Evening Prayer Thursday, 5 November 2020
A reading from Psalm 78
1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old –
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so that the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
Psalm 78: 1–7
Dear Lord, we thank you for your teaching, handed down to us from the earliest times.
We thank you for all those who have played a part in bringing your teaching to us:
the prophets in Old Testament times; the evangelists and epistle-writers of the New Testament,
the fathers of the early church, and all the preachers and commentators
who have interpreted your words afresh for each generation,
showing the relevance of your laws and precepts in every age and time.
We thank you for our ministers and preachers here in your church today,
who encourage us to study your Word and help us to apply it in our own daily lives.
We pray that you will give us the understanding required to pass your teaching to the next generation.
Even though we may find it difficult to express ourselves in words,
may the way we live our lives and respond to those about us, show others what you have done for us.
As we face the start of restrictions imposed in this second lockdown,
show us how we can reach out to our neighbours near and far
to share with them the blessings of your loving care for us.
While we are all concerned for our futures and those of our loved ones,
may we help to build a caring, compassionate community that seeks to promote the common good.
At the end of this first day of renewed restrictions,
may we reflect on how the day has been for us and for our neighbours.
We ask you to give us the insight to learn from our new experiences,
so that we may apply these lessons to our life in the days ahead.
We pray that you will continue to watch over us and guide us though all the days to come.
We close our prayers this evening by saying the Grace together:
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
