Here’s a prayer of intercession from the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. As with all prayers, you may need to revised it for your own setting.
Prayers of the People: Easter
Almighty and Eternal God
Whose goodness and grace overflowed when you raised Jesus from the dead,
Let your goodness and grace continue to flow upon your people.
We pray for those, like the women of old,
whose lives have been stopped
because they couldn’t roll away a stone
that was blocking their path to new life and hope.
Roll away the stone
of despair and hopelessness
that the light of Jesus Christ may shine
into the darkness
to bring joy and warmth again.
Roll away the stone
For those still stuck at Good Friday
those whose strength is failing through ill-health
whose spirits are flagging through depression,
whose determination is being sapped through addiction.
Lord God roll away the stone
that they might better see the path stretching out before then
a path unused except for your footprints
etched out in the morning dew.
In the light and the glory of the resurrection
We pray for our world
For areas of violence and hostility
For lands where famine and disease are rife
For peoples who look in vain for the rains to come to guarantee a harvest
For all those who today would struggle to find joy in the resurrection story.
Bless our Queen and all the members of the governments in Westminster and Holyrood
that they may lead our country with all righteousness and justice.
Bless our Church of Scotland; its ministers and office bearers that they may offer wise and sensitive leadership. Encourage our membership that they may be true to their calling to follow the Risen Christ. Bless all our partner churches at home and abroad that we may journey with them on this adventure of faith as we discover where you are asking us to follow.
On this Easter Day hear now our own prayers in silence as we remember before you those nearest and dearest to our own hearts confident that you acre and that your hear the earnest prayer of every heart….
We offer these prayers to you Lord God always mindful of the great company who compass you about, the ransomed and the redeemed of all the ages. As once they inspired us by their living so may they continue so to do till the day of our won homecoming to you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
— written by the Very Right Rev. David Arnott. Posted on the Church of Scotland’s excellent Starters for Sunday website.
For more worship resources for Easter, click on Easter in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
