Sunday 14th June:
Hymn: To God be the glory (StF 94/H&P 463)
Prayer:
Our worship has to take a different shape and form these days, Lord, but, for all that, it is no less sincere, or our love for you less real. We praise you for being our Almighty God, the One who has not only done ‘great things’ for us, but, through your Holy and Life-giving Spirit, continues to give meaning and purpose and direction to our lives. So we lift our hearts, our minds and our lives to you, Lord, asking only that all we are and all we do may be to your honour and glory.
Amen!
Liz Stuart
Saturday 13th June:
Hymn: Just a closer walk with thee (web)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we keep close to you we find the courage and confidence to face whatever each day brings. You are the Friend who always makes time, always listens; who makes our day brighter and never fails to be there for us. With your love surrounding us, Lord, all things become possible – we discover a new joy, and all at once the future is full of hope and promise!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 12th June:
Hymn: O thou who camest from above (StF 564/H&P 745)
Prayer:
Lord God, we want to give glory to you with our lips and with our lives, so we ask for that flame of love to be kindled in our hearts. But we know that, left untended, this fire will go out; it needs refuelling with your Word, by our prayer-life and through your Holy Spirit alive in us. So keep us vigilant and keep us constant, Lord, to guard and to fan that flame into a blaze, to your honour and praise.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 11th June:
Hymn: He is able (web)
Prayer:
Sometimes, in fact quite often if we’re honest, Lord, we make you too small. We lose sight of your greatness and your power, but even more we lose sight of the creativity and the gifts you want to develop and grow in us. Help us to remember that you are able to do in us and through us more than we can ever imagine or dream of – and please give us the courage to be open to all your possibilities!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 10th June:
Hymn: Who is there like you? (SofF 1117/CMP 1017)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there is no-one like you, no-one who has loved, who has given, who has achieved as much as you have, and all of it for us! And it’s because of this – because of who you are, and the way you have reached out to us in your grace and generosity and faithfulness, that we can put our trust and hope entirely in you, knowing that you will never let us down. Thank you, Lord.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 9th June:
Hymn: The Lord is my salvation (Web)
Prayer:
There is indeed no-one like you, our loving, Lord God! You are faithful in all your promises, you are our strength in weakness, our companion when we feel alone, our healer in distress, and our hope in times of despair. Help us to remember that you are never more than a whisper away, and just long for us to turn to you in confidence and trust.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 8th June:
Hymn: When the music fades (StF 437/SofF 1113/CMP 1016)
Prayer:
We miss being together, Lord – that sense of belonging, of fellowship. It does feel as though all has been ‘stripped away’ – and yet… and yet perhaps we are beginning to discover not only new ways of connecting with each other, but a new depth of relationship with you. That you are present not only at one time and in one place, but in the whole of our lives – that it is ‘all about you, Jesus’ – and in this find joy in the everyday, and in a real sense, ‘the heart of worship’.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 7th June:
Hymn: Come, let us sing to the One (StF 2/SofF 1740)
Prayer:
Holy and glorious God, One in Three and Three in One, we worship and adore you, for you are complete in your majesty, your love and your power. And yet, in your goodness and grace, you reach out to us, stretching the limits of our imagination, strengthening and enabling us, and letting loose in us your dynamic life. Amazing God, we offer you our love, our thanksgiving, and ourselves, in Jesus’ Name.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 6th June:
Hymn: All my days (Beautiful Saviour) (StF 343/SofF 1158)
Prayer:
So many of us feel helpless these days, Lord. We wait anxiously to hear the latest statistics, to receive the latest instructions about what we can do, where we can go, and often we end up feeling more confused, and more fearful of what the future may look like. Help us, Lord, to listen less to the News and more to you, for you are the ‘Lord of history’,’ the Way, the Truth and the Life’, and when we put our trust in you, Jesus, we are able to hear you speak into our hearts words of reassurance and love – and we find peace.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 5th June:
Hymn: Jesus, you are changing me (SofF 311/MP 389)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, nothing stands still. The world around us is changing. Every day the seasons move on, news comes and goes, sometimes better, sometimes worse. And we change, Lord – our circumstances, our life experiences, our expectations don’t stay the same. But in all of this, Lord, you are constant in your love and your faithfulness, and we discover that as we allow you to change our inner selves – to transform us, and to grow us through your Holy Spirit more into your likeness – that we find the strength to cope with everything else. Thank you, Jesus!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 4th June:
Hymn: Living hope (web)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in you we have a living hope, and this gives us the certainty that nothing, no virus, not even death itself, can separate us from your presence and your love. Whenever doubt or despondency or distress threaten to overwhelm us and undermine our faith, help us to hold on firmly to this hope, which unlike our human hopes, will never disappoint us.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 3rd June:
Hymn: Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart (StF 477/SofF 1013/CMP 936)
Prayer:
Loving God, you created the ‘rhythm of life’, and our physical bodies are only kept alive by the rhythm of our heart beat. Help us to remember that it is the same with our spiritual lives – that only when we dance in step with the ‘beat of your heart’ that we will flourish and grow in our faith. And that, for best performance, both rely on that beat being consistent and regular!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 2nd June:
Hymn: Beloved and blessed (SofF 1191)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are always there for us, sustaining us and meeting our every need. You are the source of our life and hope, forever reaching out to us in love and compassion, in acceptance and forgiveness, helping us to conquer our anxieties and fear. May all that we are, and all that we strive to do, bring glory to your holy Name.
Amen!
Liz Stuart
Monday 1st June:
Hymn: O God of burning, cleansing flame (SofF 955/CMP 1004)
Prayer:
Lord God, we need the fire of your Holy Spirit to encourage and strengthen us in these difficult times when there is so much suffering, anxiety and confusion. We cannot know the outcome of it all, or what the future holds, but we do know that we can fully put our trust in you. Fan the flames of our faith when we feel worn down, and give us the boldness of those first apostles to speak of your love, and of the hope and new life that you have made possible and available through Jesus Christ.
Amen
Liz Stuart
