Hear Our Prayer. Raymond Chapman

your Church rejoices this day in the Resurrection of her Lord and Saviour, may her worship be reverent and her proclamation faithful … May every Christian soul respond in faith to the call of the Master and make haste to tell the good news.

      Let the Easter hope be known in all the world … Give light to those who seek, assurance to those who doubt, and peace to all … May Christ be known as the only Lord, the only hope of the nations.

      Be with our families and friends and all who share with us the wonderful day of Resurrection … May the presence of Christ bring us close to those who are separated from us, in the knowledge that no distance can part us from his love.

      Have mercy on those who stand at the open door of faith but are held back by doubt or fear of their unworthiness … Draw them in, that they may begin the new life that Christ has brought … Help and comfort those for whom suffering and sorrow mar the happiness of this day.

      We pray for those who, having shared with Christ the death of the body, now share with him the eternal life of his Resurrection … May the promise that has been fulfilled in them be our hope in this world and our place in the world to come.

      We pray in the name of Christ who conquered death that we might live for ever.

      SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

      John 20:19–31

      In the power of the Spirit, let us pray for grace to do the works of faith.

      Grant to the Church, the gathered people of the gospel, wisdom to know and power to proclaim the good news of the Resurrection … Make her ministers strong in the Holy Spirit to bring pardon and healing in the name of Christ.

      We pray for a world where many wish to believe but are held back by doubt … Open the way to the freedom that is in Christ, that his peace may prevail among the nations and in the hearts of all people.

      Grant to us, our families, friends and neighbours, the grace of the Resurrection … Break through the closed doors of our fear and doubt and give us the faith that needs no sign but the knowledge of divine love present among us.

      Have mercy on all who suffer persecution for their faith, who must meet in secret and cannot worship openly … Give them strength in their need, give light to those who oppress them, so that all who trust in the Resurrection may be free to share their joy.

      We pray for the departed who trusted their Lord in this world and now see him in the fullness of his glory … May their sins be forgiven and may we who now follow in faith share with them the promised blessing.

      We pray in the name of Christ, by whose wounds we are healed.

      THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

      Luke 24:13–35

      Let us pray to the Lord revealed to us in word and sacrament.

      Help your people to search the Scriptures to bring us nearer to our Lord … May the hearts of Christians burn with faith as they feel his presence … Help us to know and to make him known in the breaking of bread.

      Guide the feet that walk in doubt and uncertainty and have lost their way on the long roads of the world … Dispel the anxieties and the false reports that keep people apart: set them free with the good news of salvation.

      May Christ be the guest at every table … May we see him in the stranger as well as in those close to us and make the weary and hungry welcome for his sake.

      We pray for the homeless and for those who wander without a destination … Grant shelter to the unprotected, bread to the hungry and rest to the weary … Bless those who do the work of relief at home and abroad.

      Be with those whose day is far spent and who are near to death … We pray for those who are with Christ in the eternal feast of his love and see him with the eyes of perfect sight.

      We pray in the name of Christ, our companion through every day.

      FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

      John 10:1–10

      Let us pray for faithful following of the will of God.

      Guard the Church from false teaching and from all error … Lead your pilgrim people in the right way to follow their Lord through the gate that leads to abundant life, and in turn to lead others to find the way.

      Shield the peoples of this world against those that would destroy the innocent and lead astray the ignorant … Grant wisdom to discern and follow the true way, to find the fullness of living which is God’s will for all his creation.

      Make us good shepherds in places where we may have influence, helping our families, friends and neighbours and those with whom we work … Bless all who are leaders in our community and grant them grace to work for the common good.

      Have mercy on those who have lost their way through bad advice and false teaching … Restore to them the abundant life that is in Christ, and may his voice bring peace and healing to their wounded souls.

      We pray for those who have passed through the gate of death and entered into eternal life … We rejoice with them in the promise of life more abundant than this world can give, where Christ calls his flock to be with him in glory.

      May our prayers be accepted in the name of Christ, the Good Shepherd of his sheep.

      FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

      John 14:1–14

      Let us pray in faith to God for the Church and for the world.

      Grant that the Church may always follow in the way of Christ, proclaim his truth and live his risen life … Keep Christian people in knowledge and service of the Father, that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

      As the disciples were led to understand and taught to seek God in prayer, so may those who are counted wise in the world learn where true wisdom is to be found … Teach those in positions of authority to know that all earthly power is given from above.

      When our hearts are troubled, bless us with faith to offer strength and assurance in our homes and in our work … Bless those in this community who help by teaching or example to bring people to know God and to walk in his ways.

      Hear the prayers of those who cry out for relief in their afflictions, in sickness, poverty, loneliness, uncertainty … Grant them the assurance that Christ, who has gone before them through suffering to glory, is near to them and will bring them home.