Minister: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord!
Our God and Father, Father of Jesus Christ, God of the Holy Spirit, we pray to You now in the name of Jesus, and by the strength given to us by the Holy Spirit, and amen.
You are the one who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, declaring Him to be Your Son by that act. You have established Him as the one who will judge the world, and You have given proof of this by raising Him from the dead. For this, and all Your good gifts, we praise Your name.
In that resurrection, He was begotten from the grave, the first born from among the dead, and this was done so that He might be the first fruits. This was done so that we might be gathered with Him in that great harvest of life, the harvest that will happen at the last day of resurrection. For this, and all Your good gifts, we praise Your name.
In the resurrection of Jesus, we are enabled to walk in newness of life. That newness of life includes a newness in worship, and so we gather here expecting You to work in us, so that our worship service this morning, will be a glory to Your name. We pray this in confidence, knowing that You have promised to answer us when we pray according to Your will. We pray that our worship service now would embody the very life of the risen Lord. For this, and all Your good gifts, we praise Your name.
And so, gracious Father, we worship You now through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end, amen.