Call to Worship/Prayer for Easter 3 A


Here’s a Call to Worship and Prayer of the Day for the third Sunday of Easter, written by Thom Shuman. He’s also written a prayer of confession and words of assurance—check them out the link above.
 
Call to Worship

Where shattered hearts are made whole,
where wounded souls are healed,
where life is stronger than death:
there, the stone has been rolled away.

Where the lonely become our friends,
where a stranger is welcomed home,
where hope is stronger than despair,
there, we find Jesus walking.

Where closed wallets are opened,
where the anxious find serenity,
where love is stronger than hate:
there, Jesus is opening our eyes.

The stone has been rolled away!
Jesus is our companion on the journey!
Our eyes are opened to the needs of others!
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Alleluia! Christ is with us!

Prayer of the Day

Splattering the black-blue night
with the twinkling stars
and spinning fluffy clouds
out of the fabric of your hope,
you raised creation out of chaos,
Gracious God,
giving life and calling it good.

Walking with disciples
down grief's lonely road,
you sang of how
God had raised you from the dead,
so that listening,
they might believe;
believing,
they might understand;
understanding,
they might obey:
going forth to invite all
to follow you,
Bread of Life,
to feast on your love forever.

Reaching out your love to us,
so we would touch others;
filling us with your gifts,
so we could be a blessing to the world;
piercing our darkness with hope,
so we might bring healing
to the broken:
you raise us to new life,
Spirit of God.

God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray, saying,
Our Father . . .— Thom Shuman, on Lectionary Liturgies 

For more worship resources for the third Sunday of Easter, Year A,
click on Easter 3 in the list of “Labels” to the lower right.