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 19.1

When I arrived here in the Summer of ’16, I preached through the book of Philippians and the series was called ‘Finding Joy in the Journey’. (If you’re interested you can read and listen to most of those here.)

I chose that first because I think that’s what is most important: the journey. How we travel, matters. What we do day to day, matters. What we say, matters.

I hope that most of you agree, physical exercise is a good thing. In fact, a previous Chief Medical Officer – Professor Dame Sally Davies – said this: ‘If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure.’ Few of us do as much as we should, but the health benefits are so good, we should probably all try harder!

But St Paul said this:

Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Timothy 4.8 (NIV)

Of greater worth, even than physical exercise, is godliness: a godly character, a life following God’s way, and so on. It takes a lot of hard work and effort – just like ‘physical training’ – but it’s worth it.

How can you exercise – physically and in godliness – today?

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:

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.

We also pray for: Couples Getting Married

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.