During this time of uncertainty and the need for social distance we hope that you will find comfort and strength in these resources.
Daily Prayer & Hymn Suggest
Friday 8th December
Hymn: O come, O come Immanuel (StF 180/H&P 85/SofF 410/MP 493)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we long for your coming. We join in the chorus which echoes across the centuries as people of countless generations have taken up the cry, ‘O come’. Come amongst us in power, come amongst us in glory, come amongst us in compassion and love, but come, Lord! For we need you so much in a world full of pain and suffering, in a world that has lost its way, in a world overcast by darkness we so need your light. For you are our only hope, Lord, the only one who can re-establish truth and justice, who can bring peace. But in the meantime, Jesus, please come into our lives, make your home in us, so that we may be bearers of your light and love to those around us who need to be lifted up.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 7th December
Hymn: Holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (SofF 771)
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty – yes, Lord, we want lift up our hearts and praise you for all that you are. For your steadfastness, your faithfulness, your goodness, your power, your holiness and so much more, and most amazing of all, for your love reaching out to each and every one of us, enfolding us, embracing us, strengthening us and holding us steady in the midst of the chances and changes of life. A love which has carried us through times of heartache and difficulty, which has enhanced our joy, and given peace and security to troubled hearts and minds throughout the ages, and to us. If we do nothing else today, Lord, let us stop and spend time to worship you, to lift up your Name, and let your love fill us afresh!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 6th December
Hymn: Longing for light (StF 706)
Prayer:
The world is a dark place at the moment, Lord, and somehow it’s hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Everywhere we look there seem to be bad things happening, war, injustice, discrimination, abuse, random killings and destruction of lives and of livelihoods. And we see this suffering echoed in your Creation, Lord, with all the pollution that has led to climate change, spreading like a fog over our cities and causing crop failure in the poorest parts of our world. Yes, Lord God, we long for light, for hope, for leaders of nations to seek peace rather than conflict, for constructive action to deal with the effects of global warming – for your kingdom to come and your will to be done on earth! You sent Jesus to be Light for the world, Lord God. May His light shine in our hearts today, and spread out from us to illuminate our small corner of your kingdom.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 5th December
Hymn: I choose Jesus
Prayer:
Life is full of choices, Lord Jesus, some of them fairly trivial but others which change the whole course of our lives – and inevitably there are some choices that we regret. But one which has proved its worth, which stands head and shoulders above every decision we have ever made, which has been life-changing with a capital ‘L’, is our choice to follow you, Jesus, and to make you Lord of our lives. And the amazing thing about it all is that when we do this, when we commit our lives to you, we discover that you had already chosen us, because it was out of love for us that you came to earth, that you suffered and died on a Cross and rose again so that we might have eternal joy with you. So today, Lord, we want to renew our promises to you, to give ourselves to you afresh, knowing that you will be with us for the whole of our lives and beyond.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 4th December
Hymn: Never walk alone
Prayer:
As we enter into a new week, Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness to us through so many seasons of our lives. For those times when we have felt very much alone and been aware of your presence with us, holding us, supporting us, lifting us up and giving us the confidence to move on. For your love enfolding us when life seemed empty and the future dark and unfriendly, giving us the courage we needed to take another step forward and to trust again. So, Lord, we place today and the coming days into your loving care, knowing that you will never desert us, and that with you alongside us we have nothing to fear. Thank you, Lord!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 3rd December
Hymn: to the God who clears the way (StF 183)
Prayer:
On this first Sunday in Advent we praise you for all the ways in which you prepared and planned for the coming of Jesus. For those who over the course of hundreds of years kept faith alive and looked forward to His coming, and in whose words we still find hope and reassurance today. We praise you too for those who brought those promises to us, who nurtured faith in us, and in their living and in their loving revealed your great love for us. May we, in our turn, clear the way in our lives this Advent, and make room for Jesus to enter afresh into our hearts as we prepare to welcome Him again this Christmas, and make known to others the hope and promise Jesus alone can bring.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 2nd December
Hymn: Thy Kingdom come, O God (H&P 783/MP 949)
Prayer:
With all the turmoil in the world, Lord God, with so many places at war, with death and destruction constantly in the news and so many people suffering loss, with the climate in a mess, we long for your kingdom to come, for that reign of peace and love to begin. How much longer must we wait, Lord, when will your patience with your world end? And yet, in the waiting, even in the wanting, we know you are there, Lord – there in the suffering, there in the hurting, comforting, bringing hope where there seems to be no hope, and love into situations where it seems only hatred can thrive. Lord, we often feel so helpless, but help us to be peacemakers in the places where you have put us to minister to others, so that we too may be bringers of hope as we share and show your love with those around us.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 1st December
Hymn: It may be winter now
Prayer:
The beginning of December! We can’t put off any longer the realisation that Christmas is creeping up on us and that brings mixed feelings, Lord. Because we know that along with all the excitement and the festivities there will be the memories – of Christmases past when we shared happy times with loved ones no longer with us, and for many those memories will be very raw and very real. Along with the celebration there will be sadness, loved ones, friends and family, we have had to cross off our card list, the empty place at the table, and those phone calls and visits we shall miss. As we recall those names and faces and relationships, help us, nevertheless, to look forward, Lord, for you are the God of healing and hope and nothing can separate us from your love.
Amen
Liz Stuart
