Opening Prayer (in unison)
O Lord our God, tonight we gather to remember our Savior Jesus and his sacrifice of love for us. We pause to remember his last meal with his closest friends and disciples. We pause to remember the betrayal he would suffer. We pause to remember the pain that would be His to bear. We gather to bear witness to our Savior. We gather to grow in our faith and be renewed once again by the Story of mystery, Story of the Resurrection. Send your Spirit to be with us this night till Easter morning. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Confession (in unison)
We confess tonight that we are like those who crucified our Lord.
We are like those who denied Jesus—refusing to claim him as Lord of our whole life.
We are like those who have mocked him—forgetting his power in this world.
We are like those who made him a crown of thorns—diminishing his authority in our lives.
We are like those who hung him on a Cross—choosing the allure of violence and fear rather than justice and peace.
We are like those who turned away their gaze—afraid to enter into the suffering of this world.
Forgive us. Have mercy upon us.
On these days of emptiness and death before the Resurrection we begin tonight to offer our confessions to you in silence…..
-Silence is Kept-
Assurance of Pardon (responsive)
Even in the darkness of this night, even in the emptiness of these hours that stretch out before Easter morning the promise of the Resurrection is still at hand.
It is a dim light, and yet to the light we cling.
Give us grace to receive this assurance of your love.
Grant us peace on this night. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Shannan R. Vance-Ocampo, Transitional Presbyter, Albany Presbytery
Leave a Reply