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 19.11

You know, sometimes I do get really quite angry. The red mist descends. I raise my voice. I feel my fists clenching, my teeth gritting. (Before you call the police, I never get that angry with Jess!)

How hard it is to overlook it when someone causes you offence or wrongs you! You have every right to be angry, why wouldn’t you be! They’re wrong and they deserve to be told.

Sometimes the anger comes the other way round – we get angry when someone yells at us because we did something wrong. We don’t like our mistakes being noticed or pointed out.

So why do we do that to other people?

Why is it a virtue to ignore an offence? Because if we spent our lives getting angry every time and with everyone who wrongs us, the world would end up… not a very nice place to be… ah. Maybe we come close to diagnosing some of the biggest problems in the world.

Now, some things mustn’t be overlooked – especially when someone is abusive, physically, emotionally, spiritually. But all those other things which, if we could see through the red mist we’d admit aren’t that important really – they can be overlooked, and as Solomon says, it’s a virtue to do so. It’s a virtue because forgiveness is a virtue, one of the highest in fact. Instead of escalating a situation, it brings peace.

Perhaps you could ask God to give you the strength to overlook an offence? It’s far harder, and therefore requires far more strength.

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:

Don & Jean Sands, Helen Slim, Gill Knight

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: Primary Schools in Amington

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.