Easter Blessing – Christine Valters Paintner

God of Rising,
you bring new life
to all the places death inhabits.

Bless our own dying dreams
with your breath of new life.
Make our dry bones dance,
inspire us to sing,
revive our bodies
so that we might become
more vibrant, hopeful witnesses
to the persistence of your love.

We call on Christ’s wisdom
to bless and sustain us
in the practice of resurrection
by which we honor our bodies
and become agents of generous abundance.

May all the nets we draw up
from the water be overflowing with fish,
may our wounds be still visible
as a sign of healing grace,
and may we encounter your presence
when we sit at table with strangers.

Let our lives be a celebration
of all the ways your love thrives
where once there was only doubt,
like the first riot of daffodils in spring.

~Christine Valters Paintner, A Book of Everyday Blessings: 100 Prayers for Dancing Monks, Artists, and Pilgrims (Ave Maria Press)