Prayers 4 8 2007
Announcements
*Happy Easter!
*Thanks to Joe Chan and his crew for cooking Easter Breakfast for us!
*Celebrate the Baby Dedication of Nadirah Mayrena, daughter of Chris and Allison Mayrena at the 9:30 Worship today!
*Senior Center this Wednesday with Jeanie Chooey Low on “Finding Ancestral Roots for Chinese in America”
*All-Church Family Retreat Day, April 28, register today!
Prayer Concerns
Prayer of God’s People
Amazing God, you are always there with surprises. Just when the disciples thought that Jesus was dead and that was the end of the story, you rolled the stone away and startled Jesus’ followers with the Risen Lord. We give you thanks and praise.
But on this day of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, for some of us there is little joy. For some of us, it is just too much to believe that Jesus lives—it is inconceivable according to our understanding of reality. For others, life’s troubles have become so heavy that any sense of gladness is buried beneath the burdens. Still others of us live such chaotic and busy lives that today is just another day, full of too many things to accomplish. Joy, we say is an elusive quality in our lives that we are weary that we would ever find it.
Yet, on this day, we thank you, O God that the Easter story fills us with hope concerning the dead places in our own lives. We yearn for you to roll the stones away from our personal tombs of discouragement, fear, loneliness, anger and disappointment. Roll the stones away from …
Startle us like you startled the first disciples, wondrous God, and raise us to new life. Surprise us with joy that floods our hearts and help us to write our own life stories, new and fresh, as your Easter people.
Then, God of life, we urgently bring before you the places in our world where death appears to be the end of the story. Amazing God, walk among the tombs of hunger, poverty, injustice, hatred, war and violence, we pray—and roll away the stones of death. Bring resurrection power to all the earth, we pray and startle us with love and grace and mercy—the seeds of your kingdom sprouting and growing right before our eyes. We pray in the name of the Risen Christ, as we long for your kingdom come fully on earth as we pray together, “Our Father…”
Benediction
May what the world call, “hocus pocus” be a new reality for you.
You have seen the risen life of Christ among us and within us.
May all the joy and excitement of this day go with us.
May the power of Christ’s resurrection go with us.
May the good news of this wondrous day go with us.
May the promise of hope of Easter go with us.
May we in the days ahead, sing, pray, live, love, act, serve all for the glory of God.
A joyous Easter. Amen. Go forth in peace!