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

Welcome back to the daily proverb!

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

The Spirit of God has made us;
the breath of the Almighty gives us life.

from Job 33.4

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 12.10

Did you the know the Bible is (strongly) against animal cruelty?

Now, I suspect most of you – if you have pets – treat them kindly, keep them well-fed, etc. The UK is known as a nation of animal-lovers – at least when it comes to their pets.

But what about your food? After all, our impact on animals is minimal when it comes to pets – that’s only one or two animals; but our impact on animals is huge when it comes to what we eat.

So I ask again: what about your food? Do you check your milk, eggs, cheese, sausages, meat, etc. – do you check whether they come from high-welfare (e.g. RSPCA-certified) animals? Do you even care?! (If you are a vegan – fine, you can stop reading, and sit quietly in prayer!)

Now, I realise that high-welfare products are more expensive – of course they are, because the animals have decent living conditions. They aren’t packed in so tightly they are unable to move. (Seriously – have you ever looked into the conditions our animals live in? It’s disgusting.)

And actually, in the UK most of us eat far more mean than we need to – so actually, if you spend the same amount of money on meat, and simply eat less of it, you’ll still have a healthy balanced diet, but you won’t be contributing to the inhumane treatment of animals. (And there are meat-free protein alternatives that are getting better all the time.)

Treating animals – and the rest of creation – with kindness and respect, is as important as treating humans that way.

Prayers

Pray for Five – pray for your five friends / family from Thy Kingdom Come.

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, 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.