Easter 4 | Year B

God, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in the Person of Christ
Before him, we were confused about your nature.
We thought you might be ruthless, unquenchably angry
We thought we had to get on your good side.

But Christ has cleared our confusion and showed us:
That all your sides are good;
That the good news is good for all;
That we can trust in your justice and in your mercy.

We thought you were a tyrant king
But you are really a Good Shepherd.
You care for us,
And we are your sheep.
You instruct us in your ways:
The way of mercy,
The way of generosity,
The way of compassion,
The way of friendship,
The way of peace.

And so, Good Shepherd, lead us
Toward green pastures
Alongside still waters
Lead us, and restore our souls.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection,
teaching them to love all people as neighbors.
As his disciples in this age,
we offer our prayers on behalf of the universe
in which we are privileged to live
and our neighbors with whom we share it.

O God, enlarge within us
the sense of fellowship with all living things,
our brothers the animals and all creatures
to whom You gave the earth as their home
In common with us.

We remember with shame that in the past
we have exercised the high dominion
of man with ruthless cruelty
so that the voice of the earth,
which should have gone up to You
in song, has been a groan of travail.

May we realize that they live not for
us alone but for themselves and for
You, and that they love
the sweetness of life.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

O God, we thank you for all your goodness
and loving-kindness to us
and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ.

And may we offer the same goodness to others:
To feed the hungry
To welcome the stranger
To clothe the naked

To care for the sick
To befriend the prisoner.
Then everyone will know that we are your people
The sheep of your pasture
That you are our ruler
And your law is love.

Open our hearts to your power moving
around us and between us and within us,
until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy,
in communities transformed by justice and compassion,
and in the healing of all that is broken.
We ask it through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

Easter 3 | Year B

Holy and Mysterious God, the light of your love shines on, illuminating the places where you are present.  As the disciples pondered the stories of your appearance, you penetrated the darkness of their fear and doubt with your word of peace.  You showed them the appalling marks of evil pierced on your hands and feet.  You opened their minds to understand why you had to die to defeat such evil and death. Increase our understanding, we pray, and open our minds and hearts to receive you.

You have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son, and to care for those who are our companions, not only with words of comfort, but with acts of love. Seeking to be true friends of all, we offer our prayers on behalf of the church and the world.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

We also keep company with the travelers on the Emmaus road who felt the strange burning of the truth and hope and love weaving into the sadness that consumed them on their walk. We find ourselves in the eternal movement between fear and faith, doubt and conviction, wonder and worry, and we trust that you are present with us, O God. We pray that like the disciples, we will be able to stand and tell the whole message about this life. 

We give thanks for those who:    

rise early in the morning to prepare food at countless soup kitchens around the world;
search the night streets for lost children and shepherd them to places of safety;
keep watch amidst the sick and dying in countless hospitals and in countless places.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

Bring to us O God, the sense of your living presence as we go into this new week.  Renew in your Church the faith you want us to have, the faith that is not afraid to reach out in your name and to share the treasure you have given us, that treasure which is greater than silver and gold.

Finally, O Lord, we ask that you would bless us at Sanctuary with vision for the future and reverence for the past.  Guide us each day as we minister to one another and to world for which you gave yourself.  Help us each day to bear witness to your name and to do that which you would have us do.  We ask it through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.

Easter 2 | Year B

O God,
you have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son,
and to care for those who are our companions,
not only with words of comfort, but with acts of love.
Seeking to be true friends of all,
we offer our prayers on behalf of the church and the world.

We pray for the Church around the world,
for its members and its mission.
We recognize we are all part of one body,
focused on bringing your image to bear
in a world that has greatly distorted your image.
And just as your body is broken and blood is shed,
so break us and pour us out for the sake of the world.

O God,
When you speak there is light and life.
When you act there is justice and love.
Grant that your voice may be in the mouths
of those in authority,
and your actions may be present
in the works of our government,
so that what we say and what we do as a nation
would be filled with your Holy Spirit.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

O God we thank you that you still walk through
our locked doors of fear, insecurity, and loneliness.
Just as you appeared to your disciples
and offered them your Peace,
so grant us your Peace that passes understanding.

Just as you bore your wounds to your disciples,
grant us the courage required to be vulnerable with our own wounds,
that we might become agents of healing to one another.

Just as you breathed on your disciples,
inviting them to receive the Holy Spirit,
we ask that you would send us a Holy Wind -
a Holy Wind that dismantles us,
a Holy Wind that overrides barriers and opens communication,
a Holy Wind that signals your rule among us.

Lord, in  your mercy, hear our prayer.

You hear us calling,
You hear us calling,
Abba Father.

O God, we pray for what seems impossible:
Peace in places where war reigns.
An end to strife over boundaries.
Food for the hungry.
Shelter for the impoverished.
Understanding of differences between peoples.

Jesus, we believe you; all we heard is true.
You break the bread, and we recognize you.
You are the fire that burns within us;
Use us to light the world.

Guide us in the path of discipleship,
so that, as you have blessed us,
we may be a blessing for others,
bringing the promise of the kingdom near
by our words and deeds. Amen.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy.