Daily Prayers and Reflections for Each Day of the Easter Octave

Below I’ve started a short compilation of Easter resources & links, but this one deserves highlighting as a stand-alone entry.

Creighton University, which I have often linked for their Praying Advent and Praying Lent sites, also has an Easter Celebration page. They offer daily prayers and reflections for each day of the Easter Octave (the first week of Easter).

Check it out!

Here is one of the prayers from today’s entry:

The Father glorified Jesus and appointed him heir to all nations.
Let us praise him, saying:
Save us, Lord, through your victory.

Lord Christ, by your victory you broke the power of evil and destroyed sin and death,
– make us victorious over sin today.

You laid death low, and brought us new life,
– grant that we may walk today in this new life,

You gave life to the dead, and led mankind from death to life,
– give eternal life to all those we shall meet today.

You brought confusion on the guards at your tomb, but joy to your disciples,
– grant the fullness of joy to all who serve you.

Easter Quotes: St. John Chrysostom – Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

St. John Chrysostom’s Easter homily is quite often quoted.  I’m sure we’ve posted it in the past here at Lent & Beyond.  Reading the text over at David Fischler’s Reformed Pastor blog this morning though, something new struck me.  We are all equally invited to partake in the joyful celebration of Easter.  First and last, rich & poor, and those who have kept the Lenten fast and those who have not.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!  First and last alike receive your reward;  rich and poor, rejoice together! Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,  rejoice today for the Table is richly laden! Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one. Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

While Lent is an important and deeply helpful preparation for Easter, it is not a pre-requisite.  May all of us who fell far short of what we had hoped in terms of our Lenten disciplines rejoice.  God’s grace and joy is for us ALL.  Let us consciously choose to enter into the joy of the Lord!

A Few Easter Resources & Links

Lent & Beyond has been well-known for a number of years for our collection of Advent & Lent resources and links.  I don’t think I’ve ever done a collection of Easter resources, however.  Certainly we’ve never had an Easter resource category – sad since Easter is a 50 day church season, not just a one-day or one-week celebration!

I’m going to try to rectify that lack on our part this year.

Here are a few links to start the collection:  (links are in no particular order right now, just as I’ve come across them… I’ll be adding to this list over the next few days – keep checking back.)

1.  Via Lucis:  Stations of the Resurrection from the Liturgies.Net site.  How cool!  I’ve never heard of Stations of the Resurrection, what a great idea.

2. ChurchYear.Net’s Easter Page and Easter Prayers

3. Christine Sine’s Easter Guide (what it’s about), Download the guide – ideas for a family or church group to celebrate the 50 day Easter Season.  Here too is Christine’s Godspace blog Easter Category.  Of particular interest, Christine’s post with ideas for celebrating the 50 days of Easter.

4. Kendall Harmon’s Easter category at TitusOneNine. (His Holy Week category too has many wonderful poems and quotes and reflections.)

5.  Amy at “Splendor of the Ordinary” blog suggests taking an “Emmaus Walk“

6. Creighton University has an excellent resource with daily prayers and reflections for each day of the Easter Octave.

more ideas and links to follow as I find them…

Our Lent & Beyond Easter Category is here.

The readings and the collect for Easter Monday

You can find today’s reading and collect (BCP, 1979) here.

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

St. Hippolytus – Christ is Risen!

Art Credit: Web Gallery of Art

RUBENS, The Resurrection of Christ, c. 1612

***

Listen: Christ the Lord is Risen Today  (iTunes link)

(Steve Green, Hymns, A Portrait of Christ, 1992)

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Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate
Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen
Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing
Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty
Christ is Risen indeed from the dead,
the first of the sleepers,
Glory and power are his forever and ever

–St. Hippolytus (AD 190-236)

source: Churchyear.net

Celebrating the 50 Days of Easter at L&B

This post and the one following are “sticky” – look for new entries below!

Easter is a season, not merely a one day celebration, so we plan to offer regular devotional posts throughout the Easter season.  Look for  several entries a week with Easter prayers, quotes and devotional reflections.   May the Lord help us live in the joy of His resurrection throughout this Easter season!  Here is the Easter Category link.

Hallelujah! He is Risen!

John 14:1-7

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1)
      Lord, I bring you the burdens of my heart.

In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
      Holy Spirit, Jesus has prepared a place for me; help me daily prepare a place for him in my heart.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3)
      Jesus, please help me fully enter into what you have prepared for me.

And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:4)
      Jesus, lead us to your father.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
      Father, help us bring all our doubts and confusion to Jesus as Thomas did.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
      Jesus, please help us walk in your way today, abide in the truth of your word, and receive the new life you offer us in your father. Thank you.

“If you had known me, you would have known my father also; and from now on you know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7)
      Jesus, help us to know your father and his love for us more and more each day.

