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 Suggestion
Sunday 15th September
Hymn: Bless the Lord, O my soul (SofF 2231)
Prayer:
It’s a new day, Lord! A day for starting out on a new journey with you, for putting the past behind us, for forgetting the things that troubled us yesterday, putting aside the problems that may face us tomorrow, and simply living in today. For it’s your day, Lord, the day we celebrate your Resurrection, the start of everything new, new life, new hope, a new relationship with you – a day to sing new songs of praise and worship, for you are the Lord of new beginnings, beginnings which have no ending for they are set in eternity and in the security of your unending and unconditional love. So today, we’re going to count our blessings – all the reasons we have to glorify your name and give you thanks – though one day is never going to be enough!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 14th September
Hymn: Softly and tenderly
Prayer:
We all go through those times when we seem to have lost touch with you, Lord Jesus, or just feel our relationship with you is not as deep as it once was. Lots of reasons, Lord – maybe we have got out of the routine of a regular time of prayer because other things have got in the way. It could be that ill health or grief or anxiety has weighed heavily upon us, filling our thoughts and pushing you to the side-lines. Or it might be sheer weariness of body, mind and spirit. It’s not that we have lost our faith, but sometimes it can be hard to find our way back to where we once were. Thank you for your patience, Lord, for keeping on calling us even when we seem not to be listening. Waken us up, and remind us of your promises that you will never leave us or forsake us, and draw us near to you today.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 13th September
Hymn: Let there be love shared among us (SofF 329/ MP 411)
Prayer:
Lord God, you made us in your image, in your likeness, but you also made us as unique individuals, with different gifts, different personalities, strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. No two of us are the same, and when we work together all those many different traits and abilities make us stronger, more resilient, more creative, more able to serve you in an effective way. But the opposite is also true, for instead of reflecting your likeness, sometimes these differences between us cause conflict, division and disunity. So, most of all, what we need to reflect, Lord, is your love; to make that the basis of all our relationships, for then nothing can separate us either from you or from one another. And please help us to start doing this today!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 12th September
Hymn: Only you (SofF 402/CMP 899)
Prayer:
It’s so easy to be lured into believing that what the adverts say is true – that if we bought that latest gadget or product, booked for that exciting holiday, went on that ‘self-awareness’ course, or one of the many other invitations on offer, that we would have everything we needed to make us happy and fulfilled – and yet we know, Lord, perhaps from experience, that this is not true. That all the promises that ‘the world’ makes are empty promises and will always fail us and let us down. For it is only you, Lord, who ‘can satisfy the longings of our hearts’, those deep down yearnings for belonging, for love, for security, for that which gives a firm foundation to our lives and a strength and a hope we can rely on when the going is tough. So today, Lord, we’re going to ignore the media, for you, our loving and ever-faithful God, are everything we need!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 11th September
Hymn: O God, you search me and you know me (StF 728)
Prayer:
Loving God, you know all about us, our strengths and our weaknesses, the things that bring us joy and which distress us. You know our good intentions, and those we would rather not own; the times we honour you with what we think and say and do, and the times we let you down. You know us better than our best friend, than our closest relative, even better than we know ourselves. And while this could be a scary thought, it is actually an enormous comfort, because, in spite of it all, you still love us with an unwavering, extravagant love, longing for us to fulfil all you created us to be, but never giving up on us when we fail to do so. We thank you, Lord, and ask only that you will give us the strength today to live to your praise and glory.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 10th September
Hymn: Love of God
Prayer:
How great is your love, Lord God, for in Jesus you gave up everything for us, so that now there is ‘nothing in all creation’ that can ever separate us from you. We can never wholly grasp the cost of it all, nor can we put into words or adequately describe what it really means for us to have our sins totally forgiven. To be released from the guilt of past thoughts, words, actions that otherwise would weigh so heavily on our conscience – and then to have the promise of life in all its fullness for now and for ever. And yet we also know that without the Cross, without the suffering and the sacrifice we would never realise the amazing depth of your love for us, or the lengths you were willing to go to make us at one with you. And it is this, Lord, which gives us hope for today, and the courage to face all that the future may bring, for you are.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 9th September
Hymn: He is able
Prayer:
As we begin another week, going out into the community to work, to shop, perhaps to a group or a fun activity, we will meet many different people, Lord God, and find ourselves in different situations, some of them which may be difficult, uncomfortable or outside our experience. When the unexpected happens it could well be that you, Lord, have created this encounter, given us this unique opportunity to speak or act for you, and so we ask that you will give us the words and the wisdom we need. Help us to remember that while we may feel we are not up to the task, you are able and, indeed, you promise to equip us for whatever you call us to do, and it is often when you take us outside our ‘comfort zone’ that we grow in our faith and trust in you. May that be true for us today, Lord!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 8th September
Hymn: The love of God comes close (StF 654)
Prayer:
