Morning Prayers Friday, 7 August 2020
Morning Prayers for Friday, 7th August 2020
Good morning to you all who have come to Christ the Cornerstone to begin your day. You are very welcome. Let us pray.
Lord, we thank you for your blessing of a night of rest and our awakening to a peaceful morning. Keep me focused on you for these brief moments that will set me up for the rest of today. AMEN.
Yesterday was Hiroshima day. In usual times Milton Keynes people would gather at Willen Lake near the Pagoda at dusk to remember the destruction, pray for peace and launch memories onto the lake in lanterns. We had to remember at home last night.
It is 75 years since the atomic bomb devastated the two Japanese cities. Nationally, we will commemorate war’s end on August 15th and hopefully include repentance for August 6th. This weekend in cities around the UK there will be people recommitting themselves to the abolition of nuclear weapons. Our deepest longings are for peace, security and stability – a desire to live without the spectre of weapons capable of mass destruction.
The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation in simple words reminds us to include penitence and forgiveness in our commemorations.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
FATHER FORGIVE
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
FATHER FORGIVE
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
FATHER FORGIVE
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
FATHER FORGIVE
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
FATHER FORGIVE
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
FATHER FORGIVE
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
FATHER FORGIVE
Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.
Lord, help us to see the ages long damages of war: those we have created, those we are called to witness and those it is ours to heal. In our remembrance may we renew our commitment to calming anxieties and dispelling fears, overcoming animosities within and conflict without and to building a greater peace. AMEN
A reading from Colossians 3:12-15
As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Always be thankful.
Lord, we pray for the people of Beirut whose lives for so long have been blighted by poor governance, the spectre of grumbling conflict, insecurity and now an explosion of war-like proportion. Bring calm to that chaos, strengthen the will of the people to put first their common good and grant to all full measure of compassion. AMEN
Lord we pray for our country as the government struggles to return safety and security to us all. Bring to their vision the knowledge and skill of local people to be the working engine of a system to protect us all. Give them the courage to put aside dogma for honesty and to cherish our common humanity. AMEN
Lord we pray for people living on the edge of employment whose subsistence is insecure from day to day. Endow them with our gratitude and strengthen their hope. Give employers imagination to adjust, adapt and hold together their workplace families. AMEN
Lord we pray for Milton Keynes in its wonderful diversity. Make us a place where everyone is truly welcome and cared for. Make us a place of curiosity where everyone’s contribution is welcome. Make us a place of peaceful enjoyment where no one walks in fear, where every neighbourhood is a place of security and safety. AMEN
Lord we pray for ourselves setting out on our daily round. Give us courage to call out what is wrong, to uphold the weak, to smile at everyone we meet today and to arrive safely at sunset. With confidence in Christ who saved us and keeps us, we pray. AMEN.
Go safely with blessing into this Friday morning. AMEN
Cheryl Montgomery
