Join us for Holy Week 2026!
We gather around the charcoal fire with Peter, facing the shadows of our own making. In the wilderness, fear can tempt us to deny our truest selves. Today is a day for honest confession, bringing our broken pieces out of the dark and into the light of grace.
Step away from the "fire" of comfort. Face your shadow with grace and bring your broken pieces out of the dark and into the light.
Ritual action: Write down one thing you are afraid to admit about yourself. Safely burn the paper and watch the smoke rise as a symbol of grace consuming your fear.
Jan Richardson
God of compassion,
we acknowledge the times
we have lived too long
with the words that others have put
into our mouths,
with the pain they have written
onto our bodies,
with the terror they have burned
into our hearts,
with the shame they have inscribed
onto our souls.
We know the times we have clung
to sackcloth not of our making,
when we have lived
clothed in weariness,
cloaked with anger,
and enshrouded by sorrow.
We grieve the occasions
when we have lived with alienation
rather than association,
when we have sought isolation
rather than consolation,
when our wounds within
have shut others out.
We confess our fear of the dark
and our uncertainty of the light.
Yet you have placed within us, God,
a longing for survival,
a hunger for your wholeness,
a yearning for your comfort, a
nd a hope for all our healing.
Bless our mouths
to name our wounds,
that we may not fear them;
our bodies,
that we might cherish them;
our hearts, that we may delight
in their longings,
and our souls, that we may trust
the wisdom of the stories they hold.
Grant us the courage
to be touched by you,
that when our days of weeping
are done,
we may wear your garments of gladness,
see one another in the light
of your love,
and stand together in the power
of your resurrection.
In the name of the risen Christ,
we pray. Amen.
Jan Richardson is an ordained United Methodist minister and artist who integrates word and image through her celebrated blessings, liturgies, and sacred art exploring faith and grief.