In their worship, the community of Taizé, in France, regularly sing Veni Creator Spiritus: Come, Creator Spirit.
We should also regularly request the Holy Spirit to Come amongst us and help us in our worship whether together or in our own prayer times.
As we begin to pray during this week we need to pause for a few moments to invite the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, to come into our lives, into our minds and into our hearts. And when we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray for us.
Our reading is from St Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:26-27
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
St Paul knows how hard it can be to pray at times. He encourages the young church at Rome by reminding them and us, of the work of the Spirit deep within our hearts.
Is there a particular type of prayer that brings you closest to God?
The Spirit communicates to God on our behalf, bringing to God our deepest hurts and longings – the things we struggle to say.
What current issues in our world make you groan or sigh?
What issues do you struggle to pray about?
Lift them to God now. God who searches the heart.
Read Romans 8:26-27 again. As you read Paul’s words again open your heart to God. Allow Jesus to pour his love and healing into anything you are keeping hidden, trying to run away from, or causing you pain.
Leave some time at the end of your prayer time in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Be still, and clear your mind, be still and let the Spirit work deep within you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
In the last two weeks, we have just touched on how Hymns and Psalms help us in worship and prayer. This week I would recommend to you a book by John L Bell. The title of his book is Living with the Psalms. He is an ordained minister, hymn writer, lecturer and broadcaster who lives in Glasgow. He is known to several people in Meltham who have attended various Christian events. He is a member of the Wild Goose Resource Group, which works under the aegis of the Iona Community. Again a few of our own people have been to Iona on Retreat.
John describes his book as – for the general reader that may be of interest to theologians and preachers. Some psalms have been sung since childhood. Some may even have been committed to memory and therefore be clothed with fond associations from our past.
Different people attribute personal interest and affection of the Psalms to a diversity of causes – the following four are the most popular reasons.
They cover a wide range of emotions. This is undoubtedly true but it tends to be the more positive emotions of joy, gratitude and praise than doubt, despair and anger that we can focus on
They have been set to music – Psalm 100 set to the tune the Old Hundredth. Psalms 23 & 121 are also remembered because of their associated tunes.
Psalms are standard fare for Jewish Worship and have been used in the liturgies of Christian Churches since Pentecost.
Jesus knew and quoted the psalms.
PSALM 121 1 If I lift up my eyes to the hills, where shall I find help?
This is one of the Psalms in frequent use. Misty- eyed romantics have regarded the psalm as a celebration of the wonders of creation—tree covered hills next to a calm loch overhung by white clouds in a blue sun-kissed sky. This is a misconception. For the writer, the hills were neither the source of aid nor alive with the sound of music. In the ancient world, the hills were places of mystery and of danger to travellers, especially where there was no path or guide. In them, thieves might hide, waiting to rob or mug unsuspecting travellers, as indicated in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37). So, when people were leaving a town or village, say on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, it would have been helpful for them to have a text in which they could ask where they might find security for a potentially dangerous journey. They could ask – If I lift up my eyes to the hills, where shall I find help? And they would be given the answer in v2 of the Psalm 2 My help comes only from the Lord, maker of Heaven and earth.
In John Bell’s book it is not Psalm 1 –150 with commentary but rather he cleverly cross references by type and content which makes for a better understanding from the readers perspective. As you pray this week perhaps read a psalm per day and place yourself in the picture. I suggest you leave out Psalm 88.
As we pray let us be once again mindful of psalm 100 “It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” God listens to us as we intercede for all he created. Let us continue to offer thanks and intercessions for the world and for our community.
Last week I shared one of the ways that helps me to stay focused and closer to God. I gave an example of two modern songs composed by Matt Redman which I might read or sing and I always find it helpful to have a copy of the words.
Before I was seven years of age, I was a chorister in the choir at St Luke’s Milnsbridge. On Thursday Evenings it was rehearsal night for morning and evening Services the following Sunday. We went through the Hymns, Psalms & Canticles….. I loved it!
The role of Psalms and Canticles in our services today does not have quite such a prominent part to play but are we missing out? The Psalms are a real resource to help us in our prayer life.
This week I suggest using the psalms as a base for our prayers.
You may wish to have a Bible to read the words of the psalms and we start with two psalms which give an invitation to come into the presence of God.