Lord God, we want to be a welcoming people, but it’s not always easy to get alongside those who have very different backgrounds from our own, different lifestyles, ethnicity, or come from a different culture. But we know, Lord, that you welcome all, that you have no ‘favourites’, and, indeed, you showed us through Jesus that those who don’t fit in, those others look down on or treat as outsiders are especially close to your heart. So help us to show others the same kind of inclusive love, remembering that we are all individually different and yet you love us all the same, regardless of our faults, our idiosyncrasies, and our inbuilt prejudices! Help us to treat everyone equally, and, as we worship today, to rejoice in the unity we have in you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 7th September
Hymn: Lord, I give you my heart (SofF 1561)
Prayer:
Lord, we want to praise and worship you with our whole being – we want you to have your way in us, to put your will above everything else, to make you the centre of our lives, but you know as well as we do that it doesn’t always work out like that. We can be very selfish, putting our wants before those of other people, using our time and abilities for our own gratification rather than for your glory, and then putting our discontent, our lack of fulfilment, down to the fact that we haven’t achieved what we hoped, or haven’t received the opportunities we felt we deserved, when actually it’s because we’ve got our priorities wrong. Lord, we are sorry and ask you to bring us back to our senses – to acknowledge that only in you and with you will we discover what true life is all about. Thank you for being a gracious, forgiving and loving God, and help us to keep ourselves and our lives focussed on you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 6th September
Hymn: Trust his heart
Prayer:
Loving God, we know that you have promised that in everything you are working for our good, but sometimes it doesn’t seem like that. Our plans don’t work out, we don’t get the job or the opportunity we were sure was right for us, perhaps a relationship that we thought was’ made in heaven’ doesn’t turn out the way we hoped, and we wonder what’s happening and where you are in all of this. What we don’t realise is that you don’t always see ‘our good’ the same way we do! We can only really live in ‘today’ but you see our future from an eternal perspective – you know the big picture, and you ask us to trust you beyond the small corner that is clear to us. So, Lord, we ask you to increase our faith, and when things don’t go quite as we hope or expect, it’s because you have a better plan for us and our lives.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 5th September
Hymn: Glorious things of thee are spoken (StF 748/H&P 817/SofF 127/MP 173)
Prayer:
Lord God, in this changing and often frightening world, where news of conflict, violence, injustice and inhumanity so often dominates the headlines, we thank you for the firm foundation we have in you. That we belong to a kingdom whose power is the power of love and compassion, whose laws are based upon mercy and peace, and whose future is set in eternity. We thank you for the hope this gives us, the hope we have in you, a hope which, unlike the hopes the world offers us, will never disappoint us, and for the security of your promises. Whatever anxieties life holds for us now, Lord, whatever troubles or difficulties we face, keep us strong in you, Lord, knowing that we can trust you for today and for all our tomorrows.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 4th September
Hymn: Because of your love (SofF 2398)
Prayer:
It’s all down to you, Lord Jesus, for there’s nothing we can do or be to deserve all the ways in which you have blessed us, through your Cross and Resurrection freeing us from our sin and giving us the gift of new life, life that is abounding in joy and hope and peace. And so we want to give our lives, ourselves and our gifts and abilities to you, Lord, to use in the building of your kingdom. Forgive us for the times we have been reluctant to share our faith in you, and help us today to see and to take hold of those opportunities you put in our way to tell others all you mean to us, all you have done for us, and to show this by our words and actions.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 3rd September
Hymn: When I look into your holiness (SofF 595/MP 754)
Prayer:
Lord God, when we make you the centre of our lives and begin to grow in our faith and in our understanding of all you are, we become more and more aware of your holiness, your goodness, your purity – and of our own failings. And yet you continue to reach out to us in love, not counting our imperfections but covering them with your grace, through Jesus forgiving us and enabling us to make a new beginning. Lord, how can we praise and thank you enough, except by offering you the worship of our hearts! We ask you to so fill us with the power of your Holy Spirit that we may live and speak and act today in ways that give you glory.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 2nd September
Hymn: The church of Christ in every age (StF415/H&P 804)
Prayer:
Lord God, as we go out into this new week, we ask that you will help us be more aware of the needs of others. You see, it’s all too easy to become so immersed in our own lives, our daily routine, our regular commitments, our church activities even, that we leave no opportunities for you to surprise us with people you want us to meet, changes you want us to embrace, situations you want us to respond to. Open our eyes, open our minds, dear Lord, so that we may see others as you see them; give us the courage and the compassion to get alongside those in need, and to show them something of your love, remembering that in serving others we are serving you – and let us start today!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 1st September
Hymn: Let love be real, in giving and receiving (StF 615)
Prayer:
Love is a word that is bandied about so lightly, Lord, to the extent that it has almost lost its value – until we look at Jesus, for in Him we see real love in action, love that is compassionate and inclusive, that is kind and forgiving, love that is, above all, sacrificial. If only we could follow His example, Lord, how different our relationships would be, but all too often, however hard we try, our human nature gets in the way. And so we thank you for this space today especially set aside for Worship, when together we ‘come clean’ before you, admit our failings and seek and receive your forgiveness. Let us take hold of this new beginning, Lord, but let us do so with humility, asking for the help of your Holy Spirit so that we might learn to love as Jesus showed us, and gradually become more like Him.
Amen
Liz Stuart
