Prayer

‘Be still and know that I am God’

A Prayer for Epiphany

A Journey

The Revd Jenny Mills, United Reformed Church Secretary for Education and Learning, offers this journey-themed prayer to mark Epiphany.

A journey.

From the East.

Strangers,

travelling,

following a star….til it stopped.

Finding the unexpected.

And stopping,

to pay homage.

The rich

encountering the ordinary.

And bowing in praise.

Sensing that this

was something that

would change the world.

Because the people they met and the stories they heard

defied the odds.

They included

outcasts.

The poor.

The excluded.

The unexpected.

They had journeyed so far.

Having high hopes.

Bringing gifts for a King.

Yet they found a baby.

In a stable.

And it felt momentous.

And special.

And they paid their respects.

Then journeyed on.

Changed by what they had seen.

Affected by what they had experienced.

Sensing

something had shifted.

That the world order had been

turned upside down.

A new Way

of being

was heralded.

A new Way

of seeing the world.

A new Way

of encountering the Divine.

A new Way of living

and loving,

giving

and forgiving.

And being.

In reality the journey was just beginning…

Pastoral care   

Pastoral care is very important in the life of a United Reformed Church member. Showing our love and care for each other and our neighbour is part of our service to God. We care for one another and keep everyone in regular contact with one another.

What is Prayer ?

‘Prayer is personal, Prayer is private

Prayer is secret, Prayer is silent’

Yet when believers meet together…

‘Prayer is corporate, Prayer is public

Prayer is shared, Prayer is spoken’

Prayer can be a paradox.

On the one hand, prayer is personal, private and silent; yet every week when we come to worship, prayer becomes a public event. There are times in our Prayer life when words are just not appropriate… only silence touches the deepest prayer need.

Stopping… and being silent can enrich our corporate prayer life, as well as keeping it personal.There are particular prayers which lend themselves to short periods of silence.

Firstly, Prayers of Confession, when we can personally and silently tell God about our sin, selfishness towards others, and our self centredness.

Secondly, Prayers of Intercession, when we can privately pray to God about people we personally know and global situations we are concerned about.

Make the most of these silences, not just in worship, but in the comings and goings of life’s activities. Through prayer we meet God everywhere and in all people; therefore our thoughts, words and actions are a constant prayer to God. However, remember the silence: for it is in the silence tht we utter the unspoken words and touch God with the emotions of our hearts.

Prayers from our former Minister, Reverend Ruth Dillon 

Lord of the seeds,

Blow your seeds of Love and Hope,

Whirl them around by your Holy Spirit

And as the seeds land, bless them

And bless those who will pick them up.

Amen

---

God

Forgive me for the relationships I have spoiled,

That have brought about hurt and sadness,

Forgive me from the collusions I have participated in

That have brought about vindictiveness and prejudice,

Forgive me for the pollution I have contributed to within your world

That has caused injustice and climate change.

Lord, by your grace

We are restored, healed and a new creation.

By your Son, who lived died and rose again,

We are disciples who strive to walk out as the mundane

and clothe ourselves with mercy,

By your Spirit, who is the intermediary to your Grace,

We are empowered and live in the life and light of your Love.

Amen

---

Songs that wing heavenwards

Are placed before God.

Then God takes our songs and listens to all of them.

Some painful, others joyous,

Some mourning, others in serenity.

Lord, listen to our songs and bless them.

Let your healing Spirit

guide us into singing new songs

to refresh, to energize and to restore.

Amen

---

God who sends angels to care for us

We thank you for the many times

small gestures of compassion and kindness

have meant so much to us.

The smile of acceptance,

The gentle touch of reassurance,

The phone call at the ‘right’ time.

Lord we pray,

Even though we may not immediately

recognise your angels,

Enable us to be alert to their presence,

And may you use us to be angels to others.

Amen

---

Glorious God

Our bodies have been changed

over the years through disease and injury,

Yet you choose to lovingly dwell within us.

Help us to love our bodies that tell the story of the life we have lived,

To sense the delight you have

when we discover new experiences;

And when our Bodies give up on us,

Journey with us

until we become a new creation.

Amen

---

As the day draws to the night,

I thank you God for the many experiences of today,

the people I have met and

the conversations I have had.

I thank you that yet again

You have shown me your presence,

for you bring hope into a world full of insecurities,

for you bring peace where conflict and challenge prevail.

Lord, bless those who have journeyed with me this day,

those who have laughed with me,

those who have cried with me,

those who have listened to me,

those who have just been happy to be in my presence.

Keep me safe in the stillness of this night.

May you also keep all those who are dear to me secure.

May I rest in your presence while I slumber.

May your angels guard me till I wake.

Amen