Daily Prayer for April 24, 2011, Easter

Morning

Invitatory Psalm 24

Almighty God, through Jesus Christ you overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. Grant that we, who celebrate the day of our Lord's resurrection, may, by the renewing of your Spirit arise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (UMH 320)

Psalms 147, 148, 149

Daily Lectionary Reading, Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Acts 10:34-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10

Lectio Divina
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus (John 20:14).

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).


Almighty God, you wonderfully created, yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature. Grant that we may share the divine life of the One who shared our humanity, Jesus Christ our Savor. Amen. (UMBOW 373).

Evening
Psalm 144, 145

Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 114; 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; Luke 24:13-49

Lectio Divina:
They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32)

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:6-7).

Evening prayer:

O God, at this evening hour, the risen Christ revealed himself to his disciples in the breaking of bread. Feed us with the bread of life and break open our hearts, that we may know him not only in the good news of the scriptures, but risen in the midst of your pilgrim people. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, Fortress Press).