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:

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9.2 (NIV)

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 19.3

It’s not my fault!

How many times do we think or say that little number?! Every now and then it’s entirely true – but most of the time I suspect it would be more accurate if we said, ‘It’s not entirely my fault!’

I’ve been there. I’ve made some pretty spectacularly bad decisions in my life – and then when it blew up in my face, I spent months seriously angry with God. ‘How could you let me do that?’ And so on.

Friends the truth is bad stuff happens to us, sometimes outside our control. But how often we make a bad situation worse through our foolishness, our anger, our hasty words and actions, our selfishness, our thoughtlessness, our pride… the list goes on!

Might I offer this advice when you find yourself in a situation like this:

• Rant and rave… by all means start here. God is big enough to take it. He knows us and loves us with all our strong emotions and upset and pain and anger.
• Take responsibility… after you’ve raged at God for a bit, take a deep breath and take responsibility for your part in the problem, big or small.
• Repent and give thanks… ‘repent’ simply means to turn: away from sin and towards God. Turn back to God, and give thanks for the forgiveness that is ours in Jesus.
• Ask for help… ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit to help you learn and be wiser in the future. God will never run out of forgiveness, but he prefers us to learn from our mistakes, and change with his help!

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.

We also pray for: Reopening – Wisdom & Safety

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.