Easter Pageant

Based on:  Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-7;  Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10

Characters:       
 Narrator
Mary Magdalene
Mary the mother of James
Joanna (wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward)
Salome
Caleb: 10 year old son of Salome
Dinah & David:  eight year old twin children of Salome
Peter
John
Cleopas

This pageant would work for children, or with an intergenerational cast.

Props:             
Some baskets for Salome and Caleb
a bucket for David 
Headgear for actors to reflect their character. 
Signs: “The Best First Day of the Week”  Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4

Instructions: 

1. This pageant works best if you record your zoom call, and then play it at your Easter service. It’s a lot less stressful that way. If you really want to do it live, explain to audience that it is essential that everyone who is watching the pageant has their microphone muted and their camera off, and their zoom settings set on Speaker View.
2. The actors keep their microphones on throughout the pageant, but they have to be told to be very quiet when they are not speaking. Don’t even try to do the play with actors turning their microphones on and off because you know they won’t remember and they will say their lines and you won’t hear them.
3. If you have a technologically savvy person, they can edit the recording to take out gaps and pauses.
4. Actors must speak loudly so the microphone picks them up and Zoom automatically makes them the speaker. As you practice, make sure people don’t rustle their script papers by the microphone of their computer, or it will cause interference.
5. It can be helpful if you have the actors rename themselves on zoom, so their character’s name shows up when they speak. Having different hats or scarves can help the audience keep the characters apart (eg. if John has a red scarf on).

Act 1

 

Narrator:          Welcome to our Easter pageant, [holding up sign] “The Best First Day of the Week.”  Our story looks in on the friends of Jesus on the days after his death.  Let me introduce our characters. We have the women who will go to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Salome.  The story begin at Salome’s house, and we meet three of her children, Caleb, who is 10, and the 8 year old twins Dinah and David.  Then we have three of Jesus’ male followers, Peter, John and Cleopas.  Act 1 [holding up sign] begins on Saturday, the day after the crucifixion, at sunset, just as the sabbath is ending. What’s happening at Salome’s house? Salome’s children will let us know.

Dinah:              Caleb, this has been the worst sabbath ever. 

Caleb:               Why are you complaining Dinah? 

Dinah:              I’m not complaining, I’m just stating a fact.  This has been the worst sabbath ever. Mother and Father’s friends are filling the whole house, but not in a good way. 

David:               She’s right...  It’s not like other times when they’ve visited... Today they’re either crying or they’re arguing.

Blessing a New Hymnal

In the midst of this pandemic,
when worship is disrupted and even more vital than ever,
we want to mark a transition in our congregation.
Since 1992, we have been using the blue Hymnal: A Worship Book.
Now our church has bought our new  denominational worship book--
it is called Voices Together.
Even though many of us haven’t yet held the book in our hands,
we will start to use it in our worship services.
Let’s take a moment to say a prayer about this transition.
If you have these books, I invite you to hold them while we say this prayer.

Thank you, God, for the gift of our old blue hymnal.
It’s accompanied us through decades of worship.
The bindings are loose; it’s been dropped by scores of toddlers.
The pages are wrinkled and dog-eared; touched by thousands of hands.
We know this book in intimate ways
because it has helped us express our petitions and praises--
there are songs and prayers we know by heart.
We’ve pulled it out Sunday after Sunday,
it’s been there for us at weddings and funerals.
It has been our constant companion for almost thirty years.
Some of us have never known another hymnal.
For this book, and the way you touched us through it, we are so thankful.
As we retire it from every Sunday use, we turn now to our new resource.
Thank you for all who helped to create this new purple Voices Together.
We launch it joyfully, confident that it will help our community find our voice.
Together we will explore the words and tunes and images,
hearing faithful voices from our own Anabaptist tradition,
and the worldwide Christian community.
As we worship, you will continue forming us into your people.
We dedicate these books to you,
and us to your service.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

