April 17, 2022
Easter Sunday
Offered by Lucy Forster-Smith, Senior Associate Pastor

O God, on this Easter morning we come to you with joy untold! For the beauty of this morning hour, tucked in with the joy of trumpet’s blast, we sing our hearts out, and with astonishing hope, we brim with untold thanksgiving.

We give thanks that even when this world deals so much sorrow and death and we rail at what is simply beyond the scope of our imagination, you have pronounced an absolute “yes” to this world.

For those who grieve this day, for those who stand in harm’s way, for those who are sick or abandoned, we know through the empty tomb that death is not the final word but life, yes, fullness of life saturated with the presence of the risen Christ.

So what does this mean, O God? Yes, what does it mean to be saturated with Christ’s presence? It means that we no longer are bound by the fear of being hurt, of being abandoned, of being pinned in the tombs of worry, uncertainty, loneliness. Yes, living as ambassadors of your resurrection means that we can stare down the principalities and powers of this death-dealing, warring madness with the assurance of an empty, yes, empty tomb.

Being saturated with the presence of the living, resurrected Christ means that we will sing at the top of our lungs the hallelujah of joy, proclaiming that our eyes, hearts, minds, and spirits are fixed on your will, O God, for this world—a will for beauty, peace, generosity for bread and water for all of God’s beloved ones.

Living as those who are penetrated by the resurrection dawn means that every day, yes, each and every day of our lives, we trust beyond any shadow of doubt that we are not in charge. It means trusting that you are guiding, leading, present, and infusing us with a power that will stun even the boldest among us.

On this day, this Easter day, breathe, O breathe your loving spirit, your holy spirit, your awakening spirit into every troubled breast. And let us breathe in the perfume of your holiness, that we would be filled with delicate delight and unflinching hope for this your world.

Change us, O God, from glory into glory, by your Spirit’s power, this day and each day of our lives. For it is in the bold name of your resurrected Son, our brother and our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray the prayer he taught us, saying, Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church