Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 30, 2023
Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 23
I Peter 2:19-25
John 10:1-10
O holy One, we come thankful for a new day. We thank you for the coming of spring-like weather and the hope of having winter behind us. We thank you for the gentle skies and warmer temperatures which also moderate our spirits. We also thank you for those venturous folk who so long ago encountered Jesus and risked their all. We thank you that they did not devalue their potential in spite of their fears. We thank you that they saw hope in community and were willing to sacrifice for one another. We thank you that they had the courage to put themselves to your service. We thank you that they broke bread with glad and generous hearts.
And we thank you that they trusted you to increase their numbers.
We pray that we might have their kind of courage and trust. We pray that we might be willing to sacrifice for the needs of others. Help us to learn the lessons they would still teach us as their engagement with their world reverberates through the centuries and still is challenging today. Instil within us the same restless stirrings which will cause us anew to consider our purpose and vision. And cause us to have their contagious excitement about our faith.
Be with all this day who have special needs. For those living with the emptiness of grief we ask a sense of your companionship. May they know the tenderness of Jesus as he wept over a friend who died. Be with our friends who are away or travelling. Be with those facing changes in their lives and all who need strength for tomorrow. Amen
April 30, 2023
Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 23
I Peter 2:19-25
John 10:1-10
O holy One, we come thankful for a new day. We thank you for the coming of spring-like weather and the hope of having winter behind us. We thank you for the gentle skies and warmer temperatures which also moderate our spirits. We also thank you for those venturous folk who so long ago encountered Jesus and risked their all. We thank you that they did not devalue their potential in spite of their fears. We thank you that they saw hope in community and were willing to sacrifice for one another. We thank you that they had the courage to put themselves to your service. We thank you that they broke bread with glad and generous hearts.
And we thank you that they trusted you to increase their numbers.
We pray that we might have their kind of courage and trust. We pray that we might be willing to sacrifice for the needs of others. Help us to learn the lessons they would still teach us as their engagement with their world reverberates through the centuries and still is challenging today. Instil within us the same restless stirrings which will cause us anew to consider our purpose and vision. And cause us to have their contagious excitement about our faith.
Be with all this day who have special needs. For those living with the emptiness of grief we ask a sense of your companionship. May they know the tenderness of Jesus as he wept over a friend who died. Be with our friends who are away or travelling. Be with those facing changes in their lives and all who need strength for tomorrow. Amen