Evening Prayer Thursday, 11 February 2021
A reading from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians
Ministers of the New Covenant
12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
2 Corinthians 2: 12–17
Dear Lord, teach us to follow you with confidence, no matter where you lead us.
Use us, we pray, to bring the knowledge of the love of Christ to all those to whom you send us.
We do not feel equal to the task, but with faith in you, no task that you set before us is beyond us.
We know that you do not ask of us anything that we cannot achieve.
Give us the confidence to speak out, always telling your truth,
however unpopular that may make us with our hearers.
Your truth has the power to set both them and us free.
We ask for your blessing on your community of Christ the Cornerstone.
We pray that all will respect their fellow workers in your vineyard,
and speak with moderation to those with whom they do not agree.
May all our assemblies be examples to all of how we may live and work together
in harmony to fulfil your mission for us.
May we all learn to understand the work that our colleagues are doing,
appreciate their dedication, their efforts, and the sacrifices they make.
We pray for the community within which you have placed us:
our neighbourhood, our city, our country and your world.
We give thanks to you for all the advantages we have of living in Milton Keynes,
where we enjoy excellent healthcare, good public services and a green and pleasant environment.
May we always be mindful of those who cannot enjoy these things as we do:
those who are housebound, those who cannot get about well,
and those who have anxieties about health and well-being, loss of employment and financial worries.
While we rejoice in the rapidity of the roll-out of the covid-19 vaccines in our community
we pray that vaccine manufacturers, national governments, and international agencies and charities
all work together to ensure the effective worldwide availability of vaccines,
even to the poorest communities.
We give thanks to you, Lord, for the attempts to extend access to fellowship at Cornerstone
during the current restrictions to those members of our community with limited access
to modern communication technologies. Bless these endeavours, we ask,
that they may bear fruit and draw ever more people into your fold.
Finally, we pray for our own needs. We pray that you will meet our needs in whatever ways
will best enable us to live full and rewarding lives in your service.
Also, we pray that we shall always share your bounty with others.
Amen
So, we say the Grace to one another, whether together or far apart:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore.
Amen
