An Easter Prayer...

AWM

for those who celebrate and those who wait.

Ever Present God –
Through the life of Jesus you have walked with us. By the resurrection of Christ and the power of the Spirit you dwell within and among us NOW. But we cannot forget the pain it took to get here. For your joy is not absent of sorrow.[1] Good Friday is not yet a distant memory. The grief and loneliness of Silent Saturday lingers. Easter holds the memory of a God who came back to life still bearing scars as this life does.

We still see Christ crucified today in all parts of your beloved world:
·      Where the hungry cry for food although there is plenty.
·      Where people are discriminated against, attacked, kidnapped, and even murdered because their skin, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality isn’t right.

Our tears and shouts cry out where scars are still open wounds:
·      Where wars scar people, lands, and the endless politics of hate persists.
·      Where power comes first and religion is misused to twist faith.
Where earth’s beauty is destroyed.

Our grief is heavy to bear
·      Where we witness suffering in mind, body, and spirit.

Yet as you wipe every tear from our eyes, we give thanks NOW for the joy that comes in the morning. We lean into your promise NOW that though weeping lingers for a night , your joy turns our mourning into dancing, you bring us from the ashes and clothe us with joy. We trust that only by living into that hope will NOW become a reality tomorrow.

We may be living in a Good Friday world, O God – where too many are feeling lost and forsaken, alone and rejected – so we try a little
      We give a little
·      We stand up for justice and reconciliation a little
      We try to care for our earth a little
·      We try to love as Jesus said and showed a little[2]

And as we do our part, we long for the JOY of Easter morning, where we, like Jesus, are revived by your Holy Spirit and transformed into the new life you promise ALL of us.

Ever-Present God, fill us with hope, courage, grace, and persistence as we celebrate the life and redeeming love of the Risen Lord, whose joy was not absent of sorrow but whose love overcomes it. With gratitude and hope we lift to you the longing Jesus taught us to pray together saying, Our Father…

[1] Inspired by Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies (Convergent Books, 2024), p 263.
[2] Italicized words from https://worldinprayer.org/2026/world-news-in-prayer-this-week-thursday-april-2-2026/