Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27.14 (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.

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honour. (NIV)

Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly. (GNB)

Proverbs 21.21

Will they though? I’m looking at you, Good News Bible – will others respect and treat me fairly if I do what’s right all the time?

One day things will be like that – but not yet. That’s why it’s important we take note of the Proverbs about how things are now, so we don’t get a skewed understanding of the world.

But I wonder – if you ask someone how to find ‘life, prosperity, and honour’, would they answer ‘pursue righteousness’? That is, pursue doing the right thing, doing God’s thing, living God’s way; not just attempt it half-heartedly, but pursue it.

What do you pursue? During lockdown it’s been quite hard to pursue anything! If I’m honest I’ve done more festering than pursuing during the past year.

And yet, reading these Proverbs every day, praying for our church family every day, seeking to listen to God every day – is that not pursuing God? Perhaps we aren’t doing too badly after all…

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:

Muriel Smith, Albert Pegg, Simon Garratt

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: Leaders of Church Groups

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.