Lord God
Today we stand in the midst of incredible events
Even the angels are dumbstruck in amazement.
Jesus Christ the one who was and is life
Has been killed on a cross and laid in a tomb.
How can the Son of God,
The son of life itself, die?
It was for us wasn’t it Lord Jesus?
It was an image of us that kept you there on the cross?
It was love of us that made you willing to die?
It was our sins you were destroying as you breathed you last?
What words can we offer in response?
No one has ever given so much for us
Lord Jesus,
Our words of praise seem so inadequate,
But that’s all we have to offer,
Our adoration,
The worship of our lips and our hearts:
Lord Jesus
Our saviour,
We praise you.

Father God,
Even though we have been touched by the greatest miracle of all,
The miracle of the cross,
Even though we have been reached by the good news of Jesus,
Even though we have experienced your love for ourselves,
There is still so much in our lives which denies you.
Our unwillingness to trust your will in all things
Our uncertainty about recognising the gifts you have given us,
And our unwillingness to use our gifts in your work,
Our inability to live our faith even in the most simple of circumstances -
When a friend needs a loving word,
When a neighbour needs compassion.
Lord,
There are still so many barriers we construct between ourselves and you
In order to keep you at arms length in our lives.
Today, as we gather in the shadow of the cross
And as we remember and reflect on the death of Jesus
We implore you to shatter all that blocks you out of our lives
Forgive us our sins,
Make us clean of them
And through the power of the risen Jesus
Grant us a fresh start in relationship with you.

Lord God
We want to know more of you in our lives
We want to experience your spirit leading us to growth in our faith
As we gather at this Easter celebration
We long for you to fill our worship with your presence this morning
Through singing and prayer
Through your word and through our fellowship together
Flood our lives with your glory and your love
In Jesus name we pray,
And in Jesus name we say together the words he taught his followers
Our Father…

Father God,
That first Easter morning the news spread quickly,
Jesus is alive, he is risen!
At first the disciples doubted
But their doubts turned to joy
And to praise as they met the risen saviour.
So Lord,
As we gather today
We also hear that marvelous declaration in our lives
Jesus is alive, he is risen!
And we give thanks
Father,
You hold out to us an eternal hope,
If you can do this, then you can do anything,
If you are true in this promise, then all your other promises must also be true.
Thank you for the hope we have in our lives,
A hope we can scarcely put into words:
Jesus is alive, he is risen,
And we are saved!
Thank you God.

Lord God,
As we gather here today,
Our celebration is tempered by our own concerns and fears and worries,
All the baggage of life we carry with us,
Hear us now as in the silence we open our hearts to you,
And lay all that baggage at your feet.

SILENCE

On this day of resurrection
We remember those who grieve
Who feel the hurt deep inside of missing loved ones.
You know that feeling well father,
As you saw your son die on the cross,
How all of heaven must have wept.
Today we remember especially the families of those killed or injured in the school shooting in America
Lord,
be near and let the resurrection glory shine in the lives of all who grieve.

We commit to you all those who experience hard times and difficulties in their lives.
Care for those who are ill,
Be with those who struggle with the events in their lives,
Care for those who are stressed out in work and in their relationships,
And be near to those who live on the margins of our society with barely enough of the essentials of life to get by.
May the message of Easter, loving father,
Shine into their experience
May they discover that in relationship with Jesus there is hope.

Lord God almighty,
We pray for our Church
At times we seems so dead
And our place in this society so desperate
Our Church so empty of passion.
Lord,
Bring your resurrection to our Church;
let us experience your son alive and active in this community of faith;
lead us by your spirit out into this parish in faith,
by your power,
and if it is your will,
let people find faith in you,
and let our Church grow.

Father God,
We offer all these prayers in Jesus name
Amen