Previous Reflections

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.

Numbers 6: 24-26 NIV

Lord God, we praise you for the many and beautiful prayers in the bible. Prayers that point us to you and to Jesus, assuring us of your eternal love, your goodness, your peace and your mercy.

Lord God, we take a few moments, to be still before you, to read the verse, look at the image and consider how you might speak to us through them. We to turn our face towards you, that the light of your love may illuminate us……..

In the quiet, we pray for all seeking your peace. We lift before you, our loving God, anyone or any situation that you have placed on our heart and ask for your blessing…..

Lord God, may your love sustain all in need of your peace. May you hold us fast in the palm of your hand. May the light of Jesus outshine the darkness and draw us close. And may your blessing, grace and peace be in our hearts today. Lord God, we praise you. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5 NIV

Gracious God, we praise you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. We thank you for the everyday symbols of fire, water and wind, that remind us of your presence here with us through your Holy Spirit.

Gracious God, pour out your love on us and bring us closer to you. As we wash our hands, or feel the wind on our face, remind us that we can draw on your grace and strength every day in every decision, in every situation. We thank you for the hope we have in Jesus; the hope that sustains us both now and into the future.

In your great love, give us the words and opportunities to share our faith, that all may know the eternal love of Jesus our Saviour. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

Image: Jacob King/PA Wire/PA Images.

Gracious God, as we celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee we offer you a prayer of thanks and blessing:-

We thank you for Elizabeth our Queen for –

her 70 long years of dedicated service,
her unwavering sense of duty & responsibility,
her dignity and humility,
the lives she has touched,
her faith in Jesus that she freely shares.

Almighty and gracious God, we thank you that you have supported and sustained Elizabeth, our Queen through good times and bad. We ask your blessing on her this day and throughout her reign, to the praise and glory of your name. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden…..

Is 58:11 NIV

Beauty eternal
Risen from the grave,
Ascended to heaven
In radiance displayed.

Beauty eternal
Clear and bright,
Forever interceding
With power and might.

Beauty eternal
Reigning above,
Through clouds of glory
Shinning heavenly love.

Beauty eternal
Faithful and true,
Guiding by your Spirit
Making all things new.

Beauty eternal
Out of our sight,
Revealed by your Spirit
To the Father’s delight.

Beauty eternal
Jesus, may we gaze
On your love and compassion
All of our days.

Gracious God, we praise you. We take a moment to be quiet and still in your presence. We breathe in your peace…..

We thank you for Jesus, enthroned in heaven with you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who is with us to point us to Jesus, and strengthen, comfort and guide us throughout our lives.

Gracious God, may we commit ourselves afresh to you and draw deeply on the well of your renewing love, that the beauty and grace of Jesus may be displayed in us. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit…

Eph 6:18 CEV

Gracious God, as we look around at the trouble, violence and injustice in our world, we turn to you, God of love, God of justice, God of mercy. We pray for peace, healing and wholeness in our world. We pray for wisdom for our leaders, the wisdom that is pure, peace loving and just, that their decisions and actions may reflect your will.

Gracious God, we come to you in faith, in the name of Jesus. Thank you that we can pray to you at any time, in any place. May your Holy Spirit help us to pray in line with your heart and your will. In your loving and everlasting mercy, grant us the faith to trust that you always work for good in every situation.

As we pray, may you bless, protect and strengthen us with the love of Jesus, and may we know his peace that passes understanding. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him singing with joy.

Psalm 100 1-2 NLT

Almighty God, we praise you for the wonders and majesty of this world. We praise you for the beauty, the exquisite detail and the perfect balance in all of creation; from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean, from the most delicate flower to the mighty oak, from the fluttering sparrow to the soaring eagle, from the squeak of a fieldmouse to the roar of a lion, from the rising to the setting sun. All creation praises you.

Almighty God we praise you that we can see your good, loving, faithful and gracious character in our world. Thank you that in nature we may find joy, relaxation and peace. Thank you that we may feel closer to you, our Maker, who knows, loves and cares for each one of us. Draw us nearer to you through Jesus and help us to value and care for our world and each other with love, joy and praise. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Ps 23:6 ESV

Gracious God as we look at this photo, we overlay it with the story of Zacchaeus:-

Zacchaeus, a wealthy and unpopular tax collector (he often cheated people out of their taxes) knew that Jesus was passing through his home town of Jericho. Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him for himself.

As Jesus arrived, accompanied by his followers and the crowds, Zacchaeus, being short, realised he would not catch a glimpse of Jesus unless he took action. So he ran ahead and climbed a tree, with a good vantage point to take a closer look at Jesus.

But, as Jesus passed by, he stopped, looked up and called to Zacchaeus to come down from the tree, and to the displeasure of the crowd, announced he was going to stay with Zacchaeus in his house that day.

Zacchaeus came down from the tree, he was incredulous, but overjoyed. He promised to give half his possessions to the poor and repay anyone he had defrauded 4 times the amount. Jesus said “today salvation has come to this house”.
(St Luke’s gospel chapter 19)

Zacchaeus was interested in Jesus, he wanted to get a closer look, wanted to find out more.
Maybe he thought “Why would he be interested in me? He is busy with others, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me, surely not…..?”

Loving and merciful God, you call to each of us out of your goodness and love. We cannot hide from your notice or attention. Your gracious love transforms us. Nothing and no-one is beyond the reach of your redemptive love. Thank you for your love and concern for each one of us.

Help us to come to you in the light of your love and in the sure knowledge that in Jesus we will never find condemnation. We find only mercy, forgiveness, love and acceptance, a release from burdens and a fresh, new start. Help us to love and accept other as you love us. Loving and merciful God we praise you.

