People's Prayers: April 2025

Monday, April 28, 2025

Prayers of the People: Fired Up & Divided ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, May 4, 2025; Readings: Acts 8:1-12, Psalm 74:1-12, Ephesians 6:10-18, Luke 12:49-53

Now Saul approved of [the mob of men] killing Stephen…Saul was razing the church from house to house, going in and dragging off women and men; he handed them over to prison…So Philip went down to the city of Samaria proclaiming the Messiah to them…and when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the reign of God and the name of Jesus, they were baptized, both women and men. [Acts 8:1,3,5,12]

Lift up your steps to the perpetual ruins; every kind of evil has the enemy done in the sanctuary. Your foes have roard within your meeting-place…It was perceived like when they go up upon a tangle of trees with axes…with hatchets and hammers…They said within their hearts, “We will crush them…” How long God is the enemy to taunt…Yet my God my Sovereign is from before time, working salvation in the midst of the earth. [Psalm 74:3-4,5, 6b,8,10a,12]]

…be strengthened in the Messiah and in the power of Christ’s strength. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the scheming of the devil. For our struggle is…against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…In everything, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, at all times, pray in the Spirit which is the word of God. [Ephesians 6:10-12, 16-17]

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth and I would that it were already blazing…Do you all think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, (it is) the contrary, division! [Luke 8:4-9]

If you have read or watched or gleaned snippets of the news in whichever day you are reading this in the Year of our Lord 2025, you may wonder if these readings were chosen for this particular Sunday! Dr. Gafney’s A Women’s Commentary for the Whole Church, Yr C was published in 2024, well before our US national election. If you’ve ever written a letter, an email, a text, let alone a book about a complex subject, you understand that this book was definitely not written on Friday and published on Monday! In any event, I’ve been doing this work for a fairly good while, every week for nearly 12 years, and I know these readings individually from other contexts, yet without a doubt, for me as a set of lessons, this is the most difficult I’ve encountered, particularly in this Easter season of rejoicing! Yet here we are.

But why these, for this moment? Dr. Gafney says in her explanation, that as we celebrate the triumphs of life over death in this Easter season, and these readings may seem to be out of place, the reality is, in the immediate aftermath of the Resurrection in that time and today, as we are still shouting Hallelujah and “He is Risen, indeed,” the world remained and remains crucified and crucifying even as it is redeemed and being redeemed.

I was particularly chilled reading the line in Acts 8:3 where Saul, owing to his religious authority, along with his helpers, were razing the church from house to house…dragging off women and men; he handed them over to prison. Thank goodness for Philip… and at least now we know that Saul became Paul. Yet we also know of the brutality of persecution that never ends in this world, for multiple groups for multiple reasons.

The excerpt from Psalm 74 isn’t especially comforting either at least until verse 12. It’s one of what theologian Walter Bruggemann calls the psalms of disorientation in his book, Spirituality of the Psalms. They are psalms 13, 35, 74, 86, 95, and 137. Through these we hear the honest reactions of the people faithful to God when they knew the world was in pieces. This and the others are laments reflecting the anger and fear and pain upward to God in the circumstances of a hay-wire and dangerous world. There are also psalms of orientation and new or reorientation…of the what-goes-around-comes-around human experience, in which I can find some respite and renewal of hope.

This piece from Ephesians also points out some frightening aspects of fending off the forces of evil but with, at the very least, the heartening spiritual remedies of the power of Christ’s strength and the whole armor of God as we prepare to proclaim the Gospel of peace. While the helmet of salvation and at all times praying in the Spirit, may not stanch the fear or even the anger, these can give us something to grasp with our hearts and breathe through.

And then, this piece from the Gospel of Luke... Whew... This breath-taking declaration by Jesus occurs while he is slowly journeying to Jerusalem, before so many of his most famous parables, and before he meets Zaccheus in Jericho later in Chapter 19. It is later still in Chapter 19 when Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

This fire and division message is somewhat frightening against what we know of the usual message of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, for one example, his healings, and his parables. This is the Jesus turning tables in the outer court of the synagogue. A wake-up call in case we fall into a dozy comfort zone with a cuddly Savior. The realities of life are, of course, that the world is constantly in division in uncountable ways ~ national, local, international, familial, religious, political, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual... Perhaps this message is “Yeah, we’re on fire with division” so what are you going to do about it? Interpreting this and every word in the Bible itself brings division within oneself and with others.

