April 5, 2026
Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA
Pastoral Prayer
God of amazing surprises, the story of Easter is ever new. Suddenly we are aware of your presence with us again. While our minds and hearts were full of worries from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday when we felt the grip of death, today we are awakened to something new within us. From welcoming the sunrise with our Kachin brothers and sisters, we dry our tears and cry out, “Christ is risen!”
We come into your sanctuary to worship and pray so that we would no longer be enemies of Jesus in our daily lives when hosannas are replaced with betrayal and denial, suffering and shame, agony and death that have left us fearful and shaken. Forgive us when we are more focus on the cross and the tomb when we are called to focus on proclaiming the Good News of God’s love for the world. Forgive us when we are reluctant to let Christ claim us and change us.
With the love of God in Christ in us, lead us with courageous and bold witness to confront today’s evils in the world: wars and conflicts that cause death and destruction, distrust and polarization that cause stalemate in our government, and the harshness and cruelty that lead to untold suffering and pain among the least of us. May the hope of resurrection help us see that we may become messengers and doers of hope to others in this fractured world.
We pray for those among us who are in need of comfort and healing. Be with Brenda as she recovers from a fall last Sunday, with Chuck’s cousin’s husband, Tony, with…
On this wonderful and sunny Easter Sunday, we have come together to give thanks for your steadfast love. We pray that each one of us will become an expression of that love in your sight and among others. By the way we live and the way we give, that love is carried into the lives of others who may be waiting for us to share your care for them.
Thank you, God, for times of resurrection. Thank you for this day of celebration. We dedicate ourselves anew with our service and commitments here at this church. We pray in the name of Christ Jesus, the Risen Lord, as we move from death to life in the promise of the Easter season. Amen.
Benediction
With hope reborn, we go out to proclaim good news.
Run to tell others that Christ is alive.
Spread the message through the land.
We have seen the Lord Jesus Christ!