In the quiet glow of the morning sun, at the breaking of the dawn, when it seemed that death had the upper hand, and spoke the final word - you, O LORD - you rolled away the stone … and gave to the world the lasting hope, that life proves victorious, goodness reigns supreme, life and death, held and transformed, by the very hands of the Risen Christ.
We give thanks, O God, for the glories of creation, the cry of a gull, the rush of a wave … the hills alive with the sounds of music … open our eyes, we pray, to see … to really see the birds of the air and the fish of the sea … to pay attention to their distress and death … to be mindful of the policies of extraction and exploitation that threaten your earth and violate your commandments. O God, we earnestly pray for our leaders, to take up the tasks of creation-care … to learn the hard lessons of the past, and set a new course for tomorrow.
We give thanks for all our loved ones who preceded us in the journey of life - mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, children and friends … we remember them today, giving thanks for their strength of soul and purpose of body … and, now, O LORD, held in your everlasting arms, in the safekeeping of your mercy … until that great gettin’ up morning, when all shall be made new, and all tears wiped away.
Deliver us, we pray, from the false gods of hope, gods who promise so very much and take away our souls … the false gods, the gods of materialism, religion, commerce and trade … the false gods of self-indulgence and power … O LORD our God, center us in what is true and lasting, good and right … center us, we pray, in the Risen Christ and the fellowship of faith … that at home and in work, in school and in rest, we will never lose sight of your eternal mercies and the final hope of Christ.
All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
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