Image: Roghman Roelant, Christ on the Road to Emmaus (1650-1660)
Here are four prayers based on Luke 2 4
‘Our patient teacher, our ever-pursuing Lord’
Lord Jesus, this story tells us so much about you.
You are:
not passive ethereal being, but a pursuer.
not a benign, nice associate, but one who risks speaking the truth in love.
not a coercive overpowering presence, but a patient teacher.
not an isolated, individualistic prophet, but a guest, even a host,
whose true character is seen in table fellowship.
not a benign, nice associate, but one who risks speaking the truth in love.
not a coercive overpowering presence, but a patient teacher.
not an isolated, individualistic prophet, but a guest, even a host,
whose true character is seen in table fellowship.
We praise you as our patient teacher, our ever-pursuing Lord.
Amen.
— written by Nathan Bierma, inspired by a sermon on Luke
‘Our eyes are kept from recognizing you’
Open our eyes, Lord.
Without the gift of your revelation,
our eyes are kept from recognizing you.
Without the gift of your revelation,
our eyes are kept from recognizing you.
Appear before us, suddenly, unexpectedly, in all your glory.
So that we, too, may proclaim to a world in despair,
that we have seen the risen Lord.
So that we, too, may proclaim to a world in despair,
that we have seen the risen Lord.
— written by Nathan Bierma, inspired by a sermon on Luke 2 4
Lord Jesus Christ,
Stay with us, too, we pray,
in every part of our journey,
no matter how full of doubt or fear we may be today.
Through your Holy Spirit,
we pray that you will open our eyes, too
Help us see you as our risen Lord
in all your beauty,
and in all your loving power.
Amen.
—John Witvliet, from the close of a sermon on Luke 2 4
‘We had hoped’
We had hoped.
Lord, we voice our despair.
We had hoped you were our victory
We had hoped you were our earthly leader.
We had hoped you would remove the pain and the sorrow
Lord, we voice our despair.
We had hoped you were our victory
We had hoped you were our earthly leader.
We had hoped you would remove the pain and the sorrow
once and for all.
But then we saw suffering.
Then we saw injustice.
We saw blood on the ground.
We saw death.
Then we saw injustice.
We saw blood on the ground.
We saw death.
And doubt swelled in our throats
and choked off our praise.
We had hoped.
Risen Lord, revitalize our hope.
Open our eyes to see your victory.
Open our eyes to see your victory.
—Nathan Bierma
For more worship resources for the third Sunday of Easter, click on Easter 3 in the list of “Labels” to the lower right.
