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:

‘Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.’

from Matthew 6.21 (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount)

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 18.3

There is a difference between guilt and shame. Rebecca Winfrey writes:

Someone who is guilty says ‘I did that bad thing’	Someone who is ashamed says ‘I am a bad person’
Someone who is guilty feels regret	Someone who is ashamed feels small
People who are guilty see their acts as separate from themselves	People who are ashamed see their whole selves as inadequate

People are shamed for being a woman, divorced, overweight, out of work, bullied, disabled, struggling with mental health issues – and so on. To make things more complicated, part of the mix is often things we have done (or not done). We become convinced – or are convinced by others – that there is something wrong with us and therefore we need to be ashamed of who we are.

The truth is, there is something wrong with us, but we don’t need to be ashamed. The devil’s lies work best with a little grain of truth. Grain of truth: there is something wrong with us; the devil’s lie: we need to be ashamed.

You do not need to be ashamed, because like the father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, God loves you and wants us to come home; he doesn’t care what you’ve done or not done, or you you are or think you are. He can sort all that out – but first he simply wants you.

God sent Jesus to show us how much he loves us: he knew the shame of having a questionable parenthood, being homeless, being abandoned by his friends – even dying the most shameful death the Romans could think of. He faced and he conquered all that – and that victory can be yours if you turn to him and say, ‘Yes please.’

You might not feel worthy of it, and you aren’t; he doesn’t offer you this gift because you deserve it, but because he loves you, which means he will never withdraw his love, no matter what.

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:

Bibbey Family (Craig, Jonathan, Shaunnagha)

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: Home Groups (meeting virtually)

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.