easter sunday

Easter Sunday, April 20

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer: Power of Love, shining through the risen Jesus, radiantly shine in the dark places of my pain.  Let their power to infect me be broken and drawn into your heart. (Feed My Shepherds by Flora Slosson Wuellner)

Scripture Reading for the Day: John 20:1-18

Reading for Reflection:

                                               easter  by Jim Branch

the silence was deafening

that early morning as she stood,

gripped by a love that would not release her

everyone else was gone

back to their homes and their families

     “how could they forget so quickly?” she thought

           as she stood in the first light of dawn,

     tears streaming down her cheeks

     “did they not feel it too…the love?”

     “if they did, how could they leave?”

her heart would not allow her to go

so she stayed—as near to him as she knew how

was she waiting?

was she hoping?

or was she simply doing the only thing she could—

to be near the place he was last near

she would rather be near him than anyone or anything

so she stayed…and cried

longing to hear her name from his lips once more

and then suddenly the voice…it startled her

looking through the tears she could not see who it was

     “have you seen him?” she asked

     “do you know where he is?”

it wasn’t until he uttered her name

that she recognized his voice

and at its sweet sound

everything in her was raised to life again

it was easter you see…and he had risen

and because of that

so had she

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                       

Closing Prayer: O God, who by your One and only Son has overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life; grant, we pray, that those who have been redeemed by his passion may rejoice in his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

                                                            ~Gelasian Sacramentary