Father, Son, Holy Spirit….we come today seeking your presence. We join with the crowds, shouting out our cries, of Hosanna! Save us! Blessed are you, Son of David, have mercy on us! Hosanna!
We are overwhelmed with the gratitude we feel, for the ways you have come and heard our cries. You loved us so much, that Jesus came to earth, giving up his power, to become like us. And Jesus suffered so much, because of this love. We are so thankful, as we head into this Easter week, this week of remembering, because we have the whole story…we have the hope of the Resurrection. But there are people in our lives, who don’t know the whole story. We pray for them, for our family, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbours…we ask that this week, as the Christian Church remembers again the events of Easter, that our witness will be one of love, and not division. Help us to reach out to the people in our lives with your love and be your hands and feet in this world, and in our neighbourhoods, and in our families.
As we think about our world, God we are anguished. There is so much violence, so much unrest, so much pain. We feel so strongly that things need to change, we want you to move and come and fix these situations. Give us wisdom, to know how pray. Give us wisdom, to know how to change our behaviours. Give us wisdom to know know support others with love and not judgement, with care and not hate. We know that you care about what is happening, and you are grieving alongside us. But God you do not force yourself upon us, even when we humans do foolish things. Forgive us for not turning to you, give us courage to face the changes we need to make in ourselves, and strength to pray for those who are unwilling or unable to change in these moments.
We pray for those who are feeling the weight of the sadness and grief from the release of the final Mass Casualty Commission report, and for those of us who still feel the weight and shock of the tragedy. It happened just three years ago and the pain is still so fresh. God we need your comfort, and your presence. Gather us in, and hold us. May we know the comfort that only you bring, at times of loss, and confusion. Hold us close to your chest, that we might feel the heartbeat of your love, and feel our own heartbeat soften to meet yours.
There are people in our lives who are sick, who are hurting, who are struggling…God we bring them to you. Their names come quickly to our minds, and just with that name, God you know the situations. You know what each person needs. Be with the caregivers, and medical teams, be with the counsellors, and teachers, and friends and families. God move in ways that are unexplainable, and miraculous.
God we know you hear our prayers, and we are so thankful to know that you do not judge us for the wrongs that we have done, but you offer us forgiveness, freely…over and over. We may be fickle with our forgiveness, but God you are so free with yours. Mold us and make us into your image that we might be a reflection of Jesus, quick to forgive, even in the unjustness of the realities of the cross.
You are the author and perfecter of our faith. Help us in our unbelief we pray. Give us fresh eyes as we enter into Holy Week, that we might encounter the story of Jesus in a new way, and learn more about you God and more about the beauty of creation and redemption that this Easter story provides. Thank you that the story doesn’t end on the cross. We do thank you for the cross, for the sacrifice, for the love you showed us. Help us not to rush into next Sunday, but ponder the way you meet us first in our despair, in our brokenness, and in our suffering, because that makes Sunday even more hopeful.
We pray all these things, in the name of the God the Father, Jesus, the son and Holy Spirit. Who hears our prayers, and knows our hearts.
Amen.