Erik J. Thompson, a Lutheran pastor from North Dakota writes that One possibility may be to see that God is at work in all realities, and that division is not the problem. Perhaps God is working on both sides of various issues. Further, he says, Perhaps this is Jesus’ point: that human togetherness is not what the gospel is about. Rather, the gospel preached into the life of an individual will do its work, and we are left to trust that it is God at work, and resist our attempts to control the outcome. Ok fellow humans, are you with me in resisting attempts to control outcomes? Yeah, no, me either. BUT, let us keep that helmet of salvation in place and with every prayer and supplication…pray in the Spirit ~ one breath at a time.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, fill us with the fire of faith, and keep the truth of your Word in our hearts, minds, and bodies. Grant us the resilience in difficult times of division and strife, to keep moving forward with the strength of your presence, always within us.

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
      RESPONSE: Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, may those who command and control earthly governments while blinded by the pursuit of unhampered power and personal glory, suddenly discover an inner vision of justice, peace, and especially mercy for all Your people and our Earthly home. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
                                                       Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, grant hope and healing for all in physical or emotional pain, and lift the energy of all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
                                                       Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, release the grief of those who weep in the night to let the morning reveal the joy of our beloved, who now live again in the glory of Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
                                                       Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
                                                       Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

~ Risen Christ, Lord of our Souls, nourish the spirits of all who are chosen to guide us on our journey to You. As they feed our souls through Your Word and Sacraments, so may they be fed in kind. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Jesus, Messiah
                                                       Our Fire, our Truth, and our Strength

The Celebrant adds: Christ Jesus, the Salvation of us All, fill us with the courage to share your wisdom and Word with all we meet, even in discord, with a constant prayer for peace on our lips and in our hearts. Guide our words, our actions, inactions, and our hope to remain centered in You. We ask through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Almighty, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.

*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Yr C, and others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her Text Notes, and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform every facet of our lives in Christ. To learn more about her and her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

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Prayers of the People: Fishing for Sheep ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, May 4, 2025, Readings: Acts 9:1-6, Psalm 30, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19

Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?...Who are you, Lord?...I am Jesus…get up and enter the city, and you will be told what to do. [Acts 9:4b-6]

Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning…Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be my helper. [Psalm 30:6, 11]

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessings and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

[Revelation 5:13]

...Jesus stood on the beach [and] said to them, "Children you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat"...and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish...When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread...Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast..." When they had finished breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John...do you love me...Feed my sheep." [John 21:4a-5a, 6b, 9, 12a, 15a, 17c]

Distrust and suspicion and fear seem to be the norm of the fraught times of today, and so it was with persecuted Christians about Saul who was the most ferocious pursuer of those who belonged to the Way. Suddenly Jesus blinds Saul and orders him into the city to wait for instructions. Who is more confounded ~ Saul or those he meets in the city? Who and what would most confound you today if you encountered a danger to yourself and others who was suddenly desperate for your help? In other words, What Would [You] Do for the Sauls we know now? And/or how much of Saul do we discover hidden in the deep thoughts of ourselves?

In the passage from John’s Gospel, Jesus is cooking breakfast by the sea; his third unexpected post-Resurrection appearance to the disciples. Aiding them in their fishing, he tells them to throw their nets to the other side and when they do they struggle in to shore with nets so full they can hardly manage ~ and the nets never break! After dressing to impress, Peter swims ashore to greet the Lord, and the real agenda for this moment commences directly after the fresh fish were grilled and devoured.

Peter was hurt by the continuing questions of Jesus as to whether Peter loved him. It seems that Peter has forgotten his recent triad of denials! Yes, of course, says Peter, and Jesus tells him to “feed my lambs.” After the second round Jesus tells Peter to “tend my sheep.” And the third time, Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” He then says Follow me.

