a community creating for the relentless return of Sunday
The Holy One is our refuge and shelter
There is no good apart from the Lord
Our God gives us counsel and instruction
We keep the Lord always before us
Therefore, we are glad, and our souls rejoice
For God did not give us up to death, but shows us the path of life. Amen!
Submitted by Rev. Lucus Keppel, Ancho + Corona Presbyterian Churches, New Mexico
God of shalom, do we resemble your disciples? Here we are, huddled inside our sanctuary – a place of safety from all that might harm us. Our fears loom large, putting up walls between us and your gift of peace. We are fearful of being found out, of being shown for who we are. We are ashamed of our mistakes and afraid of making more. Forgive us for staying inside where we presume it’s safe. Forgive us for being hesitant to proclaim your resurrection. Allow us to breathe deeply from your stores of peace, that we might be brave enough to shout our “Alleluia’s” even outside these doors. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Emma Nickel, Member of Mid-Kentucky Presbytery
Risen Lord, you come into the reality of our doubts,
breathing peace and forgiveness upon us.
We confess that we have insisted on false certainties,
held each other to unrealistic standards,
and separated ourselves from the community of faith.
Come to us once again in your grace,
that we might see, and touch, and embrace your promise,
so we can claim your forgiveness and extend it to others.
We pray in your holy name.
Submitted by Rev. Nathan Williams, Echo Hill Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
Loving Christ, you tell your disciples that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, yet how often we lose our way, confuse the truth, and choose little deaths rather than live in your abundance. We confess our distractions, how tempted we are by roads more traveled. We admit the seduction of certainty, of those who say what we want to hear. We know our ways of life make us sick and threaten our planet, yet we feel powerless to live otherwise.
Still, in your grace, you give us the cross, the signpost on your Way. Your Truth confronts the powers of this world, revealing their self-service and false promises. Your Life grows as we follow you and so discover an abundance we could never imagine on our own, bringing life to communities everywhere. As we travel our Lenten journey, may we know where you are going, and may we follow and find our home. Amen.
Silent Prayer
Assurance of Grace
In the difficulties of the holiest week, no matter how others gave up on him, Jesus continued to love others. We remember that Jesus still shows us the depths of God’s love and calls us to share that love with others. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Laura Cunningham, Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church, Pearl River, NY
One: God invites us to come in and go out and find pasture:
All: to come into the kingdom, into abundant life, into the light;
to go out to serve, out to live our faith, out to be the Body of Christ.
One: Christ calls us to hear his voice
All: and so we come to listen and seek and follow.
One: We stand at the threshold of God’s future,
All: the Spirit stands at the door and knocks.
One: Come, let us worship.
Submitted by Rev. Teri Peterson, the Presbyterian Church of Palatine
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