Strange Epiphany Prayer

It has been a strange epiphany this year, God.
We’ve had sudden insight into how fragile democracy can be.
Many of us are disturbed and shocked by the violence and mayhem
that filled the halls of power in Washington DC this week.
Spaces sacred to government were violated by intruders
carrying weapons and symbols of racism.
We see the injustice of how government responds to protests;
when black people marched peacefully last year
they were met with a massive show of force.
We worry about a president who both refuses to concede
and fans flames of violent protest,
and the many who support him unconditionally.
We pray for peace, we pray for democracy,
we pray for an orderly transfer of power.
And on top of this, God, we are in the middle of a pandemic.
So many people around the world are in lockdown.
As hospitals reach capacity,
and health care professionals are stretched to the limit,
we are desperately waiting for vaccines to be rolled out.
Give wisdom and speed to those working on this problem.
Help us to comfort the grieving,
support those who are financially strapped,
and reach out to those who are isolated and alone.
Thank you for illumination…for moments where we see you working.
Thank you for the resiliency of politicians,
who continued their work even after violent disruption.
Thank you for the courage of all who care for the sick.
Thank you that our congregation continues to function
even when we can’t meet in person right now.
Together this week, in this cold winter season,
we hold onto the promise of a Saviour born to us,
who comes to bring peace on earth,
good news to all people.  Amen.

Our Prayer this Christmas

Our prayer this Christmas is beyond words.
You find it in the silence of the sleeping forest,
down under the ice.
You find it with the wind sweeping in cold gusts,
rattling the windows.
Our prayer is the snow that’s falling.
Inside, it’s the table being set, the preparations,
it is every twinkling light and piece of greenery.
Our prayer floats on the fragrance of food in the oven.
We pull this prayer with us 
as we remember Christmases long ago,
it rests on faces of people who live in our memory
and places we know by heart.
This prayer is facts and numbers,
you can see it on a graph;
it fills every newscast.
This prayer is profoundly personal,
it slides in drops down people’s cheeks.
This prayer is lodged
in the tightness between our shoulder blades,
it’s written in the wrinkles on our foreheads,
so many sighs express it.
As millions of faces appear on screens,
our prayer is the ache of absence
and the longing to have and to hold.
This prayer is found in hospitals, hostels
and refugee camps, in homes of every kind
and even in empty churches.
This prayer gathers above our beds at night,
in the morning as we open the curtains,
we see it growing in the sky.
You find our prayer in Bethlehem,
because we cast it there across the ages.
It is knit together with the song of angels
over the bed of a sleeping baby, hours old;
a tiny little blanket of hope.

Christmas Eve Prayer 2020

It’s the eve of another celebration of Jesus’ birth--
but this year is different than any other.
It’s hard to cast our thoughts to Bethlehem
when the here and now is so heavy.
On this Christmas Eve, we feel like we are on the eve of everything.
Are we on the eve of sickness or health;
will this pandemic touch the lives of those we love?
Will our hospitals manage this second wave of patients
in the long winter ahead?
We are on the eve of loneliness;
there are too few chairs around our holiday tables
and we can’t hug people we see on screens.
Many are on the eve of financial ruin;
not enough work, too many bills.
We need a Saviour, this year more than ever.
Thank you for the gift of a baby, whose small cries
echo through the centuries, a sign of hope,
your love made visible in flesh and blood.
Thank you for other signs of hope.
Thank you for life that perseveres in this long winter season:
the great migrations of the birds to warmer climates,
and the burrowing animals who seek the warmth of the earth.
Thank you for the beautiful austerity of the winter landscape,
for muted colours and then the brilliance of blanketing snow.
Thank you for the buds of spring, tight and snug on every tree branch.
Thank you for science, and the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine;
keep us safe as we wait for our turn to take it.
Thank you for creating the resilience of the human race,
and our ingenuity in problem-solving.
Help us apply ourselves to the difficulties around us;
reaching out to those we know who are grieving,
offering financial help to someone who is struggling,
giving words of encouragement and kindness every day.
Forgive us for our exasperation with other people’s choices,
and our anger towards those with whom we disagree.
They are exasperated and angry with us, too.
Jesus, help us remember the paths to peace you showed us.
This Christmas, are we on the eve of your advent here?
Will we see you in a new way, born again in this old world--
Emmanuel, God with us, in 2021?
Come, Lord Jesus.

