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.

Proverbs 11.31

It’s been a while since we’ve had one of the proverbs about the way things should – and one day will – be.

God’s justice is this: those who do good (‘the righteous’) will receive a reward, and those who do bad (‘the ungodly and the sinner’) will be punished. Think Jesus’ parable of the talents: two of the servants made the most of the money their master gave them, and were rewarded; the third did nothing with it and simply buried it, and was punished.

But which are you?

I am very far from perfect, full of selfishness, greed, pride, laziness, and woefully lacking in self-control. So am I ‘wicked’?

But then I’ve never killed anyone, stolen anything, abused my wife or a child, or done anything else deserving of a prison sentence. So am I ‘righteous’?

In Matthew 5 Jesus sets the standard. Being angry with someone makes us as guilty as a murderer. Looking lustfully at someone makes us as guilty as an adulterer. Turning the other cheek doesn’t mean ignoring a slight – it means allowing someone to hit you again. Love is not only for our friends it is for our enemies, those who hate us.

Sure, murdering someone is worse than being angry with them. But then if perfect love is the standard, both fall short.

If you want the reward of the righteous, there’s only one way to get it: Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life, the only way to the Father, the only way to avoid the punishment we all deserve. Whether we deserve it a little or a lot, we still deserve it, and the cure is the same: Jesus.

This proverb is not wrong. Those who accept what Jesus offers will receive a full reward in the life to come – and a foretaste of it now, the beginning of an abundant and full life – and that is a life worth living.

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
Muriel Smith, Albert Pegg, Simon Garratt

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.