Although not in our readings for this Sunday, I found it useful to remember that it is in Matthew 4:18-19, when Jesus first calls Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to follow him and teach them to be fishers of people. Now they and we are called again to follow and to tend and feed the youngest to the oldest ~ the cantankerous and the pliant, the fearful and the docile, the legal and not, those who think as I do and especially those who do not ~ as they all belong to our Most Worthy Lamb, our Lord Christ. Everyone we meet are his instruments, however we find them, loving them whatever they profess to believe in religion, politics, vegans, omnivores, and otherwise. Let us polish up our Lenten promises and good intentions, and overcome our reluctance to give of ourselves in new and different ways. Let’s cast our nets on the other side of Christ’s boat, the one we usually avoid, to go fishing for sheep in God’s pastures wherever they are, simply caring for all the Flock, as we continue to follow the call of Christ our Lord.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, turn the tide and pull us in from drifting on the shallow sea of earthly wants, setting our sails to be fed, loved, and energized to follow You.

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
      RESPONSE: Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, may those who navigate earthly governments blinded by the pursuit of unhampered power and personal glory, suddenly discover an inner vision of justice, peace, and especially mercy for all Your people and our Earthly home. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
                                                       Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, grant hope and healing for all in physical or emotional pain, and lift up the hearts of all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
                                                       Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, release the grief of those who weep in the night to let the morning reveal the joy of our beloved, who now live again in the glory of Your eternal kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
                                                       Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
                                                       Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

~ Risen Christ, Lord of the Way, nourish the spirits of all who are chosen to guide us on our journey to You, that as they feed our souls through Your Word and Sacraments, we, in turn, will be shepherds to Your flock, feeding them with Your love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Jesus, Lamb of God
                                                       Our Light, our Love, and our Truth

The Celebrant adds: Christ Jesus, Master of the Earth and Sea, in casting Your net to the other side, You brought Saul aboard to open his eyes to a new Way. Grant us new sight, leaving all judgment to You, to be Your love-in-action for all sides of Your boat. We ask through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Almighty, who together with You reign as One God, now and forever.  Amen.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Prayers of the People: The Weight of Faith ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter WLWC* ‘25 Yr C

For Sunday, April 27, 2025; Readings: Acts 1-3, 12-14; Psalm 6:1-10, Romans 8:31-39, Luke 18:18-30

Jesus presented himself to them, living, after his suffering through many convincing proofs, by appearing to them forty days and speaking about the reign of God. And staying with them, Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, rather to wait there for the promise of the Faithful One: “What you heard from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from this one.” [Acts 1:3-5]

Have mercy on me, Faithful One, for I am fragile…for my bones are terrified…Turn, Healing One, save my soul; deliver me for the sake of your faithful love. [Psalm 6:2, 4]

If God is for us, who can be against us?...For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor powers-that-be, not things that are, nor things that will be, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. [Romans 8:31b, 38-39]

…Jesus…said to the ruler…“Indeed it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is wealthy to enter the majesty of God!”…and the women and the men who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus said, “What is impossible for the woman-born is possible for God.” [Luke 18:25-27]

The Revised Common Lectionary’s [RCL] first reading for this Sunday begins with a passage from the 5^th chapter of the Book of Acts verses 27-32 which took place in about the Year 35 AD/CE, while the Crucifixion, Resurrection, Pentecost, and Ascension took place in about the year 33. In this reading, the disciples were standing before the council of the High Priests, who had given them strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus. Dr. Gafney give us, in the WLWC,* a reading from the 1^st chapter of the book of Acts, of the newly risen Jesus appearing to the disciples and telling them about what was to come, that is, the Holy Spirit not many days from this one. In our time, the descent of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost, arrives this year of 2025 on Sunday June 8. The way time seems to move that is not many days from now!

For the Gospel, the RCL uses John 20:29-31 to recount the appearance of Jesus to the disciples after the Resurrection through the locked doors of their room. Previously when they had told Thomas that they had seen the risen Jesus, he said he wouldn’t believe until he touched the wounds…we know how that goes. In contrast, Dr. Gafney brings us the Gospel of Luke and the story of the rich young ruler which occurred prior to the Crucifixion.

In all the readings separately and combined every Sunday, and indeed every day, from this Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church [WLWC] the RCL, and all other sources of weekly and daily readings, and for Lent and Holy Week in particular—especially with the betrayal of Judas for his 30 pieces of silver and Peter’s 3 denials—we are always confronted with how God through the Hebrew Testament and Jesus through the Christian Testament spoke, taught, and worked through the flawed people chosen to do the work they were given to do. What we may not hear, or (like me too often) don’t want to hear is how those tasks are given to each of us, in our times, today, now. All too often I hear but I’m not actually listening as my head is busy building to-do lists for the wants and musts of daily life.

