April 15, 2021
A daily prayer during this COVID-19 crisis
During these difficult days, Bishop Devadhar and members of the Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
Today’s prayer
Jesus Appears to the Disciples While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
— Luke 24:36-48 Open my mind, Lord, and open my eyes so that I can see you and receive your peace. Were you in my midst this week and I did not notice? Was it you I saw when I looked into the eyes of my grandchild who was having a tantrum when she did not get what she wanted at the grocery store?Perhaps, Lord, it was you in the eyes of the Asian woman who hurried down the street this week worried that the people around her might attack her or call her names. Did I catch a glimpse of you, Lord when I heard the laments of the families who had lost loved ones to Covid or violence? Surely, it was you Lord that I saw as I shared the bread and cup with my church family. Help me to see you, Lord, in all the spaces that you occupy. Help me to understand your Word so that I might not only see you but embody you in all my interactions this week and in the weeks to come. Forgive my shortsightedness, Lord. Forgive me and invite me into your peace. Amen. By Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Brannen, Katahdin District Superintendent