Here’s
a Good Friday prayer from John Vest.
Prayer for Good Friday
God
of mystery and wonder,
because
we know the ending of the story,
it’s
tempting for us
to
ignore the darkness of this day.
It’s
tempting for us
to
go about our business as usual.
It’s
tempting for us
to
move too quickly
to
the dawn of light on Easter morning.
But
give us courage and strength on this day
to
live for a while in the darkness,
to
set aside comfort and pleasure,
to
feel the darkness
in
which so many of your children dwell,
the
darkness into which your son Jesus entered.
As
we reflect on the frailty of Christ,
remind
us of the frailty of all life.
As
we cringe at the suffering of Christ,
make
us mindful of suffering throughout the world.
As
we witness the death of Christ,
bring
us back full circle to the beginning of Lent,
to
the wisdom of Ash Wednesday:
the
awareness of our mortality
and
the mortality of those we love.
Gracious
God,
deep
in the human heart
is
an unquenchable trust
that
life does not end with death.
Like
a seed which is buried
in
order to bring forth life,
Christ
goes to the tomb
to
usher in new life.
We
trust that we too will be raised to new life,
in
this world, here and now,
and
in the mystery of what lies beyond physical death.
We
trust that the whole world will be born anew,
that
your kingdom is coming
as
a new heaven
and
a new earth.
On
this day of darkness,
it
is for this kingdom that we boldly pray.
Our
Father…
