Mid-Day Prayer for Easter Season (Perseverance and Renewal)
from Daily Prayer for All Seasons (pp. 108-109)
As we pause to feed our bodies in the middle of the day, we pause also to feed our souls by vowing again to live faithfully.
Opening
Alleluia! Risen Lord,
deepen our desire for you. Alleluia!
Opening Prayer
God of steadfast love: Turn our hearts to you, that we may once again delight in your goodness and rejoice in the good news of the risen Christ; in whose name we pray. Amen.
Praise
Psalm 118:19-24
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord.
“This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.”
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me
and have become my salvation.
The same stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
On this day that the Lord has acted,
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Scripture
Luke 9:37-43
On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.
Meditation
“It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life.” Cesar Chavez
What enables us to give our lives for others?
Prayers
Lord Jesus, you rise triumphant over death and the grave:
Christ our life, save us.
Christ, the Lord of life, raise us to new life:
Christ our life, save us.
(Please add your intercessions or thanksgivings. silently or aloud)
In a world where so many suffer because of hunger and injustice:
Christ our life, save us.
Let us pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
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.
Going Out
Alleluia! Risen Lord,
deepen our desire for you. Alleluia!
Virtual Chapel of St. Phoebe 