Our church building may be closed, but God’s eyes are open and his ears are attentive to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7.15).

If you would like to receive these by email, please click here.

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 20.3

We haven’t had a Proverb on quarrelling and arguing for a few weeks now. I wonder whether you have become less argumentative since? We had quite a few during October…

If you have, give thanks to God for how he has helped you grow in godliness! If you haven’t… do you really want to change?

There is such wisdom here, both when it comes to huge arguments, and when it comes to day-to-day bickering. Do you speak with graciousness, or do you nit-pick and disagree, sometimes just for the sake of it?

Why is quarrelling so bad? I wonder if it is to do with perspective. It’s pretty normal for us to assume that everyone else sees the world as we do. The problem is, they don’t! It’s one reason why we ‘click’ with some people, and really struggle to get on with others.

But it’s the main reason why wisdom teaches us to listen first, instead of disagreeing. If we spent more time trying to understand other people, instead of being so quick to disagree with them, the world would be a far better place!

One of the problems is that this way of behaving is not modelled well in our society. If you ever watch the shenanigans in Parliament, the whole way it operates is adversarial and promoting instant disagreement. People are chosen to do TV interviews because of their polarised views. Newspapers pour out biased ‘news’ and opinions, which we swallow whole.

But we are still responsible for our own behaviour. How can you listen well, instead of being quick to quarrel?

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:

Vacancy (Baddesley Ensor & Grendon)

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: Coleshill & Polesworth Deanery

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.