Morning Prayers Friday, 8 May 2020

by Robin.Kyd · 8 May 2020

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our Friday Morning Prayers.

To focus our minds on God this morning, I am going to use a prayer written by St Anselm, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of the Eleventh Century:

Come now, turn aside for awhile from your daily employment.
Escape for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts.
Put aside your weighty cares.
Let your burdensome distractions wait.
Free yourself awhile for God and rest awhile in him.
Enter the inner chamber of your soul.
Shut out everything except God and that which can help you in seeking him.
And when you have shut the door, seek him.

Now, my whole heart, say to God,
‘I seek your face,
Lord, it is your face I seek.’

If you are listening to the voice recording, in the psalm below, you could refer to the written version, in order to join in with the sections in bold type.

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Friday morning is when we regularly hold a service of Prayers for Peace in our Chapel.
At these times, we try to focus on specific needs in other parts of the world,
as well as praying that all people may experience the peace of Christ in their lives.

If you can find time to visit the Christian Aid website (www.christianaid.org.uk),
you can read about ways in which this organisation is working
to address coronavirus in Bangladesh, Nigeria and Myanmar.
In many places, people have limited resources
and the lack of opportunity to self-isolate in overcrowded accommodation
can present additional risks to the population.

To quote from the Christian Aid website:

Together with our local partners, we are working quickly to limit the impact of coronavirus in some of the most vulnerable communities around the world.

- We are drawing on our experience from the Ebola crisis and helping communities to prevent and delay infection.
- We are providing essential soap, water and handwashing training.
- We are ensuring urgent health messages get through to help keep people safe.
- We are working through our networks of church partners and faith-based organisations to reach the most vulnerable at this critical time.

And so we pray, for people in this country and throughout the world:

For the health workers tending the seriously ill;
Lord, we thank you.
For the scientists working on a vaccination;
Lord, we thank you.
For the researchers analysing data and identifying trends;
Lord, we thank you.
For the media outlets working to communicate reality;
Lord, we thank you.
For the supermarket workers, hygiene and sanitation providers;
Lord, we thank you.
For the good news stories of recoveries and effective planning;
Lord, we thank you.
For the singing from balconies by locked-down communities;
Lord, we thank you.
For the recognition that isolation doesn’t need to mean loneliness;
Lord, we thank you.
For the notes through letterboxes offering help and support
Lord, we thank you.;
For the internet and telephones and technology that connects us;
Lord, we thank you.
For the awakening appreciation of what is truly important.

Thanks be to God.

So we continue, and conclude our prayers this morning by saying together in the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.