It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming! Resurrection Sunday! Here is my prayer for all of us who have the awesome privilege and responsibility of proclaiming God’s Word on Easter Sunday.
Almighty Father, we praise You for the gospel in which we stand – the death of Jesus for our sins and his resurrection which enables us to walk in newness of life. For the sake of your glory, empower us through your Spirit to proclaim the resurrection story this Sunday with passion, accuracy, clarity, imagination, economy, and boldness.
Fuel our passion to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection and your gift of eternal life as the only real hope for people in our world. Renew our sense of wonder at the miracle of our Savior’s triumph over death.
Strengthen our minds so that we handle the Scriptures accurately. You went to great lengths to reveal your truth to us. So help us to go to great lengths to understand your truth – particularly the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. Keep us from mis-speaking as we present the gospel.
Compel us to preach clearly since we will preach to many this Sunday who are highly intelligent yet unfamiliar with the Scriptures. Remind us to explain unfamiliar terms or details so that people can understand the gospel by which they can be saved.
Help us to engage the imagination of our listeners. Challenge and assist us to present the truth creatively like Jesus and the prophets did. Direct us to the right illustrations, images, and word-pictures.
Enable us to be good stewards of the time we have. Keep us from rambling and thereby delivering sermons which would have been more effective if they were ten minutes shorter. Yet help us to take the time needed for the biblical thoughts to form in our listeners’ minds. Help us find the right balance.
Give us boldness to proclaim the truth that people are lost and without hope apart from connection to the Father through the resurrected Christ.
Lord God, Your name and your renown is the desire of our hearts. We make these requests in the name of our risen Lord. Amen.
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 11:23 AM on April 6, 2007
