A PRAYER FOR EASTER 3

Easter 3

Luke 24

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[f] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

You are here

Lord Jesus

here at the table

We look too high

and too far out

for you 

out there in the stars

beyond the heavens

We look for you

in paintings and statues

carved figures

portraying your face

and hands and feet

You are here

Lord Jesus

here at the table

We listen for you

in the hymns of the church

songs of praise

harkening to the words

the choir sing

We listen for you

in the words of the preacher

proclaiming good news

in sermons and prayers

messages of hope and deliverance

 

You are here

Lord Jesus

here at the table

You are here 

Lord Jesus

in the breaking 

of the bread

as you were broken for us

You are here

Lord Jesus

in the pouring

of the wine

as you were poured our for us

You are here

Lord Jesus

here at the table

We come to Your table

invited by your love 

welcomed by your mercy

Come Lord Jesus

Come

in the bread

Come

in the wine

Come Lord Jesus

Come to your table

Come now

Come tomorrow

Come always and forever

Amen 

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

EASTER 1

Psalm 16

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

    even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

    my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.

11 You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,

    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Where should we look for guidance 

How can we find our way

For we are lost, dear God

and cannot find our way 

We wander 

restless, distracted, confused

Unsure of our destination 

or what is our purpose

We have tried various advisors

studied roadmaps

calculating and recalculating

which route we should take

Who can show us the right path

lead us through storm and wind

Who can shelter us 

when we are frightened

Only you, dear Lord

Only you take our hand 

and never let go

pulling us up when we have fallen

so we can walk

Only you, dear Lord

Only you will gather us up

in your strength

and carry us

to safety 

Only you, dear Lord

Only to you can we look 

for hope and assurance

knowing wherever we go

You are there

Only you, dear Lord

Only you are there

on our first day and our last

walking beside us every step

and then take us home

We praise you and thank you 

For your presence with us

now and forever

Amen

 

A PRAYER FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

    and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

That can't be our savior

Can it?

Look at you

You don't look very brave or dangerous

Certainly not strong enough to take on

our enemies... our burdens... our needs

We need to look for somebody else

Someone stronger

Leaner

Tougher

Someone who can take on our oppressors and liberate us from their tyranny

That can't be our savior

Can it?

Listen to you

We don't hear anything?

Only silence... Nothing

No words of protest or anger

No shouts at his persecutors

We need someone who will speak up

Declare the time for revolution

Sound the cry of freedom

Utter judgment upon those who condemn us

That can't be our savior

Can it?

You are just giving up

Acting like a lamb being led to the slaughter

No objection

No complaint

No plea of innocence

We need someone who will speak in his defense

in our defense

Someone who will resist the hangman's noose

Who will not die in complicity with his executioners

Someone who will be defiant before the last nail is hammered in the cross

 That can't be our savior

Can it?

Yes, Lord Jesus

It is you who are our savior

You who are obedient

Even to the last

Obedient to what God has called you to do

Yes, Lord Jesus

It you who are our savior

You who through your faith

Shout even in your silence

God's love for humankind

Yes, Lord Jesus

It is you who are our savior

You are the conquerer

over the power of death

and the grip of the grave

Hallelujah

We are saved

Hallelujah

We will rise again

Hallelujah

We will live with you forever

Amen

A PRAYER FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

    and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

That can't be our savior

Can it?

Look at you

You don't look very brave or dangerous

Certainly not strong enough to take on

our enemies... our burdens... our needs

We need to look for somebody else

Someone stronger

Leaner

Tougher

Someone who can take on our oppressors and liberate us from their tyranny

That can't be our savior

Can it?

Listen to you

We don't hear anything?

Only silence... Nothing

No words of protest or anger

No shouts at his persecutors

We need someone who will speak up

Declare the time for revolution

Sound the cry of freedom

Utter judgment upon those who condemn us

That can't be our savior

Can it?

You are just giving up

Acting like a lamb being led to the slaughter

No objection

No complaint

No plea of innocence

We need someone who will speak in his defense

in our defense

Someone who will resist the hangman's noose

Who will not die in complicity with his executioners

Someone who will be defiant before the last nail is hammered in the cross

 That can't be our savior

Can it?

Yes, Lord Jesus

It is you who are our savior

You who are obedient

Even to the last

Obedient to what God has called you to do

Yes, Lord Jesus

It you who are our savior

You who through your faith

Shout even in your silence

God's love for humankind

Yes, Lord Jesus

It is you who are our savior

You are the conquerer

over the power of death

and the grip of the grave

Hallelujah

We are saved

Hallelujah

We will rise again

Hallelujah

We will live with you forever

Amen

A PRAYER FOR PASSION SUNDAY

PASSION SUNDAY

MATTHEW 26

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

We will pray with you

Lord Jesus

We will bow our heads and cry unto God

The hour is late 

and the enemy surrounds us

coming to take you away

and bang you on their cross

No Lord God no

Forbid them

Save your holy prophet

from the clutches of death

We will pray with you

Lord Jesus

Cry unto God for deliverance

You must be spared

So the hungry be fed

the blind given sight

and the dead raised

No, Lord God, no

Save our teacher

Our healer must be rescued

to continue his work

We will pray with you

Lord Jesus

and beg for deliverance from this hour

We when they take you away

they will take us too

Whip and beat and imprison us

and we are sore afraid

No, Lord God, no

Spare us in this hour of peril

so we can return home

to families and friends

We will pray with you

Lord Jesus

but we need your grace and mercy

Strengthen our faith to believe

healing comes from your wounds

forgiveness comes from your dying 

and life eternal comes from your rising

Hallelujah!

Amen

A PRAYER FOR PSALM SUNDAY

PSALM SUNDAY

PSALM 118

22 The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone;

23 the Lord has done this,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 The Lord has done it this very day;

    let us rejoice today and be glad.

25 Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

    From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b]

27 The Lord is God,

    and he has made his light shine on us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

    up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;

    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

Come, Rejected One

Come and march into our lives 

For we are sinful and downtrodden 

in need of mercy and forgiveness

We are lost on our wandering paths

No direction, No purpose

We await the One who can cleanse us

and give us new life and new possibilities

Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

Come, Rejected One

Come and march into our streets 

We hide away from the muck and mire

Behind gated communities and in SUVS 

never seeing the hurt and hungry 

and huddled masses

We await the One who can free us from our fears

and engage us with all our brothers and sisters

Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

Come, Rejected One

Come and march into our nations

We are a jealous and quarrelsome people 

Desiring what is not ours

and willing to spill the blood of their children 

and ours to get it

We await the One who can heal our wounds 

and break the spear and the sword

Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

Come, Rejected One

Come and march into our world

We have despoiled the skies 

and muddied the waters

killing the birds of the air 

and the beasts of the land

We await the One who will make us trusted stewards

of the precious gift of this planet we share

Lord, save us!

    Lord, grant us success!

Come, Rejected One

Come and march into our lives

our streets and nations and world 

Forgive us

Save us renew us

Amen