Third Sunday of Easter—April 19, 2015
The following prayers have been adapted for congregational use by Rebecca Garber
click here to download a copy of the prayers
With the words “Alleluia, God of new life,” you are invited to respond:
HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
Confident that the Easter we celebrate finds its way into even the darkest corners of living, we pray for the church, the world, and those in need, be it little or much.
A moment of silence
For people everywhere who revere truth and thanksgiving, and turn with reverence and awe to the divine spark that moves among us. Help us all to refuse as it does to be pinned down by dogma and dictators, that we might move as one force for good.
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
For all those who grow food for a hungry planet. Inspire farmers of plants and animals that we may know and better ways to tend the earth that fruits and vegetables, grains and meats, eggs and milk, are enough for all and made available to more people each year.
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
For those we entrust with the specific duties for a safe and fair society: police officers and firefighters, military and international peacekeepers, and elected and appointed government leaders. Keep them ever-aware of our trust and conscious of their need to use might for right, not wrong–and to know the difference.
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
For those of us in this assembly who are tantalized, sometimes confused, and always humbled by the study and practice it takes to be your people. Give us boldness and wisdom as we listen to ancient texts to hear your word for today.
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
For all those who suffer in ways visible and invisible, that they may find healing and hope in the very uniqueness of their journeys. Give us confidence as we pray now for those we name aloud or in our hearts….
(Include those listed in the bulletin for prayer)
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
Smile upon our partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada deep and bless the congregations of our BC Synod: First Lutheran Church in Vancouver and Pastor Lori-Anne Boutin-Crawford and Lutheran Campus Ministries on campuses across our land as they offer messages and meaning amidst the pleasures and pressures of higher learning.
Alleluia, God of new life, HAVE MERCY ON YOUR PEOPLE.
God of our past, present, and future, enable us to catch glimpses week by week of what it means to be salvation people. Trusting in the empty cross, we enfold our prayers in the brilliant light where once was death. AMEN
