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 19.2

I don’t think it’s much of a secret that I’m an impatient person. One time I was late for a meeting. I was driving on the motorway. It was quite busy – lots of annoying lorries in the inside lane. I knew the junction was close, but I wasn’t sure how close (it was the days before satnavs which very usefully tell you how far away the junction is). I was overtaking the lorries, anxiously keeping an eye on the time. And then, in a gap between the lorries, I saw the junction I was looking for come – and go.

And of course the thing about motorways is you can’t stop or do a u-turn. I was late, because I was rushing; had I been more patient and sat with the lorries, I would have been five minutes late instead of 30.

Have you ever ‘missed the way’ because you were rushing?

As Solomon says, this is not simply about missing a junction on a motorway. We can miss all sorts of things if we don’t pay attention. It’s all very well being busy and active and constantly moving – but if we’re moving in the wrong direction we may as well be sitting still!

For people like me – who like to be busy – it’s hard to take the time to sit and think and pray: to add ‘knowledge’ to our ‘enthusiasm’. If that’s you, perhaps this morning you could listen to Solomon’s wisdom, pause, and really think and pray about what’s going on in your life. It may well be that God prompts you to slow down in a particular area or situation – or possibly even make a u-turn.

If you aren’t prone to rushing… perhaps you need to get moving?! Knowledge without enthusiasm is not really much us to anyone!

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:

Bishop Anne

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: Church of England Birmingham

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.