Yet here we are and hear we must. We, too, are to seek and to recognize the call for each of us, now, today, in whatever ways we are able. It may be volunteering for a ministry within the Church or with an outside organization. Perhaps donating food, clothing, or a few dollars according to our means. It might also be a civic action on behalf of pending legislation locally and/or beyond. And no matter our age, time or physical constraints, prayer is always useful and can be done anywhere, anytime, silently or otherwise.

Often, when we are reminded of the oughts, shoulds, or coulds of everyday life and especially with life of and in faith, we can be overwhelmed. The weight of faith for the Rich Young Ruler was a financial step too far. The weight of financial reward of leaving faith behind was the right step in the moment for Judas. The weight of fear in faith and its other costs loomed too large for Peter at first. All of us have our limits of time, money, our fears and our doubts as to the many and varied costs of faith. Am I called to be a literal martyr for my faith ~ oh I hope not! ~ but I know there are ways I can be a more active participant in the faith I claim, even in times of doubt and wondering. We are Created by God and each breath we take is a testament to another God-Given moment of life. To bear the weight of faith is a sacred task and holy duty and we live it one moment at a time, breath by breath, prayer by prayer, with hope in hope. Somedays faith feels heavier than others. So, whose life is it anyway ~ mine or God’s?

I saw a post today recalling a story about the Vatican Conclave that elected Pope Francis. The then Cardinal Bergoglio offered a reflection on the famous image of Jesus standing and knocking at the door “to be admitted, to come into our hearts, the enter our lives. “But what, he said, if Jesus is knocking for us to come out instead, to join him in the world outside?”

Now there’s a weighty question.

Requiescat in Pace, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, El Papa Francisco, 1936- 2025

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O Living Redeemer Christ, in Your grace and with Your love we seek Your constant Presence through the willing eyes of our souls. Grant us such fullness of faith and courage, that even in affliction and distress, we will seek and strive to follow Your Word and Witness to everlasting life in Your Name.

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

RESPONSE: In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ O Living Redeemer Christ, fill the rulers of our Earth, our Country, and our Community with the personal courage and humility to triumph over the injustice of ruthless authority and govern with equity, integrity, and reverence for all of Creation and its Inhabitants. We pray especially for: the President, the Vice-President, our Members of Congress, our Governor, our County Executive, our City Council, and our Mayor.

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ O Living Redeemer Christ, restore wholeness to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit with illness, terrified bones, or fearful hearts and refresh the energy of those who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ O Living Redeemer Christ, You have broken the power of earthly death, now bring light to the darkness of those who grieve, as all of heaven is alive with joy, receiving those we love into eternal bliss. We pray especially for:

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ O Living Redeemer Christ, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ O Living Redeemer Christ, may Easter’s new fire burn brightly in the hearts of all those ordained in Your Church to inspire and light our pathway to You. We pray especially for: We pray especially for: Sean, our Presiding Bishop; Kevin our Bishop; Patrick, our Rector; Lloyd, our Rector Emeritus; and Cecily, our Deacon.

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

The Celebrant adds: Lord God in Christ, Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, our Alpha and Omega, release us from the limits of our earth-bound minds to know that what is impossible for we who are woman-born is possible for God. Free our souls to seek our life’s path through Your teachings and example. We ask through the immeasurable Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the unwavering love of our Almighty Creator, who together with You reign as One God in glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.

