Morning Prayer Wednesday, 24 February 2021

Good morning, Cornerstone friends on this day with promise of Spring.
The government have outlined a programme to remove the restrictions
on movement and meeting together, so it is a day to be thankful.

My soul is pining for your salvation;
I have hoped in your word.
My eyes fail with watching for your word,
while I say, ‘O when will you comfort me?’
I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I do not forget your statutes.
How many are the days of your servant?
When will you bring judgement on those who persecute me?
The proud have dug pits for me
in defiance of your law.
All your commandments are true,
help me for they persecute me with falsehood.
They had almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your commandments.
Give me life according to your loving-kindness,
so shall I keep the testimonies of your mouth.

O Lord, your word is everlasting,
it ever stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness also remains from one generation to another;
you have established the earth and it abides.

Psalm 119: 81–90

Lord Christ, as we sit at your feet, teach us your living way; for you are our Word and Wisdom,
one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

Amen

Common Praise

But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’

When the crowds were increasing he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of man will be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!’

Luke 11: 28–32

The psalm excerpt is typical of so many, pleading with God for release from troubles
and asking ‘O when will you comfort me?’
The gospel is not so easy to understand.
It does not sound like our Lord to shout out ‘I am the greatest,’
and superficially this reading comes over like this.
Jesus is recorded very frequently reminding those he was teaching
that he was not going to give them a supernatural event to prove his credentials.
In this case he describes two events from the Hebrew Scriptures that his hearers would recognise.
Jonah, who spent three days in the body of a large fish, was ‘resurrected’
and went to Nineveh, a great Gentile city, with God’s message and its people heard.
Then the Queen of Sheba, who travelled all the way from Africa to meet King Solomon
the most famous of the Kings of Israel.
Our Lord would rise from the dead and be greater than any prophet or king.
Nineveh a Gentile city and a Gentile queen represent the nations of the world
who will stand in judgement over those who keep asking for a dramatic sign from God.
He said to Moses, ‘I am that which I will always be.’
His message for us is, ‘God is God, just trust in God’.
With that in mind let us make our morning prayers firstly for the Church:

We pray for the Church coming to terms with an age where the screen is taking over from the book
and the fact that, relying on video links, we can get as close to everyone beyond our household
whether they are near neighbours or from the other side of the world.
Let us pray that we can all be open to new ways of showing God’s love.
Last Sunday, Krou, in his meditation, reminded us that we have to use all media
and communicate differently at any time
to make the message relevant to the variety of our community:
to old as to young, to those who are new to their faith
as to those who have a long life of following Christ,
to those who join in our worship as to those who do not yet join us.
We need several languages and means of communicating, not just one way or one method.

We pray for all those who are unwell, for those who care for them,
for young people anticipating returning to school or college,
for all who are feeling the strain of these times.

We pray that God will call a wide cross section of people to offer to serve on our Ecumenical Council
as we prepare for more activities in our building and beyond it within the community.
We pray that we will be able to keep our finances and physical resources sufficiently sound
to fulfil the mission you have trusted to us.

Christ of every new day, we offer you our lives and in our limited words, we affirm our faith in confidence and prayerful hope.
Christ the carpenter, help us get our hands dirty as we work for your people and creation.

Amen

Iona Prayer Book

We pray for the world and for its people: a world where many are in want while others have plenty.
We pray that those with plenty may open their hearts
and find ways to make the world fairer so that all can have sufficient for their needs;
a world where the leaders of nations, leaders of business and commerce
and those organising our public services,
struggle to deal with the multiple challenges of the decisions they will have to take today.
Give them wisdom and foresight and a sense of the common good,
so that we may all live in harmony and free from want.

Lord, what are we afraid of? It’s not a perfect world, we know.
You have good cause to know, remembering the cross.
There is still violence and pain, doubt and distrust
and this makes people frightened or aggressive while underneath they are trembling.
Lord remind us, when we shout out or raise our fists,
that the only weapon that really protects us is love.
This is not going to be easy.
The fear and stress will still come, does come,
but, Lord, if we are going to win through to peace,
we have to be sure love is the only way.
Opening ourselves to others, showing that they have nothing to fear from us.
Our believing in them, maybe even before they believe in themselves.
If we start to love like that, maybe the response we get from them will be of love too.
Lord, help us to start now.

Amen

Paraphrased from Eddie Askew, Iona Prayer Book

Almighty God, who created our beautiful world and brings it afresh to life each year,
you give us time to appreciate its beauty and express the joy we gain from it.
Give us also the time today to bring that joy to others
so that more will reach the end of this day with their hearts lifted in thanks to you,
the source of all that is good.

Amen

Have a day of joy.

Don Head