Morning Prayer Wednesday, 27 October 2021

Good morning good friends, we have the gift of another day, our last Wednesday in British Summer Time. Let us spend some time of quiet and reflection together.

How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall I have anguish in my soul
and grief in my heart, day after day?
How long shall my enemy have triumph over me?

Look upon me and answer, O Lord my God;
lighten my eyes lest I sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say. ‘I have prevailed against him,’
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.

But I will put my trust in your steadfast love;
my heart will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has dealt so bountifully with me.

Psalm 13

I love the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplication.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, who passed through the darkness of death,
remember those who cry to you in shame and silence and defeat
and raise them to your risen life for you are alive and reign for ever.

Amen

Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’

He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door saying, “Lord, open to us.”

‘Then he will reply “I do not know you or where you come from.”

‘Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.”

‘But he will say, “I do not know you or where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!”

‘There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from the east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the Kingdom of God. Indeed some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’

Luke 13: 22–30

The psalm is echoing the thoughts of those who feel the weight of the world upon them and are beginning to lose hope. Then suddenly there is the cry, ‘but I will put my trust in your steadfast love’.

The gospel is also a story of those who find themselves ‘left outside’ and, in the story, God does not say, ‘Who are you?’ or ‘I do not know you!’, but says ‘I do not know where you come from!’ If the response from God is put that way, is it a challenge that we should be so clear in our discipleship that the place we come from will be changed in the sight of God?

We wish to be a people offering ‘an Oasis of Hope’, so let us pray that we will put our trust in God’s steadfast love to be ready to walk alongside those who ‘cry in shame, silence or defeat’. Let us pray that our worshiping community will shine the light of God’s love to the whole of Central Milton Keynes and not keep that ‘light’ hidden under our own dome or only apparent on Sundays.

We pray for John and Rosemary Kearsey, following the death of John’s father last week, and for Mary Cotes, following the recent death of her dear mother, Lorna Elisabeth Cotes. We have heard this week from Andrew Jarvis that his mother, Judy Jarvis, died recently. She and her husband Eric were very active members of our congregation before they moved to Scotland.

Lord Jesus Christ you taught your disciples saying, ‘Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.’ We pray for all those facing the loss of loved ones and that by your grace you may draw close to them so they will feel your steadfast love, deep peace and comfort.

Amen

Let us pray for the church as we approach the fourth Sunday before Advent and celebrate All Saints Day next Monday. The liturgical year is on a countdown. Several of our sponsoring denominations are noticing divisions of opinion between churches in developed countries and those from Africa and parts of Asia, regarding issues of human sexuality and what can constitute a ‘family’.

We in Cornerstone have to be ready to face differences of approach, being linked to five major denominations. What can hinder us more than this is the problems of ‘clash of personalities’. In his sermon on Sunday, Ernesto called for more humility and readiness to understand one another and being prepared to accept the ‘otherness’ which exists in us all. So let us pray for more love and understanding. Differences can remain without our being divided, if we show love in our relationships.

(If you can find time, why not read 1 John 4: 7–21, which was read at the evening service last Sunday. It says it so simply and well.)

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, ‘Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you’; look not on our sins but on the faith that is in your church and grant it the peace and unity of your kingdom; where you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.

Amen

Let us pray for the world. Next weekend the COP26 meetings begin and the global leaders have two weeks to agree a way forward to deal with global warming and other problems of the earth’s ecology. Wendy Carey, leading our evening worship last Sunday, likened our world to one of those family treasures that are in bad shape and get taken to the crafts-persons in TV programme, The Repair Shop. Let us pray for our governments finding the right crafts-persons and tools to restore our climate balance.

We are still in the middle of a pandemic and needing to be cautious and acting to protect ourselves and other people we contact. Covid is still a problem overwhelming many parts of the world, but in this country, however, many of the restrictions of the lockdown of the last year have been removed.

The shopping centres are busier and preparing for an increase in trade with the weeks leading up to Christmas, and more offices are opening up for more activity at the workplace and less working from home. Central Milton Keynes has a bit more buzz about it, but it is still not clear how effectively the economy of our country is recovering. Later today we shall hear about the government’s budget for the coming year. Where the spending on public services will be and where changes to tax levels and benefit levels will affect us all.

Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed; kindle we pray in the hearts of all, the true love of peace and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward, ‘til the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Have a peaceful day, good friends, and experience that steadfast love that the psalmist wrote about.

Don Head