We are here, Father, because you consented to come with us, and with our consent, you will accompany us when we depart from this place. We rejoice on this Easter Sunday morning that death could get no hold on the One you sent to show us the way, and we trust his promise that death holds no lasting threat when we, like him, commit our spirits to your care.
Give us, then, we pray, a faith bold enough to trust you, a hope stronger than the darkest night we can know, and a love profound enough for us to love each other as you love us all. As we celebrate today the end of Christ’s death, lead us to the abundant life his resurrection has prepared.
There are those, Father, who lately entered the deepest grief this troublous life can offer. You know them better than we, for you called their names when you gave them birth; and you grieve with them in their awful pain. Let a renewed awareness of your Holy Presence bring comfort to their sorrow, strength to their despair, and healing to their emptiness. O thou Healer of Broken Things, let our hearts be broken with theirs till joy returns, and in new joy, let us sing and dance with them in the unending love you have shared with us all.
We have seen through the Christ that love redeems those who receive it and vindicates those who give it, and as we receive such redemption from you, may we be the channels through which you offer it to others. Give love to us, Lord, and receive it from us, as we love you through our love for your people.
Let the Power of Resurrection invade your universal Church, so that we as the Body of Christ may find courage without fear, trust without reservation, the freedom which comes with Truth, and a Way that knows no turning back. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord - Amen.
Written by Joe Reeves
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