We are planning to celebrate the Real Love story of Easter ( see https://vimeo.com/509894747/9feb33b1d7 ) and we need your help. Felt hearts will be given out to school staff and children and to care home staff and residents. We need about 1000! They will be accompanied by a card with an appropriate message. They are very simple to make (see the picture above). If you think you could make some felt hearts, we will provide the materials.
Please send me a message via email stating how many you can make. I’ll then email the pattern. We know that the schools and the care homes think it’s a good idea, so we now need to get busy!
Last week Ash Wednesday heralded the beginning of the Season of Lent. Almost over a year ago we sent out our first prayer letter to our Churches Together. We have journeyed together praying for the world-wide pandemic Coronavirus and its effects on us all. On the journey we have had the opportunity to deepen our relationship with God through the many different avenues of prayer that we have been using. We have prayed, meditated, and reflected on God’s Word through the Scriptures and the thoughts of others.
Recently we have been using P.R.A.Y praying in the shape of LECTIO 365 a National & International Aid which exists to help us pray in groups or as individuals. The aim is that our prayers, wherever we are, at whatever time we pray, are being prayed to our Father in heaven 24-7 every day of the year.
Our opening Prayer will serve us for each week of Lent.
Christine and I are following the “Lenten Reflections on thirteen lesser reported followers of Jesus’ passion” By Rosemary Power’ A Wild Goose publication. www.ionabooks.com We invite you to join us each week for seven of these Reflections as we lead up to Easter Day.
Opening Prayer
Lent is a time to learn to travel
Light, to clear the clutter
From our crowded lives and
Find a space, a desert.
Deserts are bleak; no creature
Comforts, only a vast expanse of
Stillness, sharpening awareness of
Ourselves and God
Uncomfortable places, deserts.
Most of the time we’re tempted to
Avoid them, finding good reason to
Live lives of ease; cushioned by
Noise from self-discovery.
Clutching at world’s success
To stave off fear.
But if we dare to trust the silence
To strip away our false security,
God can begin to grow his wholeness in us,
Fill up our emptiness, destroy our fears,
Give us new vision, courage for the journey,
And make our desert blossom like a rose.
From – ‘Waiting for the Kingfisher’ – Ann Lewin
WEEK TWO: A SEEKER: – MARTHA, PROPHET,
Martha (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–44,12:1–3)
I spread a table before him within reach of his foes. God called me to that.
I learnt at the hearth. God called me to that.
I witnessed his truth, I spoke the Word, Christ in the world, Resurrection and Life.
My sister surpassed me.
All time has remembered me.
When they retold the tale, they made Martha the fusspot, the irritant, interrupting the serious business with domestic detail. This was Martha, one of the few women Jesus called by her own name, dropping the usual formal title. ‘I have called you by your name, you are mine.’ ‘You are the Christ, who was to come into the world.’ ‘Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.’ Against all convention her name comes before her brother’s.
Martha the homemaker witnessed before them, that Jesus is the Christ. Who could bring the dead to life. Simon Peter witnessed in front of Jesus’ followers when he made his declaration of faith; Martha spoke it before the village and the visitors, some doubting, others hostile. When their enemies plotted to kill Jesus, and Lazarus too, Martha and her sister were in danger. She came to the party and served the meal, knowing of the plotting and what impact her words had had.
Jesus had once calmed Martha his host, brought her back to the central matters. Martha stood aside and let her younger sister surpass her. She cared for her brother, served Simon the Leper, saw Jesus for what he was, and risked repercussions.
We meet her in hospitals and churches, in the kitchen, in the meeting-place, in the wrong place, at the wrong moment, rustling the papers, keeping the church running, ordering the necessities, speaking the startling word of truth and generosity that comes from a lifetime of understated prayer. Martha is the necessary irritant, the reliable voice, the host with a heart for Christ. She hid Jews from Nazis, Tutsis from Hutus, Yazidis from Daesh, the trafficked from gangsters. The fusspot at the cooking served Christ in the world.
We give thanks …
For the people we underestimate, for those who appear to have no specific
talent but who make other work possible.
For those who have made the Word of God the study of a lifetime.
For those who take the call to hospitality to its fullness in welcoming the
needy and life-worn, the hurt and the homeless, the refugee and stranger.
We pray …
For the silent witness of courage and the public act. That we might have the
insight to speak of Christ in the right place, at the right time.
For the times when we see our work as undervalued by our fellow humans
and by God when it seems that the easy path is on the road of others.
