Art Friday ~ Easter Prayer

This week’s Art Friday contribution is a prayer that our intern, Lyds, wrote for our prayer book, “Prayers From The Edges,” which you will be able to buy online in September, or you can get it as a gift if you contribute to our Summer drive fundraiser. This is what Lyds says about the prayer:

I have grown up loving the Easter story but have always identified more with the struggles and emotions of the story than the cliché “Jesus is alive and everything is nice and dandy now” story. I’ve always felt for Mary as she sat in the garden and wept. I’ve always felt for the the women when they go to tell the men the good news and get shut down. I’ve always felt for Peter as he sees Jesus again for the first time now knowing if he’ll forgiven or not.

Easter Prayer

by Lyds Keesmaat-Walsh

It wasn’t until he named her that she recognized him,

And then he called her name, Mary, and she knew him.

It wasn’t until he saw her and named her

that she saw him and could name him.

And she turned to him and named him, Teacher.

In him knowing her, she knew him.

Let us pray for those who aren’t known,

for those whose true selves are kept a secret.

(Silent and spoken prayers for those who are still in the closet)

The women knew, the women had seen, he is alive!!

But the men didn’t believe them, the men didn’t see.

The women tried to tell them, it is true!! We have seen him!

But the men wouldn’t believe, 

not until they had seen for themselves.

Let us pray for those who are not believed,

for those who are told by their loved ones and society

that their identity is but a passing phase.

(Silent and spoken prayers for those who aren’t believed about who they are)

Jesus forgave him, Peter, who had denied him.

Despite being denied Jesus still loved and forgave.

Help us forgive those who deny us.

Help us forgive, even when they don’t know they have wronged us.

Let us pray for the strength to forgive our loved ones who have denied us.

(Silent and spoken prayers for those of us who are struggling to forgive loved ones who have caused us hurt)

In the joy of your resurrection,

we give you thanks and praise 

for those who have come out.

We give you thanks and praise 

for those who believe and accept.

We give you thanks and praise 

for allies, friends and loved ones.

#ArtFriday