Morning Prayer Wednesday, 16 June 2021

Good morning, good people.
Today the church remembers St Richard, Bishop of Chichester eight hundred years ago,
but still remembered for his loving pastoral care of his people in troubled times.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord and have great delight in his commandments.
Their descendants shall be mighty in the land; a generation of the faithful that shall be blest.
Wealth and riches shall be in their house, and their righteousness endures for ever.
Light shines in the darkness for the upright; gracious and full of compassion are the righteous.
It goes well with those who are generous in lending and order their affairs with justice.
For they will never be shaken; the righteous will be held in everlasting remembrance.

Psalm 112: 1–6

Generous God, save us from meanness that calculates its interest and hoards earthly gain;
as we have freely received, so may we freely give; in the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Giving alms

‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Concerning prayer

‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who is in secret, will reward you.’

Matthew 6: 1–6

On one level, you can read these passages in the context of our giving money to charity
and to the work of the church.
It is a Christian duty to do both and both are very much in need of our money.

I think the psalmist is also thinking of generosity in other things too.
When we think of everlasting remembrance, particularly for those of our own families of earlier generations,
we remember first the love and sacrifice in other ways
rather than the money they may have given during our lives or bequeathed us when they died.
Those qualities of virtue that we learnt from their example are of much greater value.
Our faith does need us to consider carefully what money we give to the work of the church,
but also what we can give in our time and abilities, in our dedication to its mission
and the moral values we keep in our daily living.

The gospel is also about our private prayers. I found it difficult not to trespass on tomorrow’s gospel,
which is the verses that follow.
Jesus tells his disciples that God already knows what you are thinking but you still need to pray.
He then gives them the pattern that we now call the Lord’s Prayer, used by every generation of Christians,
right up to our time when we are sharing our thoughts and prayers on the internet.

(Please read verses 7–15 tomorrow, it’s a beautiful passage)

Our prayers do not change God, who already knows our thoughts;
our prayers must therefore be to change us and make our lives more fruitful for others.
Prayers are not to make us feel better about ourselves,
but to make others feel better about God when they spend time with us
because we have had time with God.

Let us pray for the church:
The message from last Sunday was about the parable of the mustard seed;
how whatever little things we may be able to do can have an effect much greater than we think.
It is a challenge for us all to be more dedicated to our faith.
Let us pray for the re-dedication of all who serve the Christian faith in whatever capacity
and for more people of talent to be drawn to accepting responsibility for God’s mission
in their place in today’s world.

Almighty God, you have entrusted to your church a share in the ministry of your Son our great high priest;
inspire by your Holy Spirit the hearts of many to offer themselves for the ministry of your Church,
that strengthened by his power they may work for the increase of your kingdom
and set forth the eternal praise of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

That prayer approaches God with the words ‘Almighty God’ as many do.
Jesus suggested we approach as speaking to a loving parent, so I am using also the prayer of St Richard,
who approached God in more familiar terms.

Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and ills you have borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day.

Amen

Let us pray for our world:
The leaders of the democratic nations with the stronger economies have met
and discussed the problems that face humanity and our earthly environment;
the communiques have been published and promises made,
now comes the test as to how and how quickly all those fine words will be put into effect.
Each leader, now has to return to the domestic issues at home, the different views and priorities.
The future of the world also depends upon the leaders of other powerful nations
and those concerned with international trade and business.

Meanwhile, those who rule in less influential nations wait, the ordinary people in all countries wait.
Let us pray for those people who wait in conditions of abject poverty,
real danger for their lives and that of their families,
those cut off from their communities, those who are ill or dying with no hope of relief.

Christ the healer, we give you thanks for places of healing and relief of suffering all over the world.
Guide those who lead the nations, that they may seek the common good of all people.
Grant us all places where we can be still and discover afresh the wonder and intensity of your love.

Amen

Guide and friend of every seeking heart, you take upon yourself all that burdens our lives;
our days of doubt, our divided hearts, our physical weakness
and that fear of the future which is so often our companion.
You transfigure them, freeing us of all that weighs us down.
Lord of the perplexed, enable us to rediscover your amazing truth –
that in your strength we can truly begin to walk anew with lightened step and clearer vision,
moving from the shadows into the clear flowing waters of your healing, gentle grace.

Amen

May you all have a day moving into the clear flowing waters of God’s healing, gentle grace.

Don Head