“Be joyful and keep the faith. Do those little things you have seen and heard from me.”
– St David’s last words to his monks

Gracious God, as we come before You in prayer on this Saint David’s Day, we pray for all the people of the Welsh nation. We ask that You will be with them as they too continue to deal with the effects of the pandemic, one year on from the first reported case in Wales. As we remember your servant, Saint David, we give thanks for the passion he showed in telling people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the part he played in the growth of Christianity. We give thanks for his teaching and preaching and for the ways in which he encouraged us to appreciate life. Help us to learn from his deep commitment to serve You and to follow the teachings of Jesus. We pray that we may respond to the words St David gave us, ‘’Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do, through Jesus Christ our Lord’. This day may we offer ourselves in service to You, in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’.

Gracious God, as the National Trust prepare to plant blossom trees throughout the towns and cities of our nation, we give thanks and praise for the beauty of Your creation. As the first daffodils begin to bloom and we see snowdrops adorn our grass verges, we are so grateful for the promise of Spring to come, signs of new life which refresh our souls and cheer our hearts, giving us hope after the long, dark days of winter. As we continue to journey through Lent, we are reminded of the promise of life in all its fulness that we find through a relationship with Jesus Christ, a relationship that offers us light and hope wherever life’s journey takes us, and the assurance of the Love of God, now and throughout all eternity. May our hearts and minds blossom with the hope, peace and love of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1 John 4:11 (ESV)

‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’.

Gracious God, this Thursday as we continue to focus upon the work of the NHS and all those who care for others, we reflect upon Jesus our Saviour, who extended a hand of healing, compassion, understanding and empathy to all those unwell in body, mind or Spirit. We give thanks for the way in which he taught us and encouraged us to care for one another, and to walk alongside people in their hour of need. And so we give thanks to all those who will extend a hand of compassion this day, and simply let others know they are loved and cared for. May You bless every act of kindness today. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Matthew 25:40 New International Version

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Gracious God, as we embark upon Fairtrade fortnight, we ask that you bless the endeavours of all those who seek the ability to provide for themselves and their families, through the process of fair trading. We pray for those who grow crops amidst issues of climate change and global warming. We pray for those who skilfully produce craft items with a lack of resources. We ask that all Farmers and Artisans will be supported and guided and given the opportunity to receive a just price for their goods. We pay for the process of importing and exporting Fairtrade goods and ask that all those, in consumerism and retail, support the application of just trade rules and a fair market. Finally, Lord God, help us all to consider and understand where and how we purchase our goods so that all traders are treated with dignity and respect. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (New International Version)
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Gracious God, as we digest the roadmap set before us in the coming weeks, we thank You that You remain unchanging and dependable, the One in whom we can place our trust. We thank You that at last there seems to be a route forward for us as communities, that take us beyond the current restrictions. Today we think of all those in education, business, retail, industry, leisure and entertainment who will spend the next few days digesting the information and beginning to navigate their path forward over the coming months. We give thanks for all those involved in the vaccination programme who have helped to make this next stage of the journey a possibility. Lord God, we appreciate that the road ahead will not be easy for many people, there is still a huge amount of uncertainty around peoples livelihoods, but we ask for courage, for wisdom but above all, assurance. May the power of Your Holy Spirit continue to sweep across our nation and may Your presence be felt in every home and business setting today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Romans 15:13
‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ‘

Gracious God, as a new week begins and we continue to journey through Lent, we bring You before decisions that will be made today by those in authority, decisions that will effect our plans for the future. Give wisdom, Lord, to all those tasked with mapping out the next stages of dealing with the pandemic. As we prepare to potentially move into a new phase of restrictions, we thank You for Your assurance that You are always there to support us when life is difficult, to encourage us in times of doubt and uncertainty, and to strengthen us when we are weak or vulnerable. Lord God, teach us to have the faith to place our trust in You with the confidence that You will continue to journey with us, whatever the next stage of this current health crisis. May we be assured of Your love and your comfort surrounding us this day, through the power of Your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
‘Be still before the Lord’

Gracious God, on this third day of Lent, as the weekend approaches, we pause to consider the moments when we have felt your presence this week and give thanks. We give thanks for a conversation, a message received, an appointment scheduled, a joke shared, an anxiety eased, a word of encouragement and hope, or a glimpse of the beauty of Your creation. Living God, help us to continue to take still moments to come to You, to seek Your guidance, to reflect upon the past week and to receive Your strength and love for the days ahead. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

1 John 4:9, 19 (NIV)
‘This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. We love because he first loved us.

Gracious God, on this second day of Lent we give thanks that as you created our world, into that world Your poured Your love. Thank You that before we loved You, You first loved us. And so today we recognise that love and choose to embrace it. Help us to be channels of Your love and Your compassion in our communities. This Thursday, we continue to pray for all those channelling Your love in our hospitals, hospices, surgeries and care homes. For every second of care given to another person, we give thanks. And we pray too for all those silently caring for loved ones at home, often in very difficult circumstances, who continue to give that love and attention every day to someone in their care. We pray that all care givers will experience the strength and courage that comes from being loved by You. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Genesis 1 (NIV)
‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’.

Gracious God, as we begin our journey through Lent, we go back to the very beginning and come to You with thanks and praise because You are our creator God. You are the creator of everything. Stars, too many to count, twinkle and light up our night sky because you placed them there. The Sun rises in the morning and sets at night because You created it to radiate heat into our world. The Moon waxes and wanes and shines down brightly because you began its rotation. You created planet Earth to spin on its axis and on the Earth, You made sandy beaches that we can walk on barefoot to watch waves tumbling in seas and oceans. You have created seas and oceans that ebb and flow with the turning of the tides and rivers and streams. You built mountains that we can scramble to the top of to see the vastness of the fields and valleys you have created below. You have made trees and flowers that change in colour and appearance, as the seasons change, to give us a world of colour, variety and delight. You have made creatures of every shape and size, of the sea, of the sky, of the land. And you have made us, each of us unique and individually precious to you. And so, we come before you this morning to praise and thank you for the wonderful world you have created because you are an awesome God. Amen.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

‘I can do all this through him who gives me strength’.

Gracious God, this Shrove Tuesday we take a moment to consider the concerns of our hearts and lay them before You as we prepare to journey through Lent with You; the things we hope for, the things we need to let go of, the things that weigh us down, the things that affect our relationship with You. This year our lives have been turned upside down and we face challenges from so many different directions, as a result of the pandemic. But we pray that this Lent season may be a time of reflection and renewal and hope for the future, as we reflect upon the gift of Jesus Christ our Lord, and our relationship with Him. And so we offer this day to You knowing that we can do all things in Your strength. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.