A litany of collects written by members of the St. Stephen’s community for prayers of the people during the Easter Vigil service on April 3, 2021.
Thanksgiving for Technology (Ethan)
Transcendent God, you make yourself known to your people in all kinds of new ways–a bush
ablaze, in parted waters, in thunder and rain and in the sound of silence, in a human body. We
give you thanks for the technology that has connected us while we are apart and in the
awareness that a screen can be a portal, rather than a barrier, for the movement and work of
your Spirit. All this we pray through your son Jesus, history’s best work of multimedia. Amen.
Thanksgiving for the Wisdom of our Elders (Mary Lou)
Loving God, as challenging and hard as this pandemic time has been, we are thankful for the
love and hope you have shown us through the wisdom of our elders. Our elders know that we
will get through this pandemic time. They know we are capable of summoning the stamina to
endure, the patience to wait things out, the ability to focus and prioritize what is important to
us. Our elders teach us life will go on, not always in the direction or on the path of our
choosing, but always with our trust in Your guidance and care. Our elders remind those of us
who have lost a friend or loved one to COVID to grieve the loss deeply and receive the loving
kindness of others with open hearts and humility. For the eternal wisdom of our elders, we
thank you, Loving God. Amen.
For Caregivers (Susie)
Dearest Lord, Thank you for all the caregivers, trained and untrained, who have been there for
our loved ones during the past year. Thank you for our friends who have kept us on course
during these troubling times. Keep them close to your heart and safe in our world.
On Light (Steve)
Holy and life-giving God, we give you thanks for being the light that shines in the darkness, and
for showing us through the resurrection of your Son that the light of your love is stronger even
than the darkness of death; in the midst of so much death and loss in this pandemic year, your
light has continued to shine, and to give us reason to hope. By your mercy and grace, grant that
the light of your love would shine for ever on those who have died this year, and let it shine in
our hearts as well, so that our lives may be beacons of hope. In the name of the One who lived
and died and rose again. Amen.
For the Gift of Water (Stephen)
Creator who brought all waters into being, Incarnate Word into whose death we are baptized
with water and raised to new life, Spirit who breathes across the waters still: guide us in the
ways of rightly protecting, managing, distributing, and using the gift of water entrusted to us,
for the good of all communities and peoples, and for the good of the Earth and all species.
For Racial Justice (Maria)
God of Justice, we see you in the faces of our neighbors in breathtaking color – black and
brown skin, grey and blond hair, brown and green eyes, and beneath it all, red blood. We give
you thanks for opening our eyes and hearts to the beauty and worth of all people and for
inspiring us to do the work of pulling all people into your very big tent. We pray for a just
community and a just world, a world in which we heed your son’s command to love one
another. Amen.
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