Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007
Offered by Adam Fronczek, Associate Pastor

The prophet Isaiah says, “Be glad and rejoice forever in what God is creating.” On this day of resurrection, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise that hate cannot triumph over love, that death cannot triumph over life. As in days of old God made promises to Israel, so we hear new promises in the resurrection, and we pray that those promises will be fulfilled—and soon.

God’s promise to us is this: that we can work for a world where the sound of weeping and the cry of distress is heard no more.

We pray this day, O Lord, for those who shed tears and find themselves in distress today. We give thanks that in your Son Jesus Christ we see a man who dries tears and eases the anxiety of his friends and calls us to do likewise.

God’s promise to us is this: that people shall build houses and inhabit them, that they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

We pray this day, O Lord, for those who are without homes and for those who go hungry. We give thanks that in your Son Jesus Christ we meet a brother who welcomes strangers and feeds those who need a meal and calls us to do likewise.

God’s promise to us is this: that people shall not labor in vain and that their descendants shall be blessed.

We pray this day, O Lord, for those who seek honest and meaningful work. We pray for those who struggle with raising their families; we pray for those who struggle with what it means to be a family. We give thanks that in your Son Jesus Christ we are encountered by one who finds a way to show love and compassion to all he meets and calls us to do likewise.

God’s promise to us is this: that the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and that on the mountain of the Lord, none shall hurt or destroy.

Lord, we pray for peace. We pray for a day when differences will not lead to violence. We pray for a day when the creation of abundance for some does not mean the creation of poverty for others. We thank you that in your Son Jesus Christ we are taught by one who looked for creative ways to make the world better and calls us to do likewise.

Lord, as your Son is alive to us today, so help his words be alive to us. We have nothing to fear: we are free. We have nothing to hold back, for Jesus has the last word. We pray in the words he taught us, Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church