Prayer & Meditation

spring

The Gospel message is about the promise of new  life. 
In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 
we find forgiveness for the past,
help and guidance for the present,
and hope for the future

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Join others from the Circuit for morning prayer at 0800 on Saturdays and Tuesday.

Contact Revd Jenny, or Mrs Mercy Oppong, with Prayer Requests
Contact Mercy for Zoom invitation

      Prayers  from the Methodist Church

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The Methodist Covenant

I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine,
be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do
and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me
and when there is none;
when I am troubled and
when I am at peace.
Your will be done when I am valued
and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and
when it is lacking;
when I have all things, and
when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all I have
and am to serve you,
as and where you choose.
Glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so forever.
Let this covenant now made on earth
be fulfilled in heaven

Amen

Rev'd John Wesley


Origins of the Covenant Service

This idea of Covenant was basic to John Wesley's understanding of Christian discipleship. He saw the relationship with God in Covenant as being like a marriage between human beings (both as a community and as individuals) on the one side and God in Christ on the other (cf. Ephesians 5.21-33).  His original Covenant Prayer involved taking Christ as "my Head and Husband, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, for all times and conditions, to love, honour and obey thee before all others, and this to the death".

Over a number of years Wesley gradually saw the need for some regular ceremony which would enable people to open themselves to God more fully. He looked for some means of helping them to hear God's offer and challenge ever more deeply, and to allow God to prompt and enable them to respond.  In 1755 Wesley created a form of service adapted from the works of Joseph and Richard Alleine. These works came from the Puritan tradition of pastoral and spiritual guidance.

There would be a series of meetings about the Covenant involving sermons, explanations and exhortations.  After a day's "Retreat" for people to prepare themselves in prayer, fasting, reflection and self- examination there would be the Covenant Service itself. This would be held in the context of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Wesley thought that this Sacrament brought into the realm of experience and made real all that was said in the Covenant. He therefore urged Methodists to pay it the highest regard, to put it at the centre of their spiritual life and to share in it frequently.

The process did not end with the Covenant Service. People were encouraged to continue to work out the implications for their lives of the fact that their relationship with God had been renewed in and through Christ. It was accepted that people might find this difficult to do without help, and might "backslide". There would therefore be further pastoral guidance offered to both groups and individuals in the weeks that followed the service. 

 

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During the week of prayer for Christian Unity we were reminded that we seek Unity, not Unification; meaning that we recognise and acknowledge our diversity within one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  In Society, our aim is to love our neighbour - as the hated Samaritan showed unexpected compassion for the Jewish casualty - so surely within the Church we should be able to cherish our Christian brothers and sisters with a love that encompasses all God's children.  All God's children.


Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful ...

...it rejoices in the truth.


Faith, Hope and Love abide, these three - and the greatest of these is Love.

(1 Corinthians 13)




Forgive us when we walk past and don't offer help.
Forgive us when we get it wrong. 
We don't want to overcome our hidden doubts and prejudices
in order to be alongside those who are different from ourselves.
Give us strength to be a voice crying for justice and peace.

footprintsHelp us to step into another person's shoes,
or if they have no shoes
then not to be afraid to take off our own,
peel off our preconceptions and assumptions,

uncurl and spread out our toes, and
tread in their footprints.
Amen





Conformity or Diversity?

Does our church make everyone show up and act in a certain way? Does our worshipping style force people to adapt to something very different from what they grew up with?  Do our traditions make people feel like outsiders? Conversely, do we give everyone who enters our space the room to be themselves? Do we let everyone have their “favourite meal”, and sit together at one table, sharing in each other’s uniqueness? Is the Spirit moving us to consider how we extend the hand of welcome? Can we hear it challenging us to question whether we have made our siblings in Christ feel that they are truly included, truly loved and truly free?

