Pastoral Prayer (2nd Sun of Easter, Jn. 20:19-31)

Holy God:

We praise you in this glorious season in which we celebrate the Resurrection of your son, thegreatest of your miracles, the source of every miracle, the sign of your life-giving power, the hope of
future glory, and the beginning of new life in the here and now.

We confess to you that though we believe in the resurrection, we often fail to live in the newness of life
it offers. We are tempted to forget that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us,
and that in every moment we can live lives infused with power and possibility. We are often fearful—
fearful of a dangerous world, fearful of the sin within us, fearful of failure, fearful of threats within and
without.

So help us, holy God, to feel a fresh surge of your life-giving spirit. Help us to go on the offensive against the forces of darkness. Help us to combat hate with love. Help us to partner with you in your great plan to spread your light into every dark corner of your world. Help us to live as an Easter people—a people who risk greatly and love greatly because we know that when we act in obedience to you, we act with the full power of your resurrection filling us. Help us to answer your call to complete your work of making every dead thing alive again through the power of your spirit.
Amen.