The Triumph of the Resurrection

God of our Fathers,

On this Resurrection Sunday we find ourselves, once again, overwhelmed and awed by Your majesty. Eloquence and poetry alike fail to even hint at the glory of the conquest You have wrought by the resurrection of Your Eternal Son, Jesus Christ. For He has defeated and humiliated Your enemies, parading them in derision through the streets; He has led captivity captive and triumphed over death itself; He has provided a way of escape for sinners and made us new creatures in Himself; He has marked us as His own in baptism, and in communion He feeds us with His own body and blood; He surely comes to judge all men in righteousness and equity; and He will not fail to prepare for us His promised feast of fat things full of marrow and fine wine on the lees, well refined: truly Your salvation is great!

Help us, Father, to rejoice more and more in Your abundance! Fill our hearts with gladness as we hear Your word preached! Let our joy resound in song and our “Amens” be filled with gusto as we savor Your extravagant provision! May our communion and fellowship overflow with gratitude for Your abundant mercies! And let even our sleep be the sound repose promised to those whom You have called “Beloved”. For these are the fruits of the resurrection! You have arisen mightily and caused Your enemies to be scattered like dust on the wind. Those that hate You must and will flee before Your wrath, and we Your children can but stand still and marvel at the great salvation of our God.

And as we prepare to hear Your Word preached, grow in each of us a zeal for Your truth and a hunger and thirst for Your righteousness! Help us to improve upon our baptisms in the coming week by growing our appreciation for the many effects of the resurrection. For without it we would certainly be the most miserable of men. But with it we have the security of Christ before us, Christ behind, Christ above and beneath us, Christ at our right hand and Christ at our left, Christ in our hearts and our every breath: even as we join our voices in the prayer He taught His disciples, saying…