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:

The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead
is living in us;
he who raised Jesus from the dead will give us life
because of his Spirit who lives in us.

from Romans 8.11

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.

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm for ever.

Proverbs 10.25 (NIV)

Here we have a proverb that teaches us how things should (and one day will) be. A number of the Proverbs draw heavily on Noah and the Flood – as does quite a lot of the book of Job.

If you look at Genesis 6-9, you’ll see how wicked the people were: ‘every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time’ (6.5, NIV). The storm came – the wicked were judged and killed – and the righteous were kept safe in the Ark.

Those chapters serve as a picture of how God will act: one day all wickedness will be wiped away – which includes wicked people – and the righteous will be left.

The bad news is, there is only one person who can be called truly ‘righteous’: Jesus. He is the only one who can stand firm against the storm of God’s justice, because he alone is without sin.

The good news is, as we heard time and again in Ephesians, we can be included ‘in him’. Jesus is like the Ark: when we cry the sinner’s prayer (‘Lord Jesus, have mercy on me’) we ‘enter the Ark’, we are kept safe from the storm because Jesus holds us fast.

And so I plead with you: please ‘enter the Ark‘.

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
Rosemary Baxter, Allan & Anne Baldwin

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.