Creator God, in the beginning, you formed us from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into our lungs. This breath is yours to give and to take. We give you thanks for this precious gift. As we enter into Lent and prepare ourselves to recreate once again the death of your Son Jesus Christ on the cross and to celebrate His triumphant resurrection, help us to remember that, for the departed, death is not the end, but a joyful beginning.
Pain bearer be with those who remain and whose sorrow fills their hearts with grief and loneliness. It’s been three years since the pandemic started this deluge of death. As we age and more loved ones die, this heaviness grows deeper and deeper. Gracious God we are weary of death and the sadness it brings. We pray you will help us find new ways to engage with dying, to speak about death, and to deal with its consequences. Knowing that we will all return to the dust, we beseech you Sustainer God to open for us unexpected and positive visions for accepting this bitter truth.
God of consolation, we offer prayers of gratitude for the people in our lives who accompany the dying and who offer support in times of sorrow. May their words of sympathy, time spent with mourners, and kind gestures be beacons of comfort and light. We pray for those who lack such blessings and are alone at their time of death or in their grief for lost loved ones. We beseech you Gracious God to bring people into their lives at this moment of need and we give thanks for this special service.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
Valerie and Stacey
For more information on AFP-C, contact Valerie Bennett and Stacey Neale at [email protected]