For the people in our lives who have been scarred by sickness, isolation, and
neglect, that they may enjoy the fullness of life and may serve our society.
For the insight to understand and bear witness to God in the world, in the
light of the Resurrection.
We give thanks …
For the unsung witnesses who have passed to us the stories that make our
faith real.
For the steadfastness of friends who have stood by us in our times of trial.
For the joy that breaks through in unexpected ways.
We pray …
For those who follow, pray and pray and keep us practical.
For those who walk through the corridors of power and keep their eyes on
goodness.
For the strength of the marriage bond, that it may bring blessing on its partners
and on all whose lives it touches.
That we may be able to recognise the risen Christ in our daily lives and
This week heralds the beginning of the Season of Lent. Over the past forty-eight weeks we have journeyed together praying for the world-wide pandemic Corona virus and its effects on us all, deepening our relationship with God through many different avenues of prayer and we have prayed and meditated on Gods Word through the Scriptures and the thoughts of others.
Today Our opening Prayer starts with “Lent is a time to learn to travel”
Christine and I are going to follow “Lenten Reflections on Thirteen Lesser Reported Followers of Jesus’ Passion” By Rosemary Power – A Wild Goose publication. We invite you to join with us for seven of the Reflections as we lead up to Easter Day. www.ionabooks.com
Lent is a time to learn to travel
Light, to clear the clutter
From our crowded lives and
Find a space, a desert.
Deserts are bleak; no creature
Comforts, only a vast expanse of
Stillness, sharpening awareness of
Ourselves and God
Uncomfortable places, deserts.
Most of the time we’re tempted to
Avoid them, finding good reason to
Live lives of ease; cushioned by
Noise from self-discovery.
Clutching at world’s success
To stave off fear.
But if we dare to trust the silence
To strip away our false security,
God can begin to grow his wholeness in us,
Fill up our emptiness, destroy our fears,
Give us new vision, courage for the journey,
And make our desert blossom like a rose.
From – ‘Waiting for the Kingfisher’ – Ann Lewin
WEEK ONE: Joseph the carpenter
I come in at the start.
I didn’t hear the end.
Or say a word.
Many a man rears another’s child.
My bride told me. After the pain, the strain,
of living the best I should, and loving more than I could dream.
Called like Ruth to leave the land, my people and my home
to work in tears among the alien corn
that filled my barns with joy.
When the years turned
and we returned to milk and honey
we followed the path through the scrolls
together, in synagogue and home
in dim evenings or the hot night
under the rooftop stars. I taught him.
I told then how we’d fled
for our lives, under the dark; the stark fear and loss of leaving,
saying nothing, fearing all
on the long road to Gaza, chariots kicking dust in the face,
and us parched, but afraid of the proffered lifts and drinks
and hidden costs,
me powerless to protect: he’d seen with toddler eyes.
We reached the sea and the coast ahead – but no waves parted,
though the full boat foundered on the further shore. We lived.
Storytelling’s in the family. I taught him.
In the workshop I taught those hands
to carve and turn, bind and loosen
and work the best, for neighbour, traveller and friend,
soldier and sinner, stranger, leper, child;
then lost him to the vineyards and the hills
and that other father, and to prayer
too silent for a labouring, dreaming man.
He saw me carrying the soldier’s pack in the heat, I sensed
the quick tense anger for his dad, then
his voice soft, curious,
asking the man’s story, listening to wandering years
till the stilled thug found his mile complete.
‘Your lad’ll go far,’ he told me.
I found him talking in the temple, once,
among the men.
I saw the smiles of passing rich, the priestly youth
tolerant of a bright boy and tradesman’s accent.
Was there one
who’d listen in the years he’d come to teach?
It was clear from then
there’d be no compromise,
but love, consideration and firm purpose
that would cross the world in its strength
and cross the powerful in their pride.
He’d join and try the heart and the grain
of the wood for its place
in the workshop of the world.
My time was over and the work passed on,
so, called to other work, I said:
‘Just mind your mum’ to a strong smile, the shine of eyes
wide enough for a region.
We give thanks …
For those who hold families together, who labour that we may eat.
For those who tell stories, where God dwells in the depths.
For the gift of reading the scriptures, and for teachers.
We pray …
For children seeking an education, that their desire might be fulfilled.
For parents seeking to protect their children, through hunger, war or lack of
opportunities.
For children who head families, holding in their loss and putting their hopes
aside.
For refugees on the road and on the sea; for those who have lost loved ones on
the journey, for those prey to people-traffickers, that they may find freedom.
