Jesus,
Your resurrection
Is not a single day of celebration,
But an invitation to live
With resurrection wonder.
We are all beginners.
The practice of resurrection is not for experts.
Keep us amateurs,
Motivated by the mystery of Your love.
Free us from the graves
Of certainty and control,
That distort our hope,
And distract our heart.
Raise up our downcast faces
To recognize You:
On the road and at the table,
On the beach and in the boardroom.
May we see You in the everyday
And practice resurrection in the ordinary:
Resurrection work,
Resurrection laughter,
Resurrection grief,
Resurrection rest.
Keep us attentive
To the holy all around us.
May we live today
With resurrection wonder.
In the name of the Resurrected One.
Amen.
Prayer inspired by the book, Living the Resurrection by Eugene Peterson
Prayers to engage with place…
Lord God,
We pause in this moment to give You worthy recognition
For Your supreme sovereignty over all things.
We offer both acknowledgment and gratitude
For Your attentive, providential love and care
That You extend to us each day.
Dear God,
There are so many ordinary ways
To give and receive your love.
From the cuddles of our kids.
From the laughter of a dear friend.
From holding the hand of a spouse.
Teach me today
To give and receive
Your love as a neighbor.
Father in Heaven,
With August’s arrival,
The morning sunlight beams
Come later through the windows.
May we rest in your great faithfulness,
Remember that your steadfast love never ceases;
And Your mercies never come to an end.
Before you pulled us from the dust,
Before there was dust,
You spoke into the primordial stew,
And drew the waters back
To craft dry land.
Father in Heaven,
Sleeping under the stars,
beneath this wide and holy canopy,
may we be filled with wonder.
Dear Holy Flame,
If ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’, (thank you, Emily Dickinson)
Then Joy is the thing that flickers!