Evening Prayer Friday, 21 May 2021

I wonder how you may be feeling about coming out of lock-down.
Perhaps, like me, you have had a quite different experience during the last year or so,
and have got used to life at a slower pace.
Or you may be itching to get back to those activities
which you have really missed for the last fifteen months.
Some of us will want to pick up on all our old activities,
others may just want to spend time with friends,
but also try to maintain some aspects of our new way of being.
So now seems a good time to reflect on those lessons we have learnt during the last year
and to explore how God wants us to move forward
as we become free to engage more directly with one another again.

I have been reading Pope Francis’s book, Let us Dream,
which he wrote at the beginning of the Covid crisis.
He encourages us to broaden our gaze
and use the situation to review the needs of the world.
I quote:

The Covid crisis may seem special because it affects most of humankind.
But it is only special in how visible it is.
There are a thousand other crises that are just as dire,
but are just far enough from some of us that we can act as if they don’t exist.
Think, for example, of the wars scattered across different parts of the world; of the production and trade in weapons;
of the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing poverty, hunger, and lack of opportunity; of climate change.
These tragedies may seem distant from us, as part of the daily news that, sadly, fails to move us to change our agendas and priorities.
But, like the Covid crisis, they affect the whole of humanity.

And so, let us turn our thoughts to God in prayer.

Gracious and loving God, we praise and thank you for your care for us and generosity to us.
May we to use all your gifts wisely and with thought for others,
and never forget that all we have comes from you.

As restrictions are lifted here so that some of us can resume more activities
and meet those we have missed during the year,
we remember that there are other towns in Britain,
as well as other countries throughout the world,
where the coronavirus is still rife,
where people suffer from hunger and deprivation,
and the impact of conflict and war on their daily lives.

And so we pray, for people in this country and throughout the world:

We pray for people who live in conflict zones, remembering especially people in Israel and Gaza.
We do not always fully understand the reasons why people resort to war,
but we do know that, while the lives of many people are disrupted and some lives are lost, in the end it will only be by negotiation that differences will be resolved.
And so we pray for an early end to the conflict
and for people with insight and diplomatic skills
to help resolve to impasse and bring peace to your stricken people.

Give us open eyes which see the hurt in your world.
Give us open ears to hear those who cry.
Give us hearts which can stay alongside that pain.
Give us the words to say, to share your love.
Show us how to bring joy, love, peace and hope into your suffering world.

Closer to home, we remember members of our congregation
who are sick, anxious or bereaved. We bring to you especially Joy, Eric and Joan.
Their faith and perseverance has been a shining example to us over a long period of time.
We pray that they may they feel close to you
and know they are surrounded by the love and prayers of their friends at Cornerstone.

We thank you that our church Is now open
and that people can come to find solace there during the week.
We pray that this will become more widely known
and that, just as they have in the past, the people of Milton Keynes may call in
to find a welcome in our building.

Let us complete our prayers with a hymn which reflects this idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9bOiAxwi4U

1          Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive;
built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

2          Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

3          Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground,
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space,
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

4          Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

5          Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.

Marty Haugen (b. 1950)

And now, let us say the grace together:

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.

Amen

I wish you all a very good night’s sleep.

Rosemary Kearsey