Daily Prayers Wednesday, 3 November 2021
Good morning, Cornerstone friends to days with lighter mornings and evenings that start so much earlier than we expect. Winter approaches and the Christmas tree has appeared at Cornerstone.
Alleluiah.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord
and have great delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land,
a generation of the faithful that will be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in their house,
and their righteousness endures forever.
Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
gracious and full of compassion are the righteous.
…
They have given freely to the poor;
their righteousness stands fast forever;
their head will be exalted with honour.
The wicked shall see it and be angry,
they shall gnash their teeth in despair;
the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Psalm 112: 1–4 & 9–10
Generous God, save us from meanness that calculates its interest and hoards its earthly gain;
as we have freely received, so may we freely give, in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them. ‘Whosoever comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
For which of you intending to build a tower does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.”
Or what king, going out to wage war against another king will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions.’
Luke 14: 25–33
Two rather challenging readings today. The gospel is rather like the reading we had last Wednesday. They are about our commitment to God, which has to be such that it overrides all other things. For most of us this does not mean abandoning our family or not supporting them. Some notable people have literally given everything up. St Francis even took off all his clothes and left his prosperous home. What it does mean for most of us is that everything we have, our time, our abilities and our money are held in trust from God. How we spend and use these things needs to be done in a manner which reflects God’s love before our own feelings and desires.
This is not easy, but self-denial is a well-established Christian principle. It seems more complicated in this twenty-first century to make decisions about how we spend our time and money. Some of us are blessed with an ability to choose the level and standard of our food and essentials. Such people take account of food miles and how those who produce it are treated. Others have to buy the cheapest, as there is for them no alternative but to go hungry. We all have to think carefully of others and not insist always in satisfying ourselves to the full. We cannot on our own change the system which leaves many in serious want but can have some solidarity with them by consuming less.
Let us pray for the church:
Today the Church remembers the life of Richard Hooker, who died on this day in 1600. He was a theologian and philosopher in the reign of Mary I and Elisabeth I, a time of great division in the Church between Roman Catholicism and fundamentalist Puritanism. His writings gave a theology to the Church of England for a ‘middle’ way. Rowan Williams is a contemporary Anglican theologian/philosopher. In his book Being Human he writes,
For us to be human at all we need those moments, those extraordinary moments, of being pushed out of our depth.
Our commitment to God has to involve our love for each other, and for all humanity and creation. Disciples must be prepared to suffer for the sake of others and, to an extent, suffer with all others. We can easily feel ‘out of our depth’ in this calling. The word for ‘suffering with others’ is ‘compassion’.
Heavenly Father we thank you for your word and the wisdom we can find from those who have dedicated their time to its study.
Grant to your church the grace and strength to forbear and persevere.
Give us courage and a quiet mind.
Bless us, if it may be, in all our endeavours,
if it may not, give us strength to encounter that which is to come
that we may be brave and constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath at all changes of fortune.
By your grace, may we be always mindful of others in our seeking to become closer to you,
who have given us the example of your Son our Saviour
who gave his life for our sake and in whose name we pray.
Amen
Let us pray for the world:
We pray for the COP26 conference hosts,
for wisdom, guidance, and ambition for UK negotiators and Alok Sharma, COP26 president.
Pray for faith leaders attending the conference.
Pray for peaceful and fruitful discussions between world leaders.
Pray for world leaders to make bold commitments to combat climate change.
Pray for protection and support for developing nations most affected by climate change.
We pray for her majesty Elisabeth, our Queen, that this time of rest will bring a recovery to full strength for her continued service to our nation.
Let us bring before God the needs of the millions who are suffering through conflict, political or religious persecution, ignorance or neglect. For all who lack the advantages that we have.
We pray for a world where all are capable of sharing more of all that they have and that we may always be aware of all God had given us in our lives.
An Act of Commitment for the Care of Creation
Lord of life and giver of hope, we pledge ourselves to care for creation,
to reduce our waste, to live sustainably and value the diversity of life.
May your wisdom guide us, that life in all its forms may flourish,
and we may be faithful in voicing creation’s praise.
May this commitment, we have made this day, be matched by our faithful living of it.
Amen
Go gently and lovingly in all you do today.
Don Head
