A Lasting Love Story

Unison Prayer for The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.  First Corinthians 15:20

Last week’s Valentine’s Day came and went, Holy One.   Whatever we received in the way of heart-shaped greetings, red & white carnations and sugared candies – are behind us now – if we received them at all.   Yet even so, there remains a part within that yearns for unconditional love and acceptance.  Sweeping pretense aside, we acknowledge that un-salved grief and deep-seated regrets accumulated throughout a lifetime have left their mark.

So taking us into your tender embrace, tell us a lasting love story.   One that we can carry in our hearts when those whom we have loved are lost.   One that remains when those we’ve loved could not care for us in return.   Tell us a story of love that endures, one that we can carry as a song in our hearts, one that lifts us from disquiet and renews our confidence once more.

And because You are “…the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end,” we know this request is not beyond You.   You are the conceiver, author, and communicator of the most amazing, most lasting love story of all.   And we adore You.   Amen.

Author: Jessica McArdle

These are dark and corrosive times. As a writer and ordained minister with the United Church of Christ, I use prayer, poetry, reflection, and scripture to re-align our embattled spirits with the uniqueness and urgency of our God-given identity and call. View all posts by Jessica McArdle