Two Prayers for Today, Good Friday
Almighty God,
graciously behold this your family,
for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing
to be betrayed into the hands of sinners,
and to suffer death upon the cross;
who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (p.284, current United Methodist Hymnal)
—
Almighty God,
we would be lying to you and deceiving ourselves
if we pretended to be joyful and satisfied today.
We are not.
The violent pain that our friend Christ Jesus endured
makes us want to hide and wait until it is over;
it makes us wish to ignore his wounds altogether.
Yet in the miracle of grace, you have drawn us here,
along with millions of others around the earth,
that we might remember Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice
and covenant of grace.
As we worship you tonight
and undertake the ancient work of remembering,
we ask that you open our hearts to feel anew
exactly why this is called “Good Friday.”
In the name of Christ our Lord, Amen. (by Jamie D. Greening)
joescheets 