Father,
Help us to see for ourselves that every person has a place in your presence.  Forgive us when we try to limit our friendships to those who look like us, act like us, believe like us.  Move us from exclusion to inclusion, from formulators of fences to builders of bridges, from indifference to all-encompassing love.  In the name of Jesus
.  Amen

Jesus came into the world, took on flesh and lived among us.  He ate with sinners, healed foreigners, welcomed children, embraced outcasts and broke all sorts of rules in order to be a bridge rather than a wall.  May we learn to embrace the way He worked in this world; beyond the borders of religious tradition, social status, nationality and experience.  Time and again, His Grace transcended and overflowed beyond expectations and boundaries.  May we see our privileges as opportunities to serve the needs of others.  May our hearts, homes, churches and society be places of welcome and hospitality for all.  Amen




Compassionate God,
You came and dwelt among us; you know and understand the suffering of this world. There is no place beyond your reach; you are everywhere, even in places where we fear there is no hope left. Where we are tempted to despair, your spirit brings mercy, and justice, and healing.  Inspire in us a renewed commitment to walk humbly with you, seeking the peace and flourishing which you desire for all of your beloved children. Amen


        

Lord God, in your kindness, watch over refugees and victims of war, those separated from their loved ones, young people who are lost, worried about school work and exams, and those who have run away from home.  May we always show your kindness to strangers and to all in need. Amen



world harmony

  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer

Migrant God, free from borders, your presence spans all creation.

You take sanctuary in us: In you is our eternal sanctuary.

We behold you in community with those uprooted from their homes by war, poverty, persecution and extreme weather - especially those who make their way to these shores on small boats.

Be the shelter of their lives.

Bless their courage and resilience in seeking freedom and sanctuary.

Bring us to build cultures of welcome, hospitality and sanctuary for all;

Community where there is conflict;

Compassion where there is cruelty;

Humanity where there is hatred;

Hospitality where there is hostility;

And so, to practise and proclaim hope.

In the Name of Christ.

Amen



Kiev

Holy and Gracious God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia; for their countries and their leaders.We pray for all those who are afraid; that your everlasting arms hold them in this time of great fear. We pray for all those who have the power over life and death; that they will choose for all people life, and life in all its fullness.We pray for those who choose war; that they will remember that you direct your people to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek for peace.
We pray for leaders on the world stage; that they are inspired by the wisdom and courage of Christ.
Above all, Lord, today we pray for peace for Ukraine.
We ask this in the name of your blessed Son.
Amen

PRAYER READ ALOUD FOR YOU


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Bite-size Bible
Brief Introduction to the four Gospels


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The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God’s love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.  As far as we are able, with God’s help;

Worship
We will pray daily.
We will worship with others regularly.
We will look and listen for God in Scripture, and the world.

Learning and Caring

We will care for ourselves and those around us.

We will learn more about our faith.
We will practise hospitality and generosity.

Service

We will help people in our communities and beyond.
We will care for creation and all God’s gifts.
We will challenge injustice.

Evangelism

We will speak of the love of God.
We will live in a way that draws others to Jesus.
We will share our faith with others.

May we be a blessing within and beyond God’s Church, for the transformation of the world.


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Take a moment to be peaceful. If you are able you may like to plant your feet on the floor and concentrate on your body being still (if this is hard then just sit quietly and comfortably). Notice how you feel and what you are thinking about
and let those things float away giving thanks for each even if they are difficult feelings or thoughts.
- When you are ready, raise your hands open before you and give thanks for the moment you are in. Pause.
- Place your open hands on your lap and consider all that’s happened this week and what you might want to lay down before God asking for help or offering thanks. Pause.

- Lift one hand high in the air and think about what you will offer of yourself as you worship today. Pause.
- Lower your hands and offer the following prayer:
- Loving God, I am here; help me to notice you here, with me in this moment.
- Amen.

The Vine at Home is compiled and produced by twelvebaskets


THE BLOOM REVIEW

Read this important independent review, commissioned by the Government, on the role of faith in the UK as a force for good, and the engagement of Government with faith communities.  Unmissable reading!

Download

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When worried or troubled

Lord, you are the Light of the world
Shine into our understanding.

Lord, you are the Good Shepherd
Enfold us in your love.

Lord, you are the Way,the Truth and the Life
Guide us along our earthly path.

We believe you are close to us
and know us better than we know ourselves.

When we are anxious and uncertain
Give us peace of mind and heart.

Keep us safe in your love now
and beyond the gate of death.
Amen



 Originally published in 1989