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 19.13

I’ve been waiting to get to this one…!! I (sensibly) decided not to suggest adding it to our wedding invitations when Jess and I got married.

The first half is for all you children out there… young or old! I do love it when the Good News translates ‘foolish’ as ‘stupid’. Once again we see that one of the hallmarks of wisdom, is learning to see the effects of your actions on other people and the world around you. There is so much selfishness around that we don’t even notice it sometimes. A person might say, ‘It’s a free country,’ or ‘It’s my life,’ or ‘I can do what I like.’ Those things are (sort of) true, but they are not the whole truth.

We are connected: what we do affects other people. Learning to see that and adjust our behaviour accordingly is an important part of growing in wisdom.

Now… wives… I am aware that wives do not have the monopoly on nagging… women are quite capable of nagging people who are not their husbands (!). No – anyone can nag: men, women, wives, husbands, children, parents. The thing about nagging is, the more someone is nagged, the less they listen… so the more they are nagged… and the less they listen.

Learning to communicate well is so important – the link between these two halves is to learn to spot the effect our behaviour / words are having on another person. Instead of carrying on (nagging, being foolish, etc) regardless, perhaps ask God to help you be wiser in the way you speak and act.

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.