Evening Prayer Friday, 4 June 2021
Good evening, everyone.
I’m writing Friday evening’s prayers earlier than usual this week,
as we will be away for a couple of days visiting my father-in-law.
It’s Sunday afternoon and the beautiful sunshine is streaming through the window.
What a joy to see the beauty of God’s world on a day like today!
And so, we begin our prayers this evening with a prayer of thanksgiving
for the wonderful world God has created.
Creator God, we find it hard to express our thanks for the beauty of your creation.
We look at your world in all its variety and richness
and each time we see something new to surprise us and bring us joy.
The warmth of the sun on our back, a gentle breeze which caresses us as we walk,
the bird song which penetrates the noise of the lawnmowers or passing cars.
All these speak of the care you took over creation
and the love you continue to show us day by day.
May we never take for granted the gifts you have given us.
May we have a song of praise in our hearts
when we cannot find the words to express our thanks.
As we turn our thoughts to others, we remember those whose pain and suffering
tarnish their vision of your world.
Gracious God, touch their lives
so that they may feel the warmth of your presence with them.
We remember those who are trapped in places of war
and live daily in fear of their lives and that of their families.
Gracious God, touch their lives
so that they may feel the warmth of your presence with them.
We remember children who have no real childhood as we know it,
because they live in poverty or fear.
Gracious God, touch their lives
so that they may feel the warmth of your presence with them.
We remember all who have been bereaved,
especially those who are struggling to enjoy the warmth of the summer sun
because the whole of their world has been turned upside down
by the loss they have suffered.
Gracious God, touch their lives
so that they may feel the warmth of your presence with them.
Remembering that you, our God, are the Father of us all –
whoever we are and wherever in the world we may be –
let us say The Lord’s Prayer together:
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
now and for ever.
Amen
May the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore.
Rosemary Kearsey
