Whatever else Christians are, we are Easter People, those who trust in the resurrection to eternal life. Today we shall think about the sole means by which our being raised to life eternal is made possible, the doorway we call Death. Ushering all of us through it, God grants us a new life where there is no illness or pain, no depletion or debilitation. Therefore, let us with the confidence exhibited by Christ’s Church from the first Easter onward, worship the God who leads us from life through death to life eternal.
Pastoral Prayer
We give Thee praise and thanks, O loving God, for having given each of us the unparalleled gift of life. When we reflect on our lives, we contemplate the fact that we exist, and that nonetheless we might never have been. We conclude that we live ultimately by Thy grace and goodness alone, and that all good things in our lives come from Thy bountiful nature. Help us to make the most of our lives, so that we may glorify Thee and bring blessings to all who are around us. Make us stewards of our lives, rather than mere possessors of them.
We pray for the elderly people we know and the untold millions like them all over the world we do not know who have entered into a long, slow, trying twilight of their lives. We pray for the physically impaired, who have lost much or all of their mobility, and who spend their days in stationary settings, with little or no stimulation to bring them joy or contentment. We remember those who are mentally impaired, whose memories have left them, and who are forced to live in a confused and befuddling world. Be with all those whose fondest wish is for death, but it continues to elude them because they are too strong to die but too weak to live the lives they once had and shall never again experience. Bless those who care for the elderly in their multitude of needs: their children or other family members, friends, neighbors, and professional or volunteer caregivers. Grant to them the patience and understanding necessary to function well in a loving manner. We thank Thee that nature allows many old people to live in good physical and mental acuity until the day they die, but we pray especially for those who are not so fortunate, who linger for many months or years in suspension between life and death. Life for too many seems too hard to us, Lord God, and so we ask for Thy special blessing upon such people in the painful prolongation of their days.
We ask Thee to grant us deepening faith for the journeys we personally are taking. When difficulties come, give us courage. When adversities confront us, give us strength. When uncertainty or fear or anxiety sweep over us, inspire us that Thou art with us in all situations, and therefore we shall emerge victorious from whatever obstacles appear in our path. We thank Thee also for Jesus, who showed us the upward way toward Thee and Thy kingdom. Keep us fixed on him as our guide as we go forward. Now we pray together the prayer he taught his followers, saying, Our Father….