Ruth Rushworth

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights……And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

James 1:17 NIV 1:18 NLT

Gracious God, we look at this picture of a fountain, pouring forth droplets of water, each one sparkling in the spring sunshine. We see each droplet touching the water and spreading out in a ripple effect of light across the lake.

We thank you that every one of us is equally valuable, precious and wholly and dearly loved by you; there is no hierarchy in your kingdom.
We praise and thank you for the gift of life and love, given freely to us through Jesus.

Thank you too for the gifts, talents and skills you have given to each of us. We may think that we have little or nothing to give, or that what we do has little impact or significance. However, you assure us that nothing we do in your name is ever wasted. You bless and multiply all we offer you, in ways we may never know.

Gracious God, as we pray and work individually and collectively, may the ripples of your love spread throughout the world, touching especially those who feel lost, isolated and forgotten.

Ruth Rushworth

I will say to the Lord “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Ps 91:2 ESV

Jesus is Lord
Jesus is King;
Our strength
Our rock
Our dwelling place
Jesus, your praises we sing.

Jesus is steadfast
Jesus is sure;
Our truth
Our way
Our fulness of life
Jesus, your name we adore.

Jesus is love
Jesus is meek;
Our source
Our spring
Our ever-present help
Jesus, your mercy we seek.

Jesus is listening
Jesus is here;
Our friend
Our peace
Our burden-bearer
Jesus, your love calms our fear.

Gracious God, we take a moment to thank you for Jesus. Whatever is on our minds, our concerns for the day, our work, home, school, health, family, friends, community or our world, we lay them at your feet. We thank you that we can draw on your love, your strength and your guidance in any situation. We take a moment to praise you, to thank you and to think about what you mean to us in our life.

Gracious God, thank you that the time, however long or short, we spend with you is never wasted.  Each moment with you is precious. We thank you for your words of truth and life. Take us forward as we go about our day, in the knowledge and assurance of your eternal love for us, shown in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ruth Rushworth

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast”.
John 21:12 NIV

Loving God, we picture ourselves in this story from St. John’s gospel of Jesus appearing to the disciples on the shores of Lake Galilee:-

Peter and some of disciples were waiting in Jerusalem. Peter decided to go fishing and the other disciples went with him. They fished all night long but caught nothing at all.

At dawn, a figure called to them from the lakeside and asked if they had caught any fish. When they replied they hadn’t, he shouted to them to cast their nets over the other side of the boat.

They did as instructed and caught such a huge number of fish they could barely haul the nets in. Then, they realised it was Jesus.
Peter jumped into the water and headed for the shore, followed by the others in the boat.

At the lakeside, Jesus had lit a charcoal fire with fish and bread on it. He told them to bring some fish and come and have breakfast. They did not need to ask who he was, they knew it was Jesus. Jesus cooked the fish and served it to them with the bread.

We take a moment now to be quiet, to be still, in your presence. We reflect on any aspect of this story that might stand out to us.

Loving God, thank you that we can be open and honest with you and come to you just as we are. You love and accept us, you seek us out, you call to us and you bless us. Loving God, we praise you.

Thank you that through the risen Jesus, you touch our lives, in our ordinary, everday tasks, at work, at home, at play. The ordinary becomes the extraordinary as we include Jesus. Give us grace to trust you in times of waiting and may we accept your offer, every day, to come and breakfast with Jesus and be nourished in his presence.

Ruth Rushworth

They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he (Jesus) talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:32 NLT

Gracious God, we think of the story in St Luke’s gospel of the resurrected Jesus joining the two friends as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
They didn’t recognise him and were despondent as they told him all that had happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, how their hopes had been shattered by his crucifixion and now they had heard reports that he was alive!

Then they listened to Jesus as he explained and opened up the scriptures to them. As they approached the village they invited Jesus to eat with them and they recognised him as he broke bread with them.

Gracious God, we thank you that you love and care for each one of us. Thank you that you graciously draw alongside us, you walk with us at our own pace, and reveal your son, our Saviour Jesus to us as we journey through life.

As we walk with you and each other –

Season our words with grace

Enlighten our minds with wisdom

Inflame our hearts with love

Sharpen our listening with discernment

Open our eyes with compassion

Fill us with the love and knowledge of Jesus, that we may reflect Him in all we think, say and do.

Ruth Rushworth

Prayer before serving at the Colombo Methodist City Mission soup kitchen
Image: Anne Baldwin

God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 NIV

Message from Anne Baldwin
Mission Partner of the Methodist Church in Britain 2017-2020

I am unsure if you are aware of the desperate situation in Sri Lanka. There is little in the media as they focus on affairs nearer home.
The general situation has been worsening for weeks. Due to poor financial management by various governments over years and the lack of tourists since Covid the country is bankrupt and unable to pay its debts.
Shortages had begun while I was there earlier in the year,  but now they are extreme with lack of food, fuel and medicines.
There has been unrest and now a call for a week long Hartal ( a general strike) from yesterday (20 April 2020).
We can give thanks that the churches are providing help to the most needy where they can.
Messages on social media are around tense situations in towns, calls for children to be brought home from schools, curfews etc.
The fourth year students at the Theological College of Lanka, who have battled with Covid restrictions for two years are now nearing their final exams next month.
May I ask you to pray for the situation, everyone is affected by it.

Prayer for Sri Lanka by Geraldine Mattack

What is unfolding in Sri Lanka reminds me of the need to always discern the truth.
I pray that the truth of the situation be told by the media.
I pray for our world torn apart by conflict and distressing news.
I pray that men and women of faith would rise up with a gentle but bold voice of truth in times of chaos.
I pray to Jesus to speak through the students to give people Hope in these distressing times.
I pray for the people of Sri Lanka as they have their Hartal for aid to come to them.

by Geraldine Mattack