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What do you say to a God of resurrection on Easter Day and throughout the season? In the resurrection of Jesus from death to new life, we encounter a God with us in every word, every truth, every hope, and every moment of our lives. Not even death can interrupt us (see Romans 8:38–39). Whatever prayers you bring and whether you pray with words or silently, Easter declares that God invites nothing short of all that we are to be our prayer.
As this holy feast draws near, we at Building Faith want to share some Easter prayers and blessings with you. Our hope is that they may help you and your community bring all that you are to the God of resurrection and new creation this Easter Day and season.
Prayers
A Doxology to the Triune God
“Glory to you, O God:
on this day you won victory over death,
raising Jesus from the grave
and giving us eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ:
for us and for our salvation you overcame death
and opened the gate to everlasting life.
Glory to you, O Holy Spirit:
you lead us into the truth.
Glory to you, O Blessed Trinity,
now and forever. Amen.”
“Prayer of Adoration,” reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993), 315
For an Easter Vigil
“O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.“
Collect for Easter Day, The Book of Common Prayer (1979), 222
For Facing the Future with Courage and Assurance
“Eternal Father,
through the resurrection of your Son,
help us to face the future
with courage and assurance,
knowing that nothing in death or life
can ever separate us from your love.
This we ask through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.“
For Justice, Love, and Peace
“Creator of the universe,
you made the world in beauty,
and restore all things in glory
through the victory of Jesus Christ.
We pray that, wherever your image is still disfigured
by poverty, sickness, selfishness, war and greed,
the new creation in Jesus Christ may appear in justice, love, and peace,
to the glory of your name. Amen.”
For Keeping Faith with the Women at Jesus’s Resurrection
“Living God,
long ago, faithful women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus’ resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true. Amen.”
For Power to Proclaim the Risen One
“How awesome are your ways, O God! With thanksgiving, we offer praise for the work you brought in Christ. In gladness we thank you for hiding us deeply into his sacred life. We bless you for raising us in and with Jesus Christ, giving us the power to proclaim — with Mary Magdalene — the Risen One, not only with our voices, but with our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.”
For Risen Life in Christ
“God of mercy,
we no longer look for Jesus among the dead,
for he is alive and has become the Lord of life.
From the waters of death you raise us with him
and renew your gift of life within us.
Increase in our minds and hearts
the risen life we share with Christ,
and help us to grow as your people
toward the fullness of eternal life with you,
through Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.”
Prayer for Easter, reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993), 316
Blessings
Easter Season Blessing
“May Almighty God, who has redeemed us and made us [God’s] children
through the resurrection of [God’s] Son our Lord, bestow upon you the riches
of [God’s] blessing. Amen.
May God, who through the water of baptism has raised us from sin into newness of life, make you holy and worthy to be united with Christ for ever. Amen.
May God, who has brought us out of bondage to sin into true and lasting freedom in the Redeemer, bring you to your eternal inheritance. Amen.
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.”
The Book of Occasional Services (2018), 12
Live without Fear
“Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.”
Saint Clare, in Enriching Our Worship, 71
“Open the Door”
“Unlock the doors of fear and doubt.
Let your faith spill into the streets!
Jesus is risen!
Death has no more claims on your life.
In life, in death Christ is your life.
Peace be with you.”
“Open the Door” by Safiyah Fosua, “Music and Worship Resources” for Easter, The African American Lectionary website (Apr. 18, 2012); originally published in The Africana Worship Book (Year C), eds. Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua (Nashville: Upper Room, 2008), 37
“Seen”
“You had not imagined
that something so empty
could fill you
to overflowing,
and now you carry
the knowledge
like an awful treasure
or like a child
that curls itself
within your heart:
how the emptiness
will bear forth
a new world
you cannot fathom
but on whose edge
you stand.
So why do you linger?
You have seen,
and so you are
already blessed.
You have been seen,
and so you are
the blessing.
There is no other word
you need.
There is simply
to go
and tell.
There is simply
to begin.”
“Seen” by Jan Richardson, “Easter Sunday: While It Was Still Dark,” The Painted Prayerbook website (Apr. 15, 2017); originally published in Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons (Orlando: Wanton Gospeller, 2015), 154
Featured image is by Thomas Dewey on Unsplash
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