On a spring morning in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago, the world changed in an instant, at least as far as a small group of followers of a man who had been crucified were concerned. From their conviction that Jesus had been raised from the dead the Church of Jesus Christ sprang into being. Today we gather as part of that long tradition of those who have been drawn into the presence of Almighty God by the Man from Nazareth. Therefore let us, with post-Easter confidence, worship God.
Pastoral Prayer
All praise and thanks to Thee, O God, who hast flung the stars and planets into orbit and hast created the Earth and all that is in it. Thanks be to Thee for creating us, and for giving us the inexpressible goodness and joy of life and all that it means to us. We thank Thee for one another, for setting all the peoples of the Earth into communities, communities of commerce and politics and interaction as well as communities of faith and common commitment. Help us to appreciate one another more than we do and to seek the best for others more than is our natural inclination. Forgive us for our sins, known and unknown, and inspire us to become more loving, trusting, and righteous.
On this day we pray for those we know about who are burdened by grief or loss: the victims of natural or man-made disasters anywhere in the world, people who have lost their loved ones or their homes to warfare, the growing number of children and youth who are still being victimized by clergy who took advantage of their positions to abuse those under their care. We acknowledge, however, that for every person we read about or hear about who needs Thy healing grace, there are hundreds or thousands or millions whom we shall never know about whose lives also have been turned upside down by great misfortune. Lord God, to the extent it is possible, make all of us ministers of Thy healing love to those we see whom we can assist. Help us to care more, to share more, and to dare more.
We thank Thee for the inner assurance which leads us to trust that through every twist and turn in our own lives, Thou hast been there to uphold us and to lead us. Often we do not know what way to go, and by one means or another, we follow the path we suppose is best for us. As Thou knowest far better than we, sometimes it is the right way and sometimes it is not. But we believe that Thou art always there, and that whatever route we choose, Thou dost go with us to the journey’s end. Teach us to trust more fully in Thy presence with us in the decisions which we alone can and do make. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, who has blazed a trail ahead of us for us to attempt to follow. Reveal to us this day that truly Christ is risen, so that we may become Easter People forever. Now we pray together as he taught us, saying, Our Father….