Prayers for Holy Week

LET US PRAY TOGETHER...

Our Holy Week began with joyous celebrations on Palm Sunday, and as we proceed through this week we invite you to join us in these prayers for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

Righteous and loving Jesus, as we gather in humble remembrance of you washing your disciples’ feet and sharing the first Communion Supper, we pray that we will deepen our commitment to your commandments to love and serve one another. We pray that we will remember to pray for our fellow sisters and brothers who are unable to congregate or celebrate this week. We lift up those who are suffering greatly due to sickness, violence, loss of loved ones, wars, accidents, persecution, and other unforeseen trials, tragedies, and tribulations. We pray that You purify our hearts, souls, and minds and that we will be ever-mindful and proactive so that Your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

GOOD FRIDAY

Thank you Jesus for interceding for us and enduring the terrible punishment of a political prisoner in the Roman Empire. You bore the heavy burden of our sins, while you experienced those humiliating acts and tortuous thrashings, followed by your excruciating death on the cross. We are grateful for the prayers you prayed and the tears you shed in the Garden of Gethsemane, as you pleaded for that cup of suffering to be removed from your destiny. Yet in those critical hours, you surrendered, even as your disciples continued to fall asleep. 

Lamb of God, we pray that in this critical hour, we will “stay woke”, especially as nefarious politicized religious powers run roughshod throughout our land ceaselessly declaring an open “war on wokeness” in their concerted efforts to do away with any semblance of equity and justice in this nation. We pray that we will continue to galvanize righteous support and fight against any internal temptation to fall into the lull of civil apathy or be fooled by religious senselessness. As significant arguments go before the Supreme Court today, we pray for wisdom and justice to prevail. We also pray that all of your disciples would pay greater attention to the political bombardment against the safety, health, and reproductive wellness of women and girls that disguises itself as “pro-life”, but hypocritically does nothing to protect the lives of vulnerable women and girls, literally putting our lives and futures at risk. As your disciples, we pray for our renewed strength and collective determination to persevere against the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in “the high places”. We plead the power of your blood Jesus, and in faith, we believe and declare that we shall overcome. Amen.

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Oh Christ our Lord, as we commemorate your resurrection, we celebrate your triumph over death. You are the wonderful and amazing Promise Keeper, and we give you our praise and gratitude for the fulfillment of your promise to “be raised again on the third day” (Luke 24:6-7). In this season of renewal and restoration, we lift up every pastor, preacher, parishioner, and program and we ask for a special anointing over every song, supplication, and sermon.

As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we also pray for an outpouring of invitation and hospitality, Holy Spirit. We pray that our congregations will joyously welcome persons who have not been to church all year with the same exuberant love and joy that the father of the prodigal son demonstrated when he was reunited with his child (Luke 15). Instead of experiencing any guilt trips or shame, we pray that such persons would be so blessed and moved by the worship, Word, compassion, and fellowship, that they experience the resurrection of their membership and church attendance. Above all Lord, we pray that you are glorified, as your Church becomes more unified. In your matchless and holy name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Thank you for joining us in prayer. We hope that you will also join in the Holy Week events. Check them out by clicking HERE.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Dr. TaNikka Sheppard

Regional Executive Minister of the Cleveland Baptist Association

Cleveland Baptist Association