Christine and I were Listening to the ‘Bible in a Year‘ being read to us by David Suchet. The daily readings on one particular day started with a reading from the 3rd chapter of Proverbs verses 1-10. Each day the readings start with a Psalm or Proverb followed by a New Testament reading ending with one from the Old Testament. Christine and I look forward to listening to David, he reads so well. The tonal changes and empathise in his voice help us to take in what has been read to us. It was a reading from the book of Proverbs which struck a chord with both of us.
P.R.A.Y
Pause as you pray this Prayer of Approach.
Loving Father, I still my soul now and remember that You are here with me, you are here in me, you are here for me. Lord Jesus, I worship You. Holy Spirit, I welcome You.
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being Proverbs 3 v 1–10
Do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil, this will bring nourishment to your bones.
Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Since the second wave of the COVID-19, wellbeing has been high in people’s minds. Daily bulletins of new thoughts and measures, facts and figures have not been encouraging – reaching one hundred thousand deaths, and more critically ill in overrun hospitals, and more and more new cases daily.
Wellbeing comes in many distinctive guises. Not many people rush to get hold of a bible to make them feel good. The passage of scripture above, dwells on our relationship with God and the whole of His Creation from which our wellbeing springs.
The Theme of this year’s Winter Watch with Chris Packham and Team was ‘Natural Well Being’. The team displayed and shared their knowledge of the outdoors through the medium of our television sets, in our homes. There was real energy, joy and euphoria in following the wildlife, and appreciating the flora and fauna, around the UK.
Chris Packham says ‘connecting with nature is important to us, and there are so many of us who enjoy the natural wellbeing of being outdoors or simply watching the birds in the garden from our patio doors or windows and we can now be mindful of the changes that are starting to occur heralding spring.
There is more interest in Mindfulness in these days of lockdown. Winter Watch paused for 90 seconds in each of its eight episodes to give time for some of our five senses to kick in. (Touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste).
Ruth Esther Vawter – Pray Blog Author – gives us her contribution on senses and wellbeing
I believe in God because I see Him around me.
I believe in God because I Feel the presence of God.
I believe in God because I can smell His fragrance.
I believe in God because I can hear Him speak to me in various ways.
I believe in God because I can taste and know that He is God.
I believe in God because I believe the living word of God is true.
Our two Archbishops Invited us to set aside time every evening to pray, particularly at 6pm each day. More than ever, this is a time when we need to love each other and prayer is an expression of love.”
So let us take up this invitation to pray each day
Let us remember the work in the NHS, the sick and all those bereaved.
Let us pray for the safety of all front-line workers.
Let us pray for our government. the economy, the nation and the world as we battle with this pandemic. Let us pray for the rolling out of the vaccination programme.
In the Order of Compline –Last corporate Prayer of the day takes its form from psalm 17.
Compare Psalm 17 v 6-8 with the Compline Prayer.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Compline Prayer
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit;
For you have redeemed us, O Lord, O God of truth.
Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye;
Hide us under the shadow of your wings.
KEEP US AS THE APPLE OF YOUR EYE & HELP US TO FIND OUR SAFETY UNDER THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS
Please can you email me any examples of kindness or love in action that you have seen or experienced during Lockdown. We would like to include them in the March magazine. They don’t have to be big, just anything that has brightened someone’s day.
Today we have sad news to share – Eric Marsh a staunch member of the Baptist Church, a man who was involved in so many things in Meltham and a man who was know and loved by lots of people, died this last week. He will be missed by many and we think of his family and friends at this sad time.
CROSSROADS PROJECTS
Reading “The Crossroads Projects Annual General Report” it is heartening to see how much has been achieved by “Meltham Churches Working Together” through all the difficulties experienced during 2020. There was a complete transformation of the Shop and the moving of the Centre into the old Town Hall, made possible by hard work, energy, and commitment to the Project. Sue Priestley, Chair of Trustees, ended her Report with the words from the following two Psalms below.
‘PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – For many of the volunteers they have missed the fellowship, and friendship of meeting together.”
“PSALM 33:22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. – looking forwards to a brighter future.”
Around 25 years ago a very apt verse of scripture was chosen which fitted the location of the charity shop.
Jeremiah 6:16 – “This is what the Lord says: “Standatthecrossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
In the report we are given a prophetic word from Scripture by Roger Furmeage – “He believes the future is bright for the Crossroads Project –Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
The Food Bank has been a life saver for the many people it has helped. Debbie Still, Food Bank Leader and the helpers work closely with the Crossroads Shop and with those who offer Debt & Legal Advice (Chris Smith & Nigel Priestley) to provide support to those in need in our community. In her report Debbie chose a mantra from Matthew 25:37-40 New International Version.
