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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,

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Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to

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Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening

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Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants

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Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after this short word from

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Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer for Peace this Easter.

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Speaker 1: A Prayer for Peace this Easter written and read by

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Speaker 1: Leah Gerard. On the evening of that first day of

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Speaker 1: the week, when the disciples together with the doors locked

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Speaker 1: for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood

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Speaker 1: among them and said, Peace be with you John twenty nineteen.

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Speaker 1: Do you have plans for Easter Sunday? Are you making

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Speaker 1: a list of groceries, responsibilities, and church events? Whether you'll

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Speaker 1: be spending this important holiday alone with friends or family,

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Speaker 1: or possibly at work. I hope you'll center your heart

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Speaker 1: on the peace Jesus provides. The weekend when Christians celebrate

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Speaker 1: Good Friday, Sabbath Saturday, and Resurrection. Sunday occurs in the

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Speaker 1: springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, so it's often dressed up

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Speaker 1: in the colors, symbols and delights of the season from

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Speaker 1: pastel candies to blooming flowers and baby birds. Easter often

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Speaker 1: vibrates with signs of joy and rebirth, and although the

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Speaker 1: word Easter was not the name of a dedicated holiday

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Speaker 1: in the Bible, it's now widely associated with the celebration.

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Speaker 1: If you're like me, you can sometimes feel a bit

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Speaker 1: overwhelmed during Christian holidays that are tightly or loosely tangled

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Speaker 1: with the non Christian traditions and expectations. For many, Easter

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Speaker 1: can be a busy blur. It's brimming with baskets, egg hunts, candy,

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Speaker 1: and tall tales about a gift bearing bunny. What I

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Speaker 1: want to believe is that choosing to celebrate the resurrection

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Speaker 1: of our Lord Jesus Christ in this colleidoscope of ways

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Speaker 1: is a sign its divine reassurance that Jesus lives, regardless

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Speaker 1: of the chaos we create to distract ourselves from him.

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Speaker 1: There's no prescription or requirement for how a diversity of

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Speaker 1: humans will spend this special Sunday appreciating what Jesus accomplished.

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Speaker 1: Some are sick in the hospital, some choose to serve,

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Speaker 1: Others find church crowds overwhelming, and still others rush to

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Speaker 1: sunrise service. Some turn up at wild parades with even

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Speaker 1: wilder hats, while others prepare a meal for more guests

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Speaker 1: than usual. Yes, when I was raising my children, I

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Speaker 1: filled their baskets, shopped for chocolate, and made sure we

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Speaker 1: attended church. I'm not sure, however, that my family was

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Speaker 1: there in spirit while marshmallow peeps were nesting back home.

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Speaker 1: My point is that Resurrection Sunday, affectionately called Easter, can

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Speaker 1: be celebrated in many ways, but the reason for it

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Speaker 1: all is peace. And the truth is we often forget

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Speaker 1: to be peaceful on Easter Sunday, which is why it's

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Speaker 1: a good idea to revisit the simple, powerful words that

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Speaker 1: Jesus spoke after his resurrection, Peace be with you. He

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Speaker 1: didn't tell anyone to fret or rush, put a meal

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Speaker 1: on the table, or even to go gather sweets. And

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Speaker 1: he certainly wasn't into hiding or pretending to be someone

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Speaker 1: he wasn't. As Easter approaches, I hope we can all

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Speaker 1: consider this. His resurrection represents a shedding of fear and doubt. See,

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Speaker 1: there's nothing wrong with serving, resting, or attending church on Easter.

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Speaker 1: It's also beautiful to cook gather and give in all

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Speaker 1: the ways we love to show love to ourselves and others.

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Speaker 1: But I do hope on the Sunday set aside to

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Speaker 1: glorify the ultimate gift, whether you call it Easter or Resurrection. Sunday,

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Speaker 1: you remember what Jesus said, Peace be with you, especially

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Speaker 1: when any preparations or activities feel off center. During the

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Speaker 1: Last Supper, we read in John fourteen twenty seven that

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Speaker 1: Jesus prepared his disciples saying peace, I leave with you

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Speaker 1: my peace. I give to you. Not as the world

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Speaker 1: gifts do I give to you. Let not your hearts

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Speaker 1: be troubled, neither let them be afraid. I think this

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Speaker 1: could also mean you don't have to be afraid you

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Speaker 1: won't find the perfect Easter outfit, or have perfectly well

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Speaker 1: behaved children, or know exactly what to say at the

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Speaker 1: dinner prayer. Honoring the Resurrection is admitting and embracing a

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Speaker 1: victorious freedom to receive the peace of Jesus. Let's pray, Lord,

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Speaker 1: thank you for the marvelous and awesome gift of proving

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Speaker 1: there is life after earthly death. What a joyous message that,

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Speaker 1: even after experiencing brutality beyond belief, you arrive with open

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Speaker 1: hands and encouragement to not fear and to be at

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Speaker 1: peace this Easter holiday. Help me to not allow lands,

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Speaker 1: obligations or lists to overshadow the peace you have for me.

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Speaker 1: Let this be the weekend I resurrect peace within. Let

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Speaker 1: me not worry about who goes where, who shows up,

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Speaker 1: or whether everyone's holiday is unforgettable. Just help me remember

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Speaker 1: that you are with us, keeping your promise of everlasting peace.

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Speaker 1: In your precious name, Amen. Your daily prayer is a

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Speaker 1: what you heard today, be sure to follow our sister

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Speaker 1: By following your data prayer and your nightly prayer, you

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Speaker 1: can be sure that your day begins and ends centered

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Speaker 1: on the Word of God and prayer