Sundays after Easter
Prayer
Pastoral Prayers For All Seasons
Object:
O God, why can't we always be on vacation? Resting when we wish, swimming when we wish. Why can't we go on long walks every day just for the sheer pleasure of being immersed in the wonder of nature? Why can't we all be endowed every day with good health and a spirit of peace? Why can't work always be upbeat and successful? What's so wrong with a continuous diet of beauty, victory, and laughter?
Whatever our wishes for life may be, Lord, our experience reveals that there is also fear, struggle, pain, hard work, and defeat. Strange as it seems, when we look back across our lives, the times when we met adversity head-on provide us with the greater satisfaction, while the times of fun and laughter are harder to recall. Something about victory hard won endures.
In the scriptures we read of the conflicts, the jealousies, the hostilities, the long desert treks, the times of hunger and thirst of your ancient people Israel. We have also read of the torment and death of your Son. We know of the faithfulness of countless Christians who refused to walk away from their sacrifices. Our interest to know who they were and what they did never has been erased.
Where would we be today if the people before us had always been on vacation? If life had always been a lark, to whom could we turn in times of darkness? Party people don't have much to offer when life grinds us down in pain.
We resist saying, "Thank you, God, our Creator" for our suffering, but we can say, "Thank You," for being healed. It is most difficult to say, "Thank You," for those times when life falls apart, but we can say, "Thank You," for a hope that rises above disaster. We fight against saying, "Thank You," when we have been discarded, but we say, "Thank You," for your love that always includes us.
At last we may not wish to be remembered as "a good-time Charlie." Rather we wish to be remembered as a person who turned adversities and challenges into experiences of beauty and accomplishment. Thank you, God, for being with us in the "real" world.
These words we bring to you through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Whatever our wishes for life may be, Lord, our experience reveals that there is also fear, struggle, pain, hard work, and defeat. Strange as it seems, when we look back across our lives, the times when we met adversity head-on provide us with the greater satisfaction, while the times of fun and laughter are harder to recall. Something about victory hard won endures.
In the scriptures we read of the conflicts, the jealousies, the hostilities, the long desert treks, the times of hunger and thirst of your ancient people Israel. We have also read of the torment and death of your Son. We know of the faithfulness of countless Christians who refused to walk away from their sacrifices. Our interest to know who they were and what they did never has been erased.
Where would we be today if the people before us had always been on vacation? If life had always been a lark, to whom could we turn in times of darkness? Party people don't have much to offer when life grinds us down in pain.
We resist saying, "Thank you, God, our Creator" for our suffering, but we can say, "Thank You," for being healed. It is most difficult to say, "Thank You," for those times when life falls apart, but we can say, "Thank You," for a hope that rises above disaster. We fight against saying, "Thank You," when we have been discarded, but we say, "Thank You," for your love that always includes us.
At last we may not wish to be remembered as "a good-time Charlie." Rather we wish to be remembered as a person who turned adversities and challenges into experiences of beauty and accomplishment. Thank you, God, for being with us in the "real" world.
These words we bring to you through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
