Evening Prayer Friday, 22 January 2021

Good evening everyone, welcome to Friday evening’s prayers.

How are you feeling today?  Are you really down and wondering how long this will go on?  Are you enjoying a change in your lifestyle? Are you feeling optimistic that we have turned a corner and life might get back to a new normal soon?

I expect that, like me, some of you have quite mixed feelings about our current situation.  There are certainly some aspects of it I enjoy – less pressure, more time to pursue interests which have lain dormant for years.  There are others I regret – I have sympathy for my father-in-law who really misses our weekly visit.

I have noticed in recent days that some people I thought were coping well are really beginning to find life hard.  Everything seems to weigh really heavily.  I’d like to focus our prayers this evening on those who are finding life particularly difficult at present.

I’m going to start with a poem by Marjorie Dobson, which refers to stories from the gospels to help us reflect on the way Jesus responded to those who were experiencing difficult times.

When a blind man came to Jesus
asking for the gift of sight;
in those first few anxious moments
he could only see faint light
then the full truth dawned upon him
broke through his eternal night.

When a widow, lost in grieving,
Knowing that her son was dead,
Followed, weeping, to his burial,
Jesus saw what lay ahead.
With compassion he approached her,
raised the boy up from his bed.

When the storm clouds of Good Friday
drained the light out from the sky,
broken ones, who followed Jesus
could not see the reason why.
Only with the dawn of Easter
could their heads be lifted high.

When our lives are drowned in darkness,
when our faith is under strain
we can also look to Jesus,
give to him our fear and pain.
Let his dawn light new horizons
as our hope is born again.

Let us pray:

Loving God, you are great and all powerful, all loving and all seeing.  We praise and worship you for all your goodness to us.

We thank you that you know our hearts and minds, so that when we feel down or lost, anxious or confused, you will always be there to support us.

Forgive us that we sometimes doubt you.  Forgive us when we forget to consider others who may need our help and support.

We pray this evening for all those many thousands who are ill with the coronavirus, that they and those who care for them may be strengthened by your love.

We pray for all who have lost loved ones, that they may be supported in their time of grief.

We pray for all who work in health and social care settings.  We know they must be exhausted, anxious for their own health and that of those who are close to them.  May they know they are supported by prayer and feel your love and the appreciation of us all surrounding them.

Lastly, we pray that we may never lose hope.  As the prophet Isaiah said,

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41 v 10)

Amen.

Let us say together 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
now and for ever.
Amen.

And now, let us bless one another with The Grace:

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.

Take care and stay safe.

Goodnight.

Rosemary Kearsey