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 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.’
Debbie writes “My Prayer is that these verses will remain the guiding ethos of the food bank as they continue on their journey.”
When we look back over the years the Prayers of our churches in Meltham have been open and supportive of the Crossroads Project.
P.R.A.Y
PAUSE AND REFLECT
Take a moment to Pause being aware of God’s presence with you and Reflect on His greatness.
Reflect on all God has done through the Crossroads project and give thanks for this work.
ASK
Ask God to increase the Vision and Hope for the future of church, community, and nation alike through His Holy Spirit.
Ask God to work in your own life in new ways listening to His voice, ask for the ancient paths, ask where the
good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
YIELD
Spend time with verses of scripture chosen by me from the first ten psalms of the Bible.
Think on their content – see if they are applicable to you at this time. You might read the psalms for yourself and see if other verses stand out.
Psalm 1 v 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 2 v 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
Psalm 3 v 3 &4 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
Psalm 4v 1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 5v 3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice.
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Psalm 6 v 3&4 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?
Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
Psalm 7v7 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 8v3&4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind
that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 9 v 1&2 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
Psalm 10 v 17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.
Closing Prayer
Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.
AN EXTRACT FROM A LETTER TO THE NATION FROM
The Most Revd & Rt Hon Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury and The Most Revd & Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell Archbishop of York
‘As we reach the terrible milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, we invite everyone in our nation to pause as we reflect on the enormity of this pandemic. 100,000 isn’t just an abstract figure. Each number is a person: someone we loved and someone who loved us. We also believe that each of these people was known to God and cherished by God. We write to you then in consolation, but also in encouragement, and ultimately in the hope of Jesus Christ. The God who comes to us in Jesus knew grief and suffering himself. On the cross, Jesus shares the weight of our sadness.
None of this is easy. Very many of us are experiencing isolation, loneliness, anxiety, and despondency like never before. Many people have lost their livelihoods. Our economy struggles. Also, the necessary restrictions we live with have also prevented us from being alongside loved ones as they died, or even at their graveside. All grief profoundly affects us, but this pandemic grief is so hard. Therefore, we need to support each other. We do this by following the guidelines. But we also do it by reaching out to each other with care and kindness. One thing we can all do is pray. We hope it is some consolation to know that the church prays for the life of our nation every day. Whether you are someone of faith, or not, we invite you to call on God in prayer. Starting on 1 February we invite you to set aside time every evening to pray, particularly at 6pm each day. More than ever, this is a time when we need to love each other. Prayer is an expression of love.”
So, let us take up this invitation, setting aside time to pray each day
Let us remember the work in the NHS, the sick and all those bereaved.
Let us pray for the safety of all front-line workers.
Let us pray for our government the economy, the nation and the world as we battle with this pandemic.
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly; to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.
For more than a year, the world has been passing through a Gethsemane of sickness and sorrow.
The name ‘Gethsemane’ means ‘oil press’ – a place where olives are gathered to be crushed. Take a moment to imagine the scene in Gethsemane watch Jesus crushed by the sorrow of the world. Am I waiting and watching with Him, or have I fallen asleep?
REFLECT
Today, I ask to wait with You, Lord, on behalf of grieving nations, tired doctors, exhausted nurses and other frontline workers. “Comfort those who mourn. Give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. May they soar on wings like eagles; may they run and not grow weary; may they walk and not grow faint.” (Isaiah 40:1, 29, 31)
I reflect on a moment in the Gospel story where Jesus himself mourns…
‘Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will Matthew 26:36-39
‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ Jesus says, to most of his disciples. But he takes Peter, James and John with him and says, ‘Stay here and keep watch with me.’
ASK
Am I close enough to Jesus to hear his invitation to watch with Him?
What sorrow might He be asking me to share?
Could I watch and pray with Him for an hour today?
YIELDING
Lord, I yield to Your invitation to watch with You, to share in Your grieving, to wait patiently with You, to mourn for the hurt of Your wounded world, and not to hide from the pain of those I meet.
Not my will, but Yours be done.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the coming day, I echo Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, ‘The God of all comfort… comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
This Week’s Prayers are once again in the shape of LECTIO 365, a National & International Aid which exists to help us pray in groups or as individuals. The aim is that our prayers, wherever we are, at whatever time we pray, are being prayed to our Father in heaven 24-7 every day of the year.