Advent Pandemic Prayer

Thank you, God, for thick, warm socks on crisp winter days.
Thank you for the smell of pine needles,
for the taste of a juicy orange,
for packages delivered in trucks,
and colourful lights dancing in the dark.
Thank you for the poignant pleasures
of unpacking Christmas ornaments,
and looking at photos from years gone by.
We are hanging on to thankfulness so tight this year,
because there are too many griefs that keep us up at night.
Will you be with us through this season of waiting?
Keep us safe as we wait for a vaccine,
and give godspeed to those who are rolling it out.
Bring comfort to all the homes who will celebrate Christmas
in a bittersweet way because there are too many empty chairs.
This season is particularly hard for those families touched by death.
We wonder about this world of yours,
and this cycle of life and loss…sometimes it is too hard.
Be near to those who struggle with depression and anxiety,
because loneliness is more lonely at Christmas
and grief is more grievous.
We want this Christmas to be memorably generous.
As we open our wallets to support food banks and shelters,
as we call or write relatives we haven’t seen in ages,
as we drop off soup or cookies for neighbours and friends,
we are so thankful that we have the means to give.
Even if our smiles are masked, we can give a kind word in the grocery line.
This advent, help us to let go of old grudges that clog up our lives.
Yes, people have been mean, and they’ve hurt us dreadfully.
Give us a glimpse of what it would look like to loosen our fingers
from the pain we clutch so tightly. Can you bring healing even here?
We want to experience new birth this Christmas,
your presence newborn in us. 
Immanuel, God with us.
We  are waiting.
Amen.

Blue Christmas Zoom Service in a Pandemic

This service is approximately 30 minutes, depending on how long people share. It’s designed to be very little work for you. Everyone is so tired right now, this needs to be a no muss, no fuss service. You can have one person read everything, if that’s easier. 

I’ve chosen music that I think would fit, but you may have other videos you would like to use (just be careful not to insert cheery Christmas carols, or it defeats the purpose of the words).  Check with your church’s copyright license for permissions to play the videos. 

It’s going to be less stressful if you have someone in charge of playing the videos, who can share their screen, and have the videos cued up in separate tabs, ready to play without having to negotiate the ads.

I hope this service ministers to you and other people who are having a hard season.  You can cut and paste it into a word document, or email me at [email protected] and I can send you a Word document.

Suggested opening music while people are coming in to the zoom room:  
an instrumental version of Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

(for eg. Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming (3:46)
Jules Amaro)

Leader:  Welcome to this virtual prayer service.
The Christmas season is upon us.
Christmas is a time where we want to be merry and bright,
but in this pandemic year, that can feel impossible.
Many people are weighed down with anxiety and grief,
and it’s hard to remember the reason for the season.
Celebrations that usually happen at this time of year are cancelled
or are being shoehorned into two dimensions on a screen.
Even this service would feel better if we were physically together.
But this is our reality.
I want to thank each of you for coming today;
we are here for each other in this time, in this space.
We are here to talk to God and to listen.
This service will consist of prayers, some readings and some music;
it will take around 30 minutes.  Let’s begin.

Our call to worship is from Psalm 142: 5,6
I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
Give heed to my cry,
    for I am brought very low.

Let’s pray: Here we are, God, in the land of the living,
but we are walking through some pretty deep valleys.
It is a blue Christmas for many of us,
and we need your help.
Hear our cries in this service,
and make your presence known.
We pray this in the name of Jesus,
the awaited one, Amen.

Advent Candle Lighting in a Pandemic

First Sunday of Advent

Each year we light candles in advent as a way of marking the weeks before Christmas.
In the northern hemisphere, as we progress through advent
the nights get longer, and the days get shorter.
Each week our advent candles shed more light.
This pandemic year, instead of having candles only at the front of the church,
we will light candles in our homes together:
the many flames uniting us as a worshipping community,
waiting together for Jesus.

Today we mark the first Sunday of Advent,
and today we light the candle of hope.
Advent is the season of hope.
We hope for a Saviour who can save us,
a Healer who can heal us,
and a Counsellor who hears all our sorrows.
In darkness that deepens,
we wait for the coming of the light of the world.
We wait in hope as we light this candle of hope. [light the candle]

Second Advent:

Today we mark the second Sunday of Advent,
and today we light the candle of peace.
Advent is the season of peace.
We long for a Saviour who is our Prince of Peace,
who blesses our warring world, meeting our brokenness
with a peace that passes understanding.
In darkness that deepens,
we wait for the coming of the light of the world.
We wait in peace as we light this candle of peace. [light the candle]

