Our church building may be closed, but God’s eyes are open and his ears are attentive to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7.15).

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.’

Psalm 91.1-2 (NIV)

Today’s Proverb

Read the proverb through three or four times, slowly. Pause in-between, maybe write it out by hand – savour the words, let them speak deeply to you.

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered.

Proverbs 21.13 (NIV)

It’s amazing the more you read the Bible, the more you notice God’s concern for the poor, and questions of social justice – i.e. standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

I think sometimes in our heads (especially in such a rich nation, compared to most of the world) we translate ‘poor’ to be ‘poor in spirit’. And it’s true that a lot of the time, what’s true in a physical sense in the Old Testament is true in a spiritual sense in the New Testament (think God’s rule, God’s kingdom, God’s temple).

However, the concern for the poor – those who are actually poor – carries through the whole Bible, and is a big component of Jesus’ teaching (for example, the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25.31-end).

How much do we shut our ears to the cry of the poor in our area? Are we so deaf to the cries, we don’t even realise or know who is crying out?

Do we dare cry out to God when we ignore the cries of others?

Prayers

Our daily prayer sheet includes the names of everyone for whom we have a signed church family directory form – and local parishes and senior church leaders.

Today we are praying for
Bruce & Judith Ackers, and Tony & Janet Land

Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.

Please pray for our leaders and healthcare workers, and all those working to keep us safe, well, and fed. Please pray that people would unselfishly put others before themselves, and buy only what they need.

Church Family Prayer

Come Holy Spirit,
and make us one in heart and action,
so that we can serve God faithfully:
abounding in love,
maturing in holiness,
and seeking out the lost.
Help us grow as disciples of Jesus –
in commitment, in depth, and in number –
that we may be a blessing to Amington;
to the glory and praise of God the Father.
Amen.

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.
Amen.

Closing Prayer

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the only way to the Father.

Psalm 127.1, Hebrews 12.2 & John 14.6

May Christ our Saviour give us peace.
Amen.