Sunday, April 18, 2021
CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 5
MUSIC
Curated by Clint Siebert
Hillsong Worship - The Passion
Commons Creative - I Exalt Thee
Bethel Music - Goodness of God
Hillsong Worship - O Praise The Name
GOD OF FRESH STARTS
A Prayer by Ryan Petkau
As we settle into the rhythm of Eastertide, we remember that these 50 days between Resurrection and Pentecost Sunday call us into a posture of celebration. A posture that may not feel familiar to many of us this year. But I invite you to look beyond the surface of our own ideas of celebration and dig deep into the newness that spring brings. And just as new life is not possible without the reality of death, this call to celebrate does not ask us to check our sorrows at the door. It invites us to step in, with all of our baggage, to leap forward into the boundless hope of the resurrection. Together as we pray, let's take a moment to both reflect on the hardships of yesterday and look forward in hopeful anticipation to what this season may hold.
God of Fresh Starts,
Just as death brings with it new life,
May the suffering of the past propel us into a new season -
A season of appreciation, of joyous waiting, creativity.
Let's allow the sun to soak into our skin and bring with it renewal -
An appreciation of the simplicity of everything that's already within our grasp.
Lord, thank you for the new mercies that greet us each day.
As spring carries us with it through its own ups and downs -
Rain, snow, sun, and mud -
We notice the parallel between our own lives,
And we acknowledge that our progression is not linear either.
Lord, grant us patience and strength as we navigate the uncertainty to come.
And as we watch as fresh blooms dance their way into the sun,
We stand in awe at your creativity -
Remembering your hand in all of the beauty that covers the Earth.
Lord, stretch our imaginations and allow our creativity to become limitless.
Together we assert that our hope is found in the resurrection -
In the invitation to new life given to us by the Risen Christ.
Amen.
