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:

Let us build with care,
building on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

from 1 Corinthians 3.10-11

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 15.32

Have you ever been swimming in the sea? Have you ever tried to swim ashore while the tide is going out? It’s such hard work!

Often in these reflections we focus on looking away from ourselves, on thinking about others – to counteract the natural greed and selfishness we all struggle with.

Here today – following on from yesterday – we have another proverb about discipline and listening to correction. Only this time it connects it with how we treat ourselves – in the opposite way the world might say.

The world tells us to do what we want, to follow our desires – and refuses to here any suggestion otherwise. To love ourselves means to follow our hearts, the world says.

But this proverb says ‘No!’ to that. To ignore correction, to continue on regardless, to insist ‘I’ know best – that isn’t loving yourself, it is despising yourself.

Friends, it’s hard to swim against the tide – literally and figuratively. When the world says one thing and the Bible says another, it’s hard to a) listen to what the Bible says, and b) realise where we need to be challenged in our lives.

Are becoming wiser, or are you ignoring correction like a fool?

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:

Geoff & Jan Wyatt, Janet Hine, Pat Ackroyd

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

We also pray for: Readers (Ray & Sue)

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.

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.