because we know the ending of the story,
it’s tempting for us
to ignore the darkness of this day.
It’s tempting for us
to go about our business as usual.
It’s tempting for us
to move too quickly
to the dawn of light on Easter morning.
But we draw upon Your grace
to give us courage and strength
to live for a while in the darkness,
to set aside comfort and pleasure,
to feel the darkness
in which so many of Your children dwell,
the darkness into which Your Son Jesus entered.
Lord Jesus, we remember today that it was
one of Your own familiar friends who betrayed You,
and we know that there is nothing that so breaks the heart
as the disloyalty of one whom we call friend.
Save us:
From the cowardice that would disown You
when it is too hard to be true to You;
Guard us:
From the disloyalty that betrays You in the hour
when You need someone to stand by You;
Prevent us:
From the fickleness that blows hot and cold in its devotion;
Avert us:
From the fair-weather friendship that,
when things are difficult or dangerous,
makes us ashamed to show whose we are and whom we serve.
As we reflect on the frailty of Christ,
remind us of the frailty of all life.
As we cringe at the suffering of Christ,
make us mindful of suffering throughout the world.
As we witness the death of Christ,
bring us back full circle to the beginning of Lent,
to the wisdom of Ash Wednesday:
the awareness of our mortality
and the mortality of those we love.
Gracious God,
deep in the human heart
is an unquenchable trust
that life does not end with death.
Like a seed,
which is buried
in order to bring forth life,
Christ goes to the tomb
to usher in new life.
We trust that we, too, will be raised to new life,
in this world, here and now,
and in the mystery of what lies beyond physical death.
We trust that the all the world will be born anew,
that Your kingdom is coming,
as a new heaven
and a new earth.
On this day of darkness,
it is for this kingdom that we boldly pray,
with the words that Jesus so graciously taught us to pray:
it’s tempting for us
to ignore the darkness of this day.
It’s tempting for us
to go about our business as usual.
It’s tempting for us
to move too quickly
to the dawn of light on Easter morning.
But we draw upon Your grace
to give us courage and strength
to live for a while in the darkness,
to set aside comfort and pleasure,
to feel the darkness
in which so many of Your children dwell,
the darkness into which Your Son Jesus entered.
Lord Jesus, we remember today that it was
one of Your own familiar friends who betrayed You,
and we know that there is nothing that so breaks the heart
as the disloyalty of one whom we call friend.
Save us:
From the cowardice that would disown You
when it is too hard to be true to You;
Guard us:
From the disloyalty that betrays You in the hour
when You need someone to stand by You;
Prevent us:
From the fickleness that blows hot and cold in its devotion;
Avert us:
From the fair-weather friendship that,
when things are difficult or dangerous,
makes us ashamed to show whose we are and whom we serve.
As we reflect on the frailty of Christ,
remind us of the frailty of all life.
As we cringe at the suffering of Christ,
make us mindful of suffering throughout the world.
As we witness the death of Christ,
bring us back full circle to the beginning of Lent,
to the wisdom of Ash Wednesday:
the awareness of our mortality
and the mortality of those we love.
Gracious God,
deep in the human heart
is an unquenchable trust
that life does not end with death.
Like a seed,
which is buried
in order to bring forth life,
Christ goes to the tomb
to usher in new life.
We trust that we, too, will be raised to new life,
in this world, here and now,
and in the mystery of what lies beyond physical death.
We trust that the all the world will be born anew,
that Your kingdom is coming,
as a new heaven
and a new earth.
On this day of darkness,
it is for this kingdom that we boldly pray,
with the words that Jesus so graciously taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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