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:

Jesus said, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.’

Acts 1.8 (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 23.12

Teaching people is exhilarating, rewarding, hard work, and intensely frustrating!

When it’s rewarding is when you are teaching someone who is living as this Proverb commends. ‘Apply your heart to instruction’ the writer says.

Unfortunately, most learning doesn’t happen by accident or osmosis. There was a craze in the ’70s for listening to hypnosis tapes, in the (usually vain) hope that it was a shortcut to learning something new / kicking a bad habit / improving your mental attitude. Given my own experience of having the radio on overnight, I suspect all it did was give people bizarre dreams!

Some of the Proverbs we’ve been reading are encouraging, but mostly they are challenging – because they are teaching us. If we were already doing all this, or were able to do it naturally without any effort, we wouldn’t need them! The question we keep coming back to is this: are we being wise, are we learning from them, are we applying our hearts?

Or are we hoping that one day we’ll wake up and be full of wisdom?!

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:

Young Family (Blithe, Mo, Quincy, Richard)

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: Church Wardens (Carol & John)

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.