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John 14:27        NIV
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”.

Gracious God, as Inter-Faith week is marked this week, we thank You for the opportunity to learn and reach out to one another, acknowledging that our communities are made up of people with different beliefs. We pray that You will help us to forge, strengthen and sustain good inter-faith relationships. We pray that conversations will take place in our homes, our workplaces, our places of worship, wherever people meet, so that friendships can develop rooted in awareness, mutual respect, understanding, and tolerance of one another. Lord God, amidst the diversity of our beliefs, help us all to strive for unity and peace in our societies.
This morning we remember especially all those who have fled their homes to escape war and conflict and find themselves seeking refuge in other countries. We pray for all men, women and children facing winter living in temporary camps. May all those in need of security at this time be treated with compassion, empathy, and generosity, and may we find ways to do all we can to reach out to those in desperate need at this time. Lord in Your great mercy, hear our prayers. Amen.

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PSALM 46:10
‘Be still and know that I am God’.

Gracious God, as we approach the middle of the week, and the sun comes out to shine and brighten the landscape, we take a moment to be still in Your presence, to bask in the warmth of Your love.
I invite you to reflect upon a prayer written by Margaret Langdon. Thank you Margaret.

BE STILL
BE STILL
Oh I wish I could be!
But there’s so much to do
BE STILL
I would like to be calm
But I get so uptight
BE STILL
I really ought to rest more
But I can’t find the time
BE STILL
How I long for some peace
But life’s clamour just goes on
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD
NOT YOU. LET ME SHARE YOUR BURDENS
COME AND BE STILL

BE STILL AND KNOW
If I’m still I know I am surrounded by your presence
Help me to be still
If I’m still I know God is really in charge of everything, not me
Help me to be still
If I’m still I know that peace that passes understanding
Help me to be still
If only for a moment!

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD
Wow! That’s a bit mind blowing! We can really know that God exists!
Even when we doubt. Even when we can’t understand things
GOD IS GOD!
We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t always have to be in control
We don’t have to be perfect. We are allowed to be human.
HE IS GOD

(Margaret Langdon October 2018)

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As we journey through Christian Aid week, we use prayers suggested for us by the charity.

Amos 5:24
‘Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!’

We pray for courage and wisdom to lift our voices in the cause of climate justice. We pray for young people to continue to be supported, empowered and listened to as a prophetic voice for climate justice. We pray for Glory and all those living at the sharp edge of climate injustice to have the resources they need to prepare and be protected from the climate crisis.

Gracious God, let justice roll down like a river, may righteousness flow like a never-ending stream and may the joy of creation fill us anew as we pray, act and give for the restoration of creation and the flourishing of all people. In the name of the Creator, Son and Spirit, Amen.

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Psalm 19:1-4   Good News Translation
God’s Glory in Creation

‘How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory! How plainly it shows what he has done! Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next’.

Gracious God, as we come to the middle of the week, we stop and take the opportunity to open our eyes and ears to the beauty of the world You have given us and help us to recognise the beauty in the things we can so easily take for granted; the bird flying overhead, the daffodil bending its head on the roadside, the bee collecting nectar, the tree that has stood towering over the parkland for hundreds of years, ploughed fields of peat waiting to nurture summer crops. Creator God, as we open our minds to the wonders of Your creation, we give thanks. Help us to cherish our natural world as a reminder and as an assurance of Your living presence in our lives, now and for all eternity, Amen.

Holy Week – Good Friday

Mark 15:22-25, 37, 39
‘The soldiers took Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.” There they gave him some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain, but he refused to drink it. They nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes.  It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed him to the cross. Jesus shouted and then died. A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

Gracious God, as we reflect on the events of Good Friday, we come to You overwhelmed by the depth of Jesus’ love for us. We give thanks for His commitment to defeat evil, even at the cost of His own suffering and his own death. In his willingness to restore the relationship with humankind, he poured himself out to death, even death on a cross. And so, this Easter time, help us to respond to such love and sacrifice, help us to re-commit ourselves in devotion to Him as we pray for a world free from all that brings violence, conflict, suffering, injustice and oppression. As we approach Easter Sunday, may we know the joy and the hope of the love of our risen Lord, in whose name we pray, Amen.

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.

Gracious God, as the first full week of the new year draws to a close, we reflect upon its highs and its lows, its challenges and its achievements. We have witnessed covid cases rise, civil unrest overseas, amidst vaccines given, new treatments discovered and great acts of kindness in the community. There may have been times when we have felt very alone and other times when someone has reached into our solitude. There may have been times when we have felt anxious and times when we have felt reassured. But amidst all the emotions and events of the week Lord, we know that You have been present with us, at all times and in all places. We have witnessed Your love in the world in the compassion shown to others in their hour of need. We have witnessed the beauty of Your creation as the sun has shone through to shine upon the ice and snow, a symbol of warmth amidst the cold. We may have put the Christmas lights away this week Lord, but the message of Your Son Jesus, the baby who brought hope into our world through His death and resurrection remains ever present. Through His life we are given the hope that continues to affirm Your everlasting love for us, whatever the tribulations and challenges of daily living. And so, we take a moment once more to pause and give thanks for the gift of Jesus. May He be a living presence in our lives and may our hearts be filled with the hope and peace that He gifted to us, as we continue to walk with Him, this day and in the days to come, Amen.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Gracious God, today we lift before You all those working tirelessly to care for others within our NHS, remembering especially those dealing on the frontline with Covid 19 patients. We acknowledge their exhaustion, their concerns and the challenges they face on a daily basis. We give thanks and acknowledge their skills, their self-giving and the compassion they carry with them each day into the workplace. God of healing, we ask that Your presence be felt with all those in need of energy and assurance this day. May the power of Your love infiltrate every corner of our hospitals today.
So too, we pray for all patients in our hospitals and lift them into Your loving care. May they feel the assurance of Your healing power and Your presence with them. And finally Lord God, we pray for the families of loved ones, unable to visit, waiting anxiously at home for news. Give them courage and strength Lord, as You sit alongside them in their waiting. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.