A Day for Deacons: Noonday Prayer


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

Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. …They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. Mark 16:1, 3-4

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?

(Two brief meditations will be offered by members of the Community of Deacons and the St. Phoebe School for Deacons)

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!