Daily Prayers Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Good morning all you good people. High winds last week; I hope you are all safe. Crocus out in the garden and blackthorn blossom (white) in the hedgerow show of new growth and spring.
Next week sees the beginning of Lent. Forty days for reflection. Let us now reflect for a few minutes.
Hear this all you peoples;
listen, all you that dwell in the world.
You of low degree,
both rich and poor together.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
Why should I fear in evil days,
when the malice of my foes surrounds me.
Such as trust in their goods
and glory in the abundance of their riches?
For no one can indeed ransom another
or pay to God the price of deliverance.
To ransom a soul is too costly;
there is no price to pay for it.
So that they might live for ever
and never see the grave.
For we see that the wise die also;
with the foolish and ignorant they perish
and leave their riches to others.
Psalm 49: 1–2 & 5–10
Save us from envy, God our Redeemer, and deliver us from the chains of wealth,
that we, ransomed through your Son, may inherit the crown of everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.’
Mark 9: 38–40
‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,’ Jesus said ‘Do not stop those who do deeds of power in my name.’
I spent last Saturday with other trustees of Milton Keynes Christian Foundation, a charity with some thirty employees (not all full time) working through little business enterprises to teach young people, particularly those disadvantaged, life skills and through this, showing them and society at large, that caring for all people and all elements of the environment of the earth is an important element of a fulfilled life.
We had this quotation for reflection from St Peter’s House Chaplaincy in Manchester:
We put our energies where we see good things happening living out the values of our faith in an authentic and fully inclusive way. We recognise that the values of our faith are not exclusive to us but shared by many different and no faiths.
We seek to live in community and conversation, building an inclusive, vibrant and diverse community of fellow wonderers.
Having thought about ministry, we thought about worship. Is it only singing hymns and praying on Sunday or in daily prayer? It can be explained as ‘Bringing God into the centre of our lives – or better expressed – by letting God be the centre of our lives’.
If that is so then the times we are praying are a small but vital part of worship. We worship God in all parts of our lives. The activities of the Christian Foundation are also worship – we say, ‘a different way of being church’.
Living in a way that shows love to all we encounter and adopting ways that do not damage the earth’s natural environment are also worship for each one of us.
The message of the gospel today follows on well from Sunday. There are many ways to live out the gospel, we all have different gifts.
If you feel somebody is not doing a good job, don’t carp or gossip about it; get alongside them and help them.
May the church in this Lenten season seek to worship God in greater ways, not with just a voice but with heart and both hands. Not acts of worship only, but worship in actions.
Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image;
teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children,
so that your love may be shown in our world,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things now and forever.
Amen
The world continues to be an uncertain place.
Although in this country we may well be able to abandon the current legal restrictions
on us all to halt the spread of the virus pandemic, this is not true of most countries.
Her Majesty the Queen has now been infected yet continues with her duties,
quite a feat at her age and physical condition.
Let us pray for her recovery from this illness.
There is conflict in many parts of the world and the possibility of extensive warfare in Ukraine.
The short video from Revd Nicola Vidamour with Christians from that country
singing praise to God for its safety was, for me, very moving.
Let us pray for the people of Ukraine and all who live in danger and great uncertainty.
Almighty God, who alone can bring order to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity,
give your people grace to love what you command and to desire what you promise,
that, among the many changes of this world,
our hearts may surely be fixed where true joys are found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen
May your hearts be fixed where true joys are found as you go about your various activities today.
Don Head