*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney,

Womanist biblical scholar, and the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Yr C, and others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her Text Notes, and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform every facet of our lives in Christ. To learn more about her and her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/

Prayers of the People: Can You Prove It? ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter '25 RCL Yr C

For Sunday, April 27, 2025, Readings: Acts 5:27-32, Revelation 1:4-8, Psalm 150, John 20:19-31

The High Priest questioned [the Apostles] saying, “We gave your strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching…” But Peter answered, “We must obey God rather than human authority…” [Acts 5:27b-29]

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah! [Psalm 150:6]

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. [Revelation 1:8]

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said "...Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." [John 20:28-29]

The reading from Acts is perfect for this Sunday after Easter. A “what-happened-next” sequel to the drama of the Crucifixion and Resurrection narratives and a prequel to Pentecost which, this year of 2025, will be on Sunday, June 8. I would encourage everyone to read through to verse 42, as some may be surprised that the Apostles didn't just hide out until the day of Pentecost. What they were doing immediately after the Resurrection was quite courageous in standing up to the local High Priests. But of course, a compelling piece always is the telling of the story of the Apostle Thomas. Widely known as Doubting Thomas, he is the one who simply didn’t/couldn’t/or wouldn’t accept what he was told: that Jesus had risen from the dead. He wanted proof.

I can put myself in his place quite easily. It was a head-spinning week beginning with the glorious Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem with crowds even more jubilant at Jesus’s arrival than ever before. As the week progressed it was time for the Passover dinner in an evening that turned strangely mysterious as Jesus shockingly washed everyone’s feet, and again said things not easily understood, then later he was suddenly arrested. The next day Thomas watched as this man he loved and admired more than any other and had given up his normal life to follow, was brutalized, degraded, and then confusingly vilified by many of the same people who had been singing Hosannas to him just a few days before! Then he was nailed to a cross, suffered an agonizing death and was buried in a tomb with a heavy stone rolled across the entrance. Thomas must have spent the following 24 hours trying to comprehend it all – the glory, the joy, the shock, the horror, and the shiveringly cold reality of the death of one so beloved. NOW Thomas is told that Jesus has come back from the dead?! He says, Prove it.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much that he didn’t believe but more that he had chosen not to until he had seen for himself. The crucifixion and death of Jesus was so traumatic and so very final. How could he dare to believe in the hope of such a thing as resurrection without the concurrent fear of soul-crushing disappointment? Anyone who has experienced the searing grief of significant loss will understand and quietly continue to hope it was all some terrible dream until the reality sets in.

Today we’re in an age of instant communication, “viral” social media posts, never-ending “breaking news,” overwhelming us with data that is real, slightly real, not at all real, and frequently bizarre. Like Thomas, we just want to be given answers with a little explanation so we don't have to think through all the conflicting information. It's also easier when the people or organizations we like and trust tell us what we want to hear. Yet, how do we distinguish between oft-repeated gossip and rumor that begins to sound true after the eleventieth forward on Facebook or other sources, and actual truth? In Thomas' case, he had the benefit of seeing and touching the wounds of the Resurrected Christ. For us, we must rely on our sometimes-faltering faith. In the ways of our current times, even if you trust your source of information it is prudent to keep an open mind, accepting that sometimes checking other sources might yield better data. In the ways of Christ, our information comes from the legacy of the Apostles in the writings of the New Testament that stand 2,000+ years later: "[These] are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." [John 20:30-31]

For the skeptics and atheists and those who just aren’t sure, it is true that we cannot prove the fact of the Resurrection by solid evidentiary standards. Neither can we prove that it didn’t happen. And if you do believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit do not exist, I’m okay with that—but can you prove it?

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, in Your grace and peace we see Your living Presence through the willing eyes of our souls. Grant us such fullness of faith, that even as seeds of doubt may sprout within us, we will seek and strive to follow Your Word and Witness to everlasting life in Your Name.

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

RESPONSE: In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, fill the rulers of our Earth, our Country, and our Community with the personal courage and humility to triumph over the injustice of ruthless authority and to govern with equity, integrity, and reverence for all of Creation and its Inhabitants. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, restore wholeness to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the energy of those who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own petitions

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, You have broken the power of earthly death, now bring light to the darkness of those who grieve, as all of heaven is alive with joy, receiving those we love into eternal bliss. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, may Easter’s new fire burn brightly in the hearts of all those ordained in Your Church, to inspire and light our pathway to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Risen Lord, Divine Messiah

In You is our Faith, our Hope, and our Peace

The Celebrant adds: Lord God in Christ, Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, our Alpha and Omega, release us from the limits of our earth-bound minds and free our souls to seek our life’s path through Your teachings and example. We ask through the immeasurable Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the unwavering love of our Almighty Creator, who together with You reign as One God in glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.