Together, each day we pray (P.R.A.Y) – ‘P’: PAUSING to be still. ‘R’: REJOICING with a Psalm and REFLECTING on a scripture. ‘A’: ASKING God to help us and others and ‘Y’: YEILDING to His will n our lives, come what may.
SO, WE TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
PAUSE
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly; to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God. (Pause and pray)
Prayer of Approach
Loving Father, I still my soul now and remember that You are here with me, you are here in me, You are here for me. Lord Jesus, I worship You. Holy Spirit, I welcome You.
REJOICE and REFLECT
Rejoice and Reflect Psalm 10 v 17
Lord you know the thoughts of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
ASK
To help us in our prayers this week we have three prayers written by Nick Fawcett “For Such a Time as This”.
When faith is shaken by the crisis that has come upon us Why, Lord?
Why have you let this happen, this dreadful virus descend upon us?
Yes, I realise that the whole business, in the final analysis, is not down by you, but can’t you do something, anything, to offer a helping hand?
Why do you seem simply to sit back, unmoved, unconcerned?
Don’t you care?
Aren’t our prayers reaching you?
That’s not fair, I know that, for you’ve made the world in such a way that you cannot simply intervene when it suits you; your hands instead being tied by the laws you have set in place.
Yet I’m asking you, I’m pleading with you, look kindly upon us, and reach out to our aching world, ministering your love and binding up its wounds. Amen.
For those selflessly supporting others, and those who think only of themselves.
In this time of crisis, Lord, you call us to pull together, as families, as friends, as communities.
Thank you for those who are leading the way in doing that: relatives helping loved ones, neighbours helping neighbours, support groups reaching out to strangers, individuals responding to the plight of the vulnerable.
Thank you especially today for the efforts of shops and supermarkets to do likewise, setting aside shopping times and delivery slots for those most at risk.
Forgive the heartlessness, the greed, the selfishness, that looks only after number one and cares nothing for anyone else. Challenge and shame such behaviour and prosper the efforts of all who are seeking to show compassion, concern, and care to those least able to help themselves.
We are all in this together. Prompt each and every one of us to realise that. Amen.
Trust that God is with us, however much it may seem otherwise.
Lord, it’s hard to glimpse your presence even at the best of times, and now, with this disease causing such havoc among us, it’s harder than ever, our prayers appearing to go unanswered, your face seemingly turned away from us. Yet it is at such a time as this, more than ever, that we need to keep faith you are with us.
Though we feel abandoned, we are not.
Though we feel alone, we are not.
Though we feel forgotten, we are not.
Though we feel hopeless, we are not.
Though we feel left high and dry, we are not.
Draw close to us, Lord, and envelop us in your love.
Draw near and help us to recognise that you are by our side. Amen.
YIELD
Yielding prayer
Lord I yield to your invitation to watch with you, to share in your grieving, to wait patiently with you, to mourn for the hurt of Your wounded world, and not to hide from the pain of those we meet.
Not my will, but yours be done.
Yielding Promise
And now, as I prepare to take this time of prayer into the day, I echo Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, ‘The God of all comfort…. Comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ’ 2 Cor 1 v3-5
Closing Prayer
Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way. Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet. Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say. Amen.
This Weeks Prayers are in the shape of LECTIO 365, a National & International Aid which exists to Help us pray in groups or as individuals. The aim is that our prayers, wherever we are, at whatever time we pray, are being prayed to our Father in heaven 24-7 every day of the year.
SO, I TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
PAUSE
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly; to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God. (Pause and pray)
Prayer of Approach
Loving Father, I still my soul now and remember that You are here with me, You are here in me, You are here for me. Lord Jesus, I worship You. Holy Spirit, I welcome You.
RESPOND AND REJOICE
I choose to rejoice in God’s goodness today, joining with the ancient praise of all God’s people in the words of Psalm 100.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving.
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Having begun the new year after the birth of Jesus I am reflecting on the birth of the Early Church in the book of Acts and also a key moment in the life of the church in the 1700s.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them Acts 2:1-4
At 3am on New Year’s Day, 1739, the Holy Spirit also came to an all-night prayer meeting in Fetter Lane, London. ‘The power of God came mightily upon us,’ recorded John Wesley in his journal, ‘insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy and many fell to the ground.’ * Echoing the experience of those who were propelled out of the upper room in Jerusalem to preach the gospel, John Wesley, too, was propelled out of that prayer room in London to ride 125,000 miles preaching the gospel, while his brother Charles Wesley began writing 6,000 hymns. And their 25-year-old friend, George Whitfield, crossed the Atlantic to stir the fires of America’s First Great Awakening. The world would never be the same again.
