Sunday 12th April
Hymn: Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son (StF 333/H&P 212)
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for the glory and wonder of that first Easter Day. For despair turned to hope, doubt to faith, grief to joy and death to eternal life – and not only for then but for us now, and for always! Through the transforming power of your Holy Spirit fill us with new life in the assurance that Christ is risen: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen!
Liz Stuart
Saturday 11th April
Hymn: How deep the Father’s love for us (MP 988/SofF 780)
Prayer:
Father God, those words can trip so lightly off the tongue, that you ‘loved the world so much that you gave your only Son’, and we can’t begin to grasp the pain and heartache of it all, of a love so deep, or indeed of a sacrifice so great. Yet it is through that love, through the sacrifice Jesus made, that your face is turned towards us, and we can know the peace and freedom and joy of life lived eternally in your presence.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 10th April
Hymn: Come and see (StF 270/MP 85)
Prayer:
I don’t want to see, Lord – the pain, the suffering, the torment – it’s too much to ask, too much to bear! But when I do open my eyes, and when I meet your eyes, full of love, full of forgiveness, full of understanding, I can’t hide any longer – from myself or from the pain of others. And I learn the true cost of worship.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 9th April
Hymn: Meekness and majesty (StF 362/MP 465)
Prayer:
Washing feet, Lord – dirty, dusty, smelly, sweaty feet! Surely not – or, at least, surely not for you? Yet, Jesus, in that act of supreme humility you put all our pretensions, all our pride to shame and show us the true nature of discipleship, and what serving others, serving you really means.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 8th April
Hymn: Beneath the Cross of Jesus (StF 442)
Prayer:
There is something magnetic about your Cross, Lord Jesus, for it not only draws our eyes, our hearts, our feet but it draws us together as your family, no longer isolated and alone, but all equally welcomed and loved.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 7th April
Hymn: Here is love vast as the ocean (MP 987/SofF168)
Prayer (based on the 3rd verse of ‘Here is love’):
Thank you, Lord, for the truth and guidance we receive through your word, for your grace sufficient for our every need, and for your unmeasurable, boundless love and power reaching out to each one of us through your Holy Spirit, as we put our trust in you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 6th April
Hymn: Praise to the holiest in the height (StF 334/H&P 231)
Prayer:
As we look at the whole of your life, Lord Jesus, from your coming to earth to your death on the Cross, we realize just how much you were willing to give up to rescue us from our sin and bring us back to God. Forgive us for the times we have taken this lightly, and thank you for loving us so much.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 5th April
Hymn: Make way, make way, for Christ the King (StF 264/MP457)
Prayer:
The crowds did indeed make way for you, Jesus, as you entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, but their expectations, their hopes and dreams, were not the same as yours. As we welcome you into our lives, Lord, tune our hearts, our thoughts and our wills to perfectly harmonize with your plan and purpose, that we might better know you and serve you in spirit and in truth.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 4th April
Hymn: The Lord’s my shepherd (StF 481)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you walked that ‘darkest path’ as you approached Jerusalem, aware of what lay ahead, what fears, what doubts, what dreads assailed you? But it is because of this that we can be sure that you are with us, alongside us, indeed walking ahead of us into whatever situation we face, in our uncertainties, our anxieties and particularly in these troubled times. And so with confidence we place our hope, our trust in you, and in your unfailing love.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 3rd April
Hymn: Amazing grace, (StF 440/H&P 215)
Prayer:
Yes, Lord, your grace truly is amazing! There is nothing we can do to earn it, or merit it, or live up to it – it doesn’t rely on us scoring ‘Brownie points’ – it’s all down to you and the sacrifice Jesus has made for our sins on the Cross. It’s your love-gift to us and to all, the riches of your promises at Christ’s expense. Wow! Thank you!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 2nd April
Hymn: Loved with everlasting love, Mission Praise 452
Prayer:
Lord, what more do we need than to know than we are encircled and held in your everlasting, amazing love? Thank you for the way this gives new meaning and purpose, new joy and hope to the whole of life, today, tomorrow and for the future.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 1st April
Hymn: You are my strength when I am weak, Mission Praise 1019
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because you were tempted and walked the path of suffering, we know you will strengthen us when we are struggling and vulnerable. Because you loved us enough to die on the Cross to free us from our sin, we can be confident that nothing will ever separate us from your love. Because you rose again from death we have the assurance that you are with us now and always. On our Lenten and on our life journey help us to put our hope and trust more firmly and more completely in you, certain that you will never let us go.
Amen
Liz Stuart
