Opening Prayer
Holy God of Life, Peter’s proclamation is so powerful. Help me to listen again to the story of how You raised Jesus to life, and how it fits in with our ancient faith and my misguided and self-centered expectations of You. Give me the courage and honesty of the Emmaus couple. Inside of being paralyzed by their disappointment and disillusionment with what happened to Jesus, they shared their pain and darkness. Their vulnerable openness allowed Jesus to enter the dialogue and retell the story. Come to us in our darkness, disappointment, and disillusionment. Walk with us and speak to us, helping us reinterpret the story of our lives so that our hearts can burn again, knowing that You were in the midst of what is happening. Our hearts need to be rekindled so that You can be our spark again! Relight us that we might burn again with passion and love. Jesus, I can only know You in the breaking of the bread because I risk the breaking open of my heart so that Your freeing presence and voice can come in. Soften the darkness, hardness and isolation of my disbelief.
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