Easter Day Prayer

O God ---- from whom all blessings flow,
In whom ---- the strength to live…we know!!!
Through whom –-- true wisdoms…in us grow.
To whom ---- all gratitude…does go!

You, who often gets the stern-judge role
keep showing up with love… the goal.
You, who often distant seem,
keep showing up to life redeem!!!
You, who move beyond the mind,
keep showing up our trust to find.

As those first disciples stood in speechless wonder at your continuing presence,
so amidst this beauty of sight and sound
we stand in our various disbeliefs – with alleluias!
As those first disciples found that they trusted you
without having to explain it, while overwhelmed by gratitude,
so we find our own growing trust and grounding gratitude
to engage the business of resurrection,
that we might be vulnerable to it…and trusting of it.

May we have the grace to live for others…..
as our prayer for them….
May we have the grace to listen to each human heart before us
            walking together the meandering way of love
as our way to resurrect each heart
from unknown to known, from lost to found.

We pray for loved ones who have died,
meeting them in Easter’s resurrection grace
with relationships continuing and hearts still linked.
We pray for a smaller world with a bigger heart ---

O heart beyond our hearts
            O Grace beyond our guardedness
take hold of our so human life,
remarkably beautiful one moment
and broken and conflicted the next,
and our so human church…and our so human world…
and Easter bless it, Easter forgive it, Easter renew it,
that each of us may come alive as never before
Alleluia, Alleluia.

In the morning light, O God,
may I glimpse again your image deep within me
The threads of eternal glory
woven into the fabric of every man and woman.
Again may I catch sight of the mystery of the human soul
fashioned in your likeness
deeper than knowing
more enduring than time.
And in glimpsing these threads of life
Amidst the weakness and distortions of my life
let me be recalled
to the strength and beauty deep in my soul.
Let me be recalled
to the strength and beauty of your image in every living soul.

From Celtic Benediction by J Philip Newell

O God, who has made us the creatures of time,
so that every tomorrow is an unknown country,
and every decision a venture of faith,
grant us, frail children of the day, who are blind to the future,
to move toward it with a sure confidence in your love,
from which neither life nor death can separate us. Amen

Reinhold Niebuhr

Gracious God,
Thank you for your abundant gifts to us,
Which you give not as we deserve but because you love us.
May we attempt great things for you, O God,
for we expect great things form you.
Move us to give what is needed
to do your work and ministry in this place,
so that the life of your church will continue through us in Jesus' name.

Jackie Heinle