Third Advent

Today we mark the third Sunday of Advent,
and today we light the candle of joy!
Advent is the season of joy! We hope for Immanuel, God with us,
who knows us more than we know ourselves,
and brings us life abundant and everlasting joy.
In darkness that deepens,
we wait for the coming of the light of the world.
We wait in joy as we light this candle of joy. [light the candle]

Fourth Advent

Today we mark the fourth Sunday of Advent,
and today we light the candle of love.
Advent is the season of love. We long for love, fresh and newborn,
a Messiah who will tell us of God’s love
that will not let us go.
In darkness that deepens,
we wait for the coming of the light of the world.
We wait in love as we light this candle of love. [light the candle]

Christmas Day

Today we mark Christmas Day, the birth-day of Jesus,
and today we light the Christ-candle!
Advent is completed, and we enter the Christmas season,
rejoicing in a newborn Saviour!
Jesus is our hope realized,
our peace fulfilled,
our joy complete,
God's love overflowing.
We light the Christ-candle,
giving thanks with all the angels in heaven
for the Christmas gift
of Jesus Christ our Lord. [light the candle]

Pandemic Eternity Sunday Ritual

Eternity Sunday, which we usually celebrate on the last Sunday before advent,
is a time when we remember those who have died.
It’s a way to grieve together, and to remember God’s promises.
This year has been very strange, and it’s really interrupted the way as a church
we support people who have lost loved ones.
Usually when someone dies there is a visitation at the funeral home,
and there is a funeral or memorial service,
and there is a burial of a body or ashes.
Usually when someone in our congregation loses a loved one,
people from our church try to go to those events to support each other.
And of course when a death happens in our church community,
we all gather here in this building to say good-bye and grieve,
and remember the promises of God.
BUT because of the pandemic this year, many people have had to modify
or not even have any of these rituals in order to be safe from the pandemic,
and that has made grieving harder and lonelier.
Some people have family far away, and they couldn’t go home even when they wanted to go home.
So it’s more important than ever to have a time to remember those who have died.

Eternity Sunday is a day to remember that death comes to every one of us.
Death is a constant in human existence.
For some, death comes suddenly, through an accident or sudden illness,
for others, the movement towards death is years long.
Young people sometimes die, and old people always die.
Death is hard to handle, and even very strong Christians can get the shivers
when we face the death of a loved one:
as we let go of their hands we wonder,
"God are you there?  Do you hold their hands now?  Can we trust you?"
The promises of Jesus are what sustain us.
Jesus died for us, he was crucified, died and was buried.
On the third he rose again, death could not hold him.
Resurrection was a victory, and is a promise for us of life eternal with God
and with all those who have gone before.
This is what sustains us through the valley of the shadow of death.

This morning we invite those of you who have lost a loved one this year,
or who are still grieving a loved one who you miss
to come forward and light a candle in their memory, and to say their name out loud.
Those of you who are joining from home, raise your hand,
and we will call on you, to hear your name, and watch you light your candle. 
When everyone who wants to has lit a candle, I will say a blessing.

Blessing once the candles have been lit:
God of hosts, we have laid before you our loved ones and our grief;
eternal rest give to them, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Your light, shining on them forever.
Your radiant promises, filling us with peace.  Amen.

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement - For Children

Our church, First Mennonite, wants to tell you something about the land we live on…
the land where our church, our homes, our towns and cities and farms are.
We aren’t the first people to live here,
 there were people here for thousands of years before we got here.
They are called indigenous people, and they still live here;
they have beautiful names:  Anishinaabe, Haudenosauneee, Attawandaron.
Let’s say those names:  Can you repeat after me? Anishinaabe.  Haudenosauneee, Attawandaron.
We didn’t live up to the promises we made with them on how to share the land,
and it’s not been fair to them.
We have hurt the people with these beautiful names, the indigenous peoples.
We are trying to figure out how to make things right,
and to talk about it with them in ways that are helpful and not hurtful.
Jesus wants us to do this, and Jesus is going to help us do this.
We’re going to try hard;  we want to live in peace with our neighbours,
the Anishinaabe, Haudenosauneee, Attawandaron peoples.
That’s why we do this land acknowledgement once a month to remind ourselves
to think about this, and figure out ways to do this.

[Note:  We do a land acknowledgement once a month in our worship service--the language of that statement is carefully crafted, and also difficult for children to understand. I wrote this one as a way of communicating to children why we do this land acknowledgement every month.]