Psalm 95 v 1-7 – ‘Come let us sing to the Lord’
Psalm 100 — Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 98 – leads us into a time of giving thanks and praise to God
Psalm 67 – Can lead us into a time of intercession for the world.
As we pray let us be mindful of psalm 100 “It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” God listens to us as we intercede for all he created.
There is profound disappointment as we go into lockdown in Kirklees. So we pray for all, living in the uncertainty, anxiety and frustration as we try to regain control of the virus.
We pray for the vulnerable, sick, dying and bereaved.
We pray for front line workers.
We plea for God to reach out and help us in all our needs.
We give thanks for all those in our community of Meltham caring and supporting people through the Food Bank and for neighbours who are watching out and helping each other.
As you go through the day be aware that God walks with you and remember the words of verse 10 from Psalm 46 ‘Be Still and know that I am God’
When we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit prays in us. As we begin our prayers this week, lets pause for a few moments to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives to enlighten our hearts and minds.
Romans 8:26-27
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
St Paul knows how hard it can be to pray at times. He encourages the young church at Rome by reminding them and us, of the work of the Spirit deep within our hearts.
Is there a particular type of prayer that brings you closer to God?
The Spirit communicates to God on our behalf, bringing to God our deepest hurts and longings – the things we struggle to say.
What current issues in our world make you groan or sigh?
What issues do you struggle to pray about?
Lift them to God now. God searches the heart.
Allow Jesus to pour his love and healing into anything you are keeping hidden, trying to run away from, or causing you pain.
THE ‘VENITE’ (Oh Come let us sing to the Lord) is an ancient hymn of the church, based on Psalm 95.
This song of invitation to worship and praise is associated with the Matins or Morning Prayer worship, going back to monastic times….
I share with you the way which often helps and keeps me focused and closer to God. I like to read or sing the canticles, hymns and worship songs.
Two examples below which are both composed by Matt Redman.
PURIFY MY HEART
Verse 1] Purify my heart // Let me be as gold and precious silver // Purify my heart // Let me be as gold, pure gold. [Chorus] Refiner’s fire// My heart’s one desire Is to be holy // Set apart for You, Lord //
I choose to be holy // Set apart for You, my Master // Ready to do Your will [Verse 2] Purify my heart// Cleanse me from within and make me holy Purify my heart // Cleanse me from my sin, deep within//
(Chorus] Refiner’s fire// My heart’s one desire Is to be holy…………
TO BE IN YOUR PRESENCE
V1 To be in your presence //to sit at your feet//when your love surrounds me and makes me complete
(Chorus) This is my desire, o Lord //this is my desire //this is my desire, o Lord// this is my desire// V2 To rest in your presence //not rushing away// to cherish each moment// here I would stay//
(Chorus}
You might like to pause, clear your mind, be still and use the words of these two songs letting the Holy Spirit work deeply within you.
The way of the righteous is level ; O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgements, O Lord we wait on you;
your name and your renown are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks you
For when your judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness…
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that we have done, you have done for us ….. O Lord, in distress they sought you, they poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.
Like a woman with a child, who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near her time,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
we were with child, we writhed, but we gave birth only to wind.
We have won no victories on earth, and no one is born to inhabit the world.
Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise.
O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a radiant dew, and earth will give birth to those long dead.
The message from Isaiah was written during a time of transition when people were struggling in the gap between what had happened and what was yet to come. The people cry out a lament as they seek God –holding on to faith and trusting that God’s promises will be fulfilled, even though the present time is difficult.
We need to ask ourselves in what ways are we yearning for God to be revealed?
Where do we see the Holy Spirit working in our world?
This time of pandemic has been– and still is—incredibly challenging for many.
What do you long to see change in your life?
What do you hope the future will look like?
Speak now to God about your hopes.
Thinking about the level path what does your path look and feels like?
Make time to ask the Lord Jesus for strength and courage to let go of the past, and journey with you as you move into God’s future.
PRAYER- St Francis de Sales.
Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow; the same Everlasting Father who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings. Amen
Thank you Val White for sharing this prayer with us.
Very quickly after the Coronavirus hit the UK, there were two books written about God and the Pandemic. Theologian John C Lennox – “Where is God in a Coronavirus world” & a book of prayers by Nick Fawcett from which we have been selecting, using, and benefitting over the weeks – “For Such a Time as This”
More recently Tom Wright, wrote ‘God and the Pandemic.’ Tom Wright is a Research Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity at St Andrews & Wycliffe Hall Oxford, prior to which he was Bishop 0f Durham (2003-2010) and will be known by those of us who attended the York Course MCT Lent Groups as over the years he was a contributor.
In the final chapter – Where do we go from here? Tom Wright tells us that roughly one-third of the psalms are complaints that things are not as they ought to be. The words they use question why, – Sorrow, Anger, Regret, Frustration, Expressing grief, Mourning, Bitterness. Perhaps you have experienced your own feelings and have your own questions.
Some Christians have been turning to the book of Revelations looking for signs of the End Times but in these uncertain times Tom Wright cites the Lord’s Prayer as our ‘Norm’
Are we looking for signs of the end times?
No. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray ”Thy Kingdom come on Earth as in Heaven” and we know that this prayer will be answered because of what we know about Jesus.
Are we looking for fresh, sudden calls to repent?
No. We pray every day, ‘Forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’. We know that this prayer will be answered because of what we know about Jesus.
Tom Wright goes on to say : ‘We need Jesus – His Kingdom-bringing life, death and resurrection; his ascended sovereignty, the promise of his coming to bring heaven & earth together in glorious final renewal. Any attempt to add new ‘signs’ to this narrative diminishes it.
For this week :- may I suggest praying for your concerns and for the uncertainties that relaxing the lockdown brings and spend some time praying the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
Matt 8:23 -27 tells of the disciples’ angst and fear whilst, out in their boat in a storm, Jesus was sleeping.
Whatever noise and distractions there are around us, whatever worries and concerns are vying for our attention, when we begin to pray we need to find that centre of stillness within, settling into a moment of peace, asking for the peace only God can give.
Jesus was surprised that his disciples didn’t feel safe with Him in the boat.
The sea and the storm around them were symbols of the chaos from which God created the world. If we seek Him, Jesus has the same power to create and bring order to our lives.
This story is well known but you may wish to open the bible as you consider the following questions.
How do you react to crises that come into your life? Do you panic like the disciples? Put up your defences? Resign yourself to the inevitable? Or do you put all your trust in the Lord?
Remember Jesus rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
Let us focus our prayers this week on :-
Leicester after 100 days lockdown to be the first to be put back into local Lockdown.
For our government as they run a programme of relaxation of the lockdown rules. Pray for peoples response.
For Social and financial implications already showing signs of the damage the pandemic has caused,
For all the peoples of the world whatever faith they have that, together we can openly recognise and see that we are all in the same boat, so let us seek Gods order for our world
Open Doors is an organization that works in over 60 countries providing support and emergency relief and supporting Christians who suffer for their faith. Across the world, the spread of coronavirus is having a devastating effect. Open Doors is reaching some of those affected and they are highlighting that:.
Christians are facing discrimination in the distribution of aid in countries which include Nigeria, India and Bangladesh.
Christian nurses are given COVID-19 patients to care for and denied PPE in the Gulf region – “because it is dangerous… We are dispensable.”
In Somalia, Religious minorities are blamed for the pandemic. Somalia is a very dangerous place for Christians.
Extremists are exploiting vulnerable Christians in lockdown. In Nigeria, 32 Christians were killed in one opportunistic attack.
For many the situation is overwhelming: “People have become so desperate that they are forced to trade their religion in exchange for food.”
The National Health Service came into being on 5 July 1948. 72 years ago this coming Saturday. During post-war reconstruction, improving the healthcare of the nation was seen as crucial to the nation’s recovery. Beveridge, the architect of the NHS, identified “five giants” that had to be slain: want, disease, squalor, ignorance and idleness. The cataclysm of war provided the stimulus for radical reform.
The NHS was based on principles unlike anything that had gone before. It was financed almost entirely from central taxation. That the rich paid more than the poor for comparable benefits was regarded as a crucial part of the scheme. Everyone was eligible for care, even people temporarily resident or visiting the country. People could be referred to any hospital, local or more distant. Care was free at the point of use, although prescription and dental charges were subsequently introduced.
During the current pandemic, there has been immense national and local support for the NHS and its front- line workers. The emergence of the Thursday ‘Clap for Carers’ was a significant experience in the lockdown. Thanksgiving binds communities together, turning ‘I’ into ‘we’. The contribution of carers and key workers who have given of themselves sacrificially needs to be honoured. Sharing stories of people and events during the crisis is likely to form the kernel of any community celebration. Unsung heroes need to be applauded.
Everlasting God, at this time we lift to you those from all nations and backgrounds who work on the front line in healthcare. Give them skill and wisdom in their work. Be their strength and their shield as they give of themselves in the care of others. Amen.
Prayers in relation to Covid-19
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, you taught us to love our neighbour, and to care for those in need as if we were caring for you. In this time of anxiety, give us strength to comfort the fearful, to tend the sick, and to assure the isolated of our love, and your love, for your name’s sake. Amen.
Collect for St Luke
Almighty God, you called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: by the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your Church the same love and power to heal; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord ,who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Personal Prayer
How generous is your goodness, O God, how great is your salvation, how faithful is your love; help us to trust you in trial and praise you in deliverance; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Over a number of years, Meltham Churches Together Prayer Group
met in each other’s buildings on Wednesdays at 10 – 10-30am following a Rota.
It was good to pray in our places of worship. More recently, for a number
of reasons, it was decided that it made more sense to meet at St Bartholomew’s,
due its centrality, especially in the winter months. Leadership of each session
being shared following the Rota from the different churches and including our
Quaker Friend.
I remember well a prayer meeting where one of our Baptist members, was
in charge. George Mellor opened his Bible and shared the prayer
below, a prayer which he had glued to the inside cover of his Bible. You will
recognize it as a confessional prayer. In most worship services we have a
prayer of Confession and Absolution (Forgiveness) early on to re-establish our
relationship with God and to set us free to worship, praise, adore and thank
Him.
Gracious God, forgive me for those things I should have done but have
left undone: the acts of kindness I never found time for, the thoughtful word
never spoken, the message of encouragement or concern never sent, the helpful
deed never attempted. Forgive me for all the opportunities I have missed: the
plans I never made, the dreams I never brought to reality, the possibilities I never
even imagined, the gifts I never used. Forgive me for my failure to serve you
as I promised: the prayers I never offered, the sacrifices I never made, the
faith I never had, the commitment I never gave. Forgive me for so often having
time only for self: for being self-centered, self -important, self- righteous,
self-interested., self-indulgent, self-opinionated. Forgive me for forgetting
my friends, my neighbours, and, above all you. Gracious God save me from being
a person of unfulfilled intentions. Help me to translate my thoughts into
actions, to put my preaching into practice and so to turn my good intentions
into good deeds, to the Glory of your
Name.
Amen
I trust that through the Holy Spirit you might find this prayer
helpful. It is a prayer worth meditating on. Where do you see yourself in
the words of this prayer?
As a confessional prayer it is written by someone who desperately wants
to love and serve Jesus. Someone who understands repentance as openness to the
will of God and the way to forgiveness.
If you have other prayers that work for you, I would love to receive a
copy to share on these pages of prayer.
With UK’s Covid 19 Alert level being reduced, the virus is now in
– ‘General Circulation’ which gives us a gradual relaxation where possible. The
general populous might well ask how this is to be managed?
Newsflashes appear several times a day informing us of things
where we have ‘No Power’ to change but to heed and follow the advice we are
given by our Leaders, experts. and scientists. What we do have, when we are
open to God through his forgiveness of us, is the Power to intercede for those
who are struggling to get through the chaos of our times and for those who are
giving of themselves to help others. We also have an opportunity to pray for
the whole world and its needs. In our prayers let us open ourselves to the Holy
Spirit that we might pray according to God’s Will listening in silence and
using our imagination to express what we hear from God who has the answers to
all our needs.
When there seems no end in sight to the problems caused by the crisis.
When the clouds are heavy, Lord, and the storm seems to last forever;
when the night is dark, and the morning proves long in coming;
though rain is constant, and sunshine feels a distant memory;.
though the winter continues despite spring having also begun;
teach us to trust, to keep faith, to believe that day will dawn again
that the clouds will lift, and life will blossom once more;
that after tears will come laughter, after despair, joy,
after chaos, order, after sickness health, and after death, life.
Amen