      A word received: Come to me, return to me, my people. I have held you to by bosom with love all these years. Return to my love, receive my love, let it fill your hearts. Come to me; leave your burdens with me.

Monday: 93, 98; Jonah 2:1-9; Acts 2:14,22-32; John 14:1-14
Tuesday: 103; Isaiah 30:18-21; Acts 2:36-41(42-47); John 14:15-31

      Notes from the Front Line

Pray for the workshops at the Diocesan Convention that they will show forth the love of Christ.

Albany Intercessor

Anglican Consultative Council

The ACC will convene May 1-13 in Kingston, Jamaica. The list of members attending can be found here.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (New International Version)
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Almighty God,
You exercise kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. We honor You. You are sovereign over all the earth and over the Anglican Communion.
We pray that the members of the Anglican Consultative Council–Rowan, John, George, Anthony, Turi, Andrew, Robert, Sarah, Sunil, Joanildo, Martin, Stephen, Susan, Suzanne, James, Daniel, Maria, Kahwa, Joyce, Michael, Elizabeth, Rose, Peter, Razafindralambo, Michel, Kate, Maurice, Lawrence, Azad, Samson, Amos, Abraham, Merilyn, Sarai, San, Abraham, Abraham, Ashish, Vincent, Humphrey, Shahid, Floyd, Josias, Jane, John, Dato, John, Moses, J. M., Thabo, Janet, Ezekiel, Enock, Gerard, Mwita, Judith, Jolly, Catherine, Ian, Josephine, Christopher, Helen, Barton, Cornell, Kumara, Michael, George, Sarah, Maria, Carlos, Phillip, Mouneer, Katherine, and Barry–will seek one thing only, to understand and know You. If any members are unwilling to do so, Lord, we pray for a change of heart or a change of personnel. May You take delight in their work. Amen.

PRAYER TABLE REPORT

(Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009; 8:30-9:40 a.m. in front of Christ Church, Schenectady; Deacon Alan Hart.)

Note: Very windy and raw, maybe 40 degrees. We normally do not have a Prayer Table on Sunday mornings, but it seemed a natural and perfect idea to have God’s Table available for our neighbors today on this day of all days. After all, the greatest news that man has ever heard happened on this day many years ago — Jesus has risen from the grave and has conquered death for all who believe! Praise God!

t–indicates received wooden cross made by Dennis Adams of North Carolina. Did not anoint anyone today; did not give out any yellow schedule info cards today.

PAUL — Prayed for general provision and protection for this young man walking on his way to his job.

t–(Man walking his dog and talking on cell phone; did not give his name.) — Another general prayer of thanksgiving and protection, provision for this man and his pet. He said “Thanks! Happy Easter! God bless you.”

(Older woman hurrying as fast as she could to get to the bus stop) — She said, “Sorry, I can’t stop; I have to get the next bus to get to church, but … God bless you and God bless your church here!” About a half minute later, she got on her bus. She had just made it.

KAY — General prayers for safety and provision.

PEDRO — Young man passing by listening to his music looked up and removed the earplug from his ear when he saw me ask if he wanted prayer. He replied, “Sure! I don’t have any big problems, but if you would, just pray for me anyway.” We prayed together that his life would continue to be blessed with good health and provision and protection in these hard times.

(Unidentified man on his way to Dollar General)– Declined prayer for himself but thought a moment, stopped to look back and said, “But if you don’t mind, please pray for our troops. They all need our prayers.” As he left I prayed for all our men and women in military service, and also for all who serve in police and fire departments and for all emergency personnel.

— A man and woman in a maroon car slowed curiously as they went by on State Street headed East, then tooted the horn enthusiastically and they both waved at me after seeing the Prayer Table sign.–

— An emergency vehicle suddenly sped by toward Brandywine and turned right. I repeated my prayer for the safety and well-being of all who serve us as ambulance and EMT workers. –

PAUL and CONNIE — On their way into our church service; asked for prayers for “tranquility” as they prepare their wedding plans. They also asked for prayers for travel mercies for Connie’s family.

(Well-dressed man in a red car who was picking up a relative who lives across the street to take him somewhere looked over and waved. He then cupped his hands and yelled over, “Happy Easter. God bless you people for being out here for the people!”)

t,t — ISSA — This young woman who three days ago literally hopped off an arriving bus and enthusiastically came to the Table was walking by this time with her friend, BELINDA. Issa asked for continued prayers for her whole family, especially this time for her Aunt PALINA. (Palina lives in NYC.) Issa took a cross for her aunt and said,”If I ever get back to New York I will give her this cross!” The other cross was for Belinda. Issa said to Belinda as they walked from the Table, “See? I told you these people here have been praying for me!”

Albany Intercessor