Almighty God,
You are the God of light and love. You’ve granted us the gift of walking in and sharing your light, not just in this place, but everywhere we find our feet planted. By your great and Holy Spirit you’ve drawn each and every one of us here this morning. The gathering of this church is your work.
Lord,
Make this church a place of refuge. A place where you gather us, not to serve you, but to be served by you. To receive your gifts. Gifts of grace and mercy, forgiveness and renewal. Free us from the shifting sand of trying to, and thinking we can, earn your favor. Ground us instead in the truth that Christ has already done it for us. ”For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Lord, let us remember with thanksgiving those who have gone to you before us with the gift of faith, for they were redeemed by God. You gave them new life through your Son. You nourished them in the company of your people at your holy table. In your mercy and wisdom, you called them to your nearer presence so that they may rest in your blissful peace forever.
“I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.’”
For those of us who mourn, annoint us with the oil of joy. Make us vessels to receive your promise of true peace. Peace in the midst of loss or sorrow. Peace in the midst of a disenchanted and disillusioned world. Fulfilled peace and fulfilled hope in Jesus Christ. Peace that says, “Rest. Do not be afraid. For I am with you.”
In the name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings,
AMEN.