Morning Prayer Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Good morning, Cornerstone friends.

We have three more Sundays ahead of us using Zoom only and then it’s Pentecost,
when we have the choice of both Zoom and attending church in person.

God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us.
That your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among the nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the people praise you.
O let the nations rejoice and be glad,
for you will judge the peoples righteously
and govern the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the people praise you.

Then shall the earth bring forth her increase,
our God, our own God will bless us.
God will bless us
and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalm 67

In the face of Jesus Christ your light and glory have blazed forth,
O God of all nations; with all your people, may we make known your grace
and walk in the ways of peace; for your name’s sake.

Amen

Then Jesus cried aloud, ’Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.

I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.’

John 12: 44–50

The psalm is an often-quoted one; it turns up in my prayer book for today
and as part of regular Thursday morning liturgy and as a canticle on several other occasions.
I will finish today with a shortened version to keep in your mind all day at the end of our session.

The words of Jesus were shouted out to a crowd
who were not too keen to hear what our Lord was telling them.
The message for us today could be his claim,

‘I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.’

Let us spend today believing, as children of the light.

Let us pray for the church.

George in his sermon last Sunday talked about discipleship, that it is intentional
and we can only follow God if we have complete trust in him.
He also said we are all likely to fail, and the news this last week has featured
the failure of the Church of England to use the vocation of ethnic minority ordained people
at all levels of the organisation.
Another instance of racial bias.
Let us pray that all of us in whatever our calling may be encouraged to give of our best.
We pray also for the work needed to get our church ready
for those who wish to attend in safety from Pentecost.

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight if the risen Lord; give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of, the Holy Spirit, One God forever.

Amen

Let us pray for the world

Inequality is leading to wide variation in treatment and survival rates of those suffering from the pandemic.
It has led to increased poverty in many parts of the world, increased starvation,
increased poor health and increased death rates.
Europe and the USA have had to offer increased help to India,
where the incidence of infection is rising out of control.
Our country is contributing but our current government has cut foreign aid substantially.
The level is fixed to our ‘Gross Domestic Product’ (GDP),
which is much lower than before the outbreak of Covid 19
and the proportion of GDP that we are giving has been reduced as well.
There have been big cuts when the need is greater.
Let us pray for a change of heart in Westminster.
This week the Pope has drawn attention to the continuing problem of migration from Africa to Europe.
Over 130 migrants are feared dead and the Pope has said,
‘I am very pained over yet another tragedy.
They are human lives who for two days begged in vain for help; a help that never arrived.’

Lord, my thoughts turn upon myself.
Turn them upward to you and outward to your other children,
that I may forget myself and lose all fear and anxiety, all self-seeking and self-consciousness,
in worship of you and love for others.
O save me from myself to worship, love and serve you and serve in perfect freedom.

Dear Lord, I expect to pass through this world but once and any good thing I can do
or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now;
by your grace let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Amen

Don’t forget the Citizens:MK event tomorrow evening.

Go and spend this day with lightness of heart as children of the light.

Let all the peoples praise you, O God, that your way may be known upon earth.
Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, and our own God will bless us.

Don Head