Prayers for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (A) - The Way
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Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A
Inspired by John 14:1-14
Opening prayers or Call to worship
Make a way Lord,
through our scattered thoughts and crumpled feelings;
make a way through the well-worn expectations,
the cleverly crafted plans and the over-familiar routines
that we call church.
Make a way through our hearts for your spirit to fly,
in our voices a path for your joy to flow,
in our silence a space for you to rest with us.
Lord, make a way in this body of believers today.
Amen.
Intercession
Lord,
You are the way.
We seem to spend our lives looking for ways
to make everything alright, to make the bad things turn good.
We think of the problems in our lives
and in the lives of our friends or loved ones,
[especially… or brief pause]
We can’t see a way that anyone can fix these things.
We look at the issues facing the world,
The daily news of war or famine or flood,
[today’s news of…]
It is hard to believe that there is any way of healing these things at all,
but you have declared it; we may not understand but we have to trust.
You are the way.
You are the truth.
In a world where destructive half-truths are circulated endlessly every second
help us to think twice before clicking the Send button,
to check facts, to consider feelings.
[brief pause]
Every day we face a confusing barrage of headlines, press releases and statistics
and over on God channels persuasive men offer to sell us their truths in handy helpful books.
Give us your eyes to recognise the lies.
[brief pause]
Set us on fire with a simple understanding that your love is the measure of all things.
The hateful shouts of fanatics and the shameful whispers of cowards will all pass:
you are the truth.
You are the life.
Sometimes we feel like the life is being squeezed out of us
by our jobs, relationships, possessions or even sometimes by our churches.
[brief pause]
We want to feel alive but instead we feel drained.
We look around and see people we know burdened with illness or worry,
or losing the will to live,
[brief pause]
Show us how to give up the life we struggle to have
and help us to take up your offer of abundant life, wonderful life
and then to bring the joy of your life to all those around us.
You are the life.
Voices around us promise that they can show us the way
or tell us the truth or give us better and happier lives.
But we want you to lead us on the true way of life, now and forever.
Amen
© Rod Belt 2014
