Prayers for the 5th Week of Easter

The Watchword for the week:

Jesus says, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me."John 15:4

This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
We should praise the Lord at our rising, and at the setting of the sun.
May we share our faith and sing God’s praise through the living of each moment this day.

Psalm 22:25-31

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
Before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.


Let us confess our wandering steps:

Gracious God, we humbly bow before you and confess that we sometimes live our lives as if we did not know you. We deny our need for the life giving strength and guidance that your Holy Word can provide us. We are sorry to find that we often attempt to satisfy our need for treasures and pleasures in ways that will not bring us deep happiness and purpose in life; and in fact cause us to walk away from you. Guide us to once again seek to abide in your love, and to live your graceful presence into the lives of those around us.

Grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, AMEN.

Take time now to read the Moravian Daily Texts for the day. After you have completed today's prayer, take time to pray for your needs, the needs of your family and friends, the needs of your congregation, and the needs of the hurting world. May we all be brought closer to Christ.

In one voice, we pray together:

Creator of the heavens and earth, we praise your holy name. We pray that the gracious ways of heaven may be made real in the world that we inhabit. We hunger for much more than food today, and we pray that you will satisfy us, and all who have need. We are awed by your forgiving nature, and pray that you would inspire us to forgive each other in like manner. We know that you have created us to be holy, and ask that you keep us from the temptation of living a life which would tarnish your image within us. You have created a world that is holy, and your glory and power are displayed in many wonderful ways; we give thanks for the blessings of our lives even as we seek to live into the eternity of yours. Amen.


The Festival Doxology:

Unto the Lamb that was slain,
And has redeemed us out of all nations of the earth;
Unto the Lord who purchased our souls for himself;
Unto that friend who loved us, and washed us from our sins by his own blood;
Who died for us once,
That we might die unto sin;
Who rose for us,
That we might also rise;
Who ascended for us into heaven,
To prepare a place for us;
And to whom are subjected the angels, and powers, and dominions; to him be glory at all times,
In the Church which waits for him, and in that church which is around him from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.

Prayers for the 4th Week in Easter

Watchword for the week:

Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

The Easter season calls us to celebrate new life.
Loving God, grant that we may be renewed by the Holy Spirit.
Help us to lay aside those things that lead us astray from you,
And help us to embrace those things which bring us closer to you and your will for our lives.

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.



Confession of Sin


Almighty and most merciful God, we have erred and strayed from your holy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too often the devices and desires of our own hearts, and we have offended your holy laws. This has separated us from you, and we have hurt even those that we love. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done things we ought not to have done, and we are truly sorry. O Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us our sins as we are able to honestly confess them to you. Restore your image in us, and create in us a clean heart. Make of us a new creation, ready and willing to serve you.

Grant to your faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end, AMEN.

Take time now to read the Daily Texts for today. Pause at words or phrases that happen to catch your spirit, and ponder what God might be saying to you today.

After you have read the texts and prayer, continue in the spirit of prayer mentioning the needs that you bring today, the needs of your friends and family, and the needs of the world. When you have finished your prayer, continue as follows:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again, he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.


Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the shepherd of our lives, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

We thank you, Lord Jesus, not only for the privilege of believing in you, but of suffering for you as well, so that we may also be glorified with you.

Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of the body we were called to peace. And let us be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. Whatever we do, therefore, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.

Prayers for the 3rd Week of Easter

The watchword for the week: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1

This is the day the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We pause for these moments to orient our lives to God’s purposes.
May our hearts be open, our minds be receptive, and our souls be vulnerable to God’s presence with us now.

Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!"
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

We are deceiving ourselves if we think that we can live apart from God’s protection and influence. We have all been wandering children, let us confess our sins.


Gracious God, we are thankful that you have invited us into your household of faith, and called us your children. Despite our shortcomings you welcome us as we are, but love us too much to leave us that way. Forgive us for those times when we have ignored your will for us and when we have forgotten to whom we belong. Forgive us for doubting the power of Easter to transform us into your children, holy and righteous. Help us O God, to reach beyond ourselves, and beyond our comfortable sanctuaries to invite others into your family, so that they too might feel your loving embrace through us.

See God is coming to you, with arms outstretched, ready to welcome you home. Know that in Christ your sins are forgiven. With a joyful heart then, give God praise.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN.

Take time now to read and pray the Daily Texts for today. Don't just rush over them as if it was a chore to be completed, but eagerly await each word from God as gift that has the potential to change your life. After you have had a chace to read the prayer at the end of the texts, take time to pray for your needs, the needs of your most imediate cirle of family and frriends, then pray for the larger comunity, most especially your congregation.

When your have completed your prayer time, continue as follows:

Our Lord taught his disciples to pray using these words:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.


Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

We go from here knowing that God cares for us as parents care for their children. May we go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen.