April prayer

God of grace and love, we have entered this Easter season with great anticipation of the wonderful gift of freedom that is ours through the Death and glorious Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—even freedom from sin and death itself.

We pray for ourselves and so many held captive by the sinfulness within that keeps us from being all that you created us to be.

We pray for the freedom of forgiveness—forgiveness for our sins, the ways we have hurt others, and not doing more to help others in need because we’re too busy or because we’d rather use our resources for our own comforts. And, the freedom to forgive those who have hurt us with the courage to turn over to the power of Christ the unrepentant not allowing the captivity of abuse where it exists to continue.

We pray for ourselves and so many who are being held captive by the losses, changes, uncertainties, and stresses that this pandemic has brought into our lives.

We pray for those whose lives are controlled by the cares of the world with its economic and emotional stress and the demands and expectations of achievement and success.

We pray for those who are being held captive in visible and not so visible ways by injustice, discrimination, and physical, emotional, and spiritual poverty.

We pray for all to experience the power and freedom of the love that Jesus gave His life to give us.

Give us the grace to understand that true freedom is not being able to do what we want to do, but that true freedom is being able to do what you want us to do as faithful servants of your Kingdom.

We praise you that for freedom Christ has set us free. May we use our freedom bought with the blood of Christ to encourage and build each other up, to serve the needs of others, and to love all without needing anything in return.

In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

Contributed by Jim Witherow