Loving God, our elusive yet all-sustaining Friend,
in spite of the negative doubters around us,
we dare to celebrate your glorious Presence!
In this post-modern world
where the illusion of your absence
is felt keenly by numerous souls,
we thank you for your gifts
that break through to nurture us.
We give thanks
for the accumulated sanity
of the Holy Scriptures
through which you speak to us
even when our hearts feel cold.
We give thanks
for the caring communities
of your holy church
where you are present
with encouragement
and profound healing.
We give thanks
for those special, holy times
when for a few seconds or hours
this world’s shrouds split open
and we glimpse your glory.
Most of all we give thanks
for the gift of Christ Jesus
who makes himself known
in the breaking of bread
to all who keep the tryst.
Loving Lord, elusive but faithful Friend,
in spite of our scrappy faith and love,
we dare to celebrate your glorious Presence!
Hallelujah!
— Bruce Prewer, from Jesus our Future: Prayers for the 2 1 5 0,
Ó B D Prewer and Ó Open Book Publishers,
and reprinted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. Used by permission.
For more worship resources for the third Sunday of Easter,
click on Easter 3 in the list of “Labels” to the lower right.
For other prayers and prayer resources on this blog, see this Scriptural Prayer Index or this Topical Prayer Index.