ASK
Jesus said that the Father loves to give the Spirit to those who ask (Matthew 7:11) – just as John and Charles Wesley asked that day in London.
And so, as I open my hands in front of me, I ask You, Father, to fill me with Your Spirit. Fill me with new power for this new year, just as You filled those disciples 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, and 282 years ago in Fetter Lane, London.
And now, I lift up my hands and I pray for my community, for my nation, and for the nations of the world. I ask You, Father, to stir the fires of another Great Awakening of Your Spirit.
As I return to this familiar passage, I try to imagine what it was like to be in that room, seeing what seemed like tongues of fire dancing in the air, being filled with the Holy Spirit for the very first time.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them Acts 2:1-4 (NIV UK)
The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in other tongues. As the story continues, the Spirit enabled them to speak about Jesus with boldness, to endure hardship and persecution, to perform miracles, to serve the poor, to discern and make difficult decisions, and much more. These are the kinds of things that Spirit-enabled people do. What might the Spirit be enabling me to do this year?
YIELDING PRAYER
The Methodist Covenant prayer, written by John Wesley himself in 1755, is prayed by millions of Methodists at the start of every year. It’s a liturgy of profound and beautiful surrender, and so I join with sisters and brothers in Christ around the world as I pray it now.
I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
Exalted for you or brought low for you.
Let me be full,
Let me be empty,
Let me have all things,
Let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious, and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
As we look forward together for a better new year, we pray for God’s Holy Spirit to lead us into the unknown future that lies before us.
Matthew 6:31-34 gives us sound advice as we enter into 2021
So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’ (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.
Thoughts for this week are taken from a book of Christmas thoughts written by Eddie Askew. I know that a good number of you own several of his books. Christine and I have seventeen of his books, written and illustrated throughout with his watercolours. I was fortunate to spend three retreats with him, once at Scargill in the Dales and twice at Lee Abbey in Devon. Eddie and his wife Barbara worked for 15years for the Leprosy Mission in India and who on return became Its International Director.
Christmas thoughts – Eddie Askew
Over Christmas, a friend said something that made me look at the nativity story with new eyes. Usually, when we look at it, it’s with all the information we’ve inherited. All we know about Jesus’s life and death, and resurrection. We interpret it through nearly two thousand years of theology and church life. But Mary and Joseph had none of that. They knew their baby was special in some way.
The visits of the shepherds and wise men pointed to that, but it wasn’t very clear. The vision they’d had told them to name him Jesus. It meant “saviour”, but il was a common name. Even being told that he’d save people from their sins wasn’t very explicit, seen from where they were. It was made harder by other events.
Mary and Joseph weren’t in control of their lives.
They had been compelled to go to Bethlehem for a census, on Roman orders. Then, King Herod’s soldiers got in the way, and they had to run for safety to Egypt as refugees. Looking at later events, I’m sure it was a blessing that they didn’t know in detail what life held for them all, especially about the baby’s call to preach and die. There are times when we wish we knew more about the future. Moments when we’d like to feel in better control of life, but we can’t. Life’s not like that. Each day we walk into the unknown as Mary and Joseph did. And, like them, we find strength for that one day, and then the next. We have one advantage though, that they didn’t have. We do know who Jesus is, and what he’s done. And we have the confidence of walking into each day with him Extract from No Strange Land, first published 1987.
It’s easy talking, Lord, about not being anxious. Taking each day as it comes ‘No point in worrying’ they say. I’m not so sure of that, the things I worry about don’t usually happen
I look at Joseph, and his responsibilities. A wife. New baby. Away from home and pushed further by forces he couldn’t control. Did he have the same moments of panic that I have? Bleak moments, when it seems that nothing I know will help me through the day. And I’m running scared, tail down, ready to jump in the nearest hole,
Sometimes, Lord, I wish you’d tell me more. Prepare me. Whisper in my ear a weather forecast of a sunnier day tomorrow. Or warn me of the storm to come, So I could grab a spiritual umbrella and stay dry,
But then I realise I know all I need to know. And that’s a fact, that you know all my needs. And, wet or dry, In calm or storm, you’re in it with me. And that’s enough. Just for today.
Extract from No Strange Land first published 1987
Thought – Hope – Psalm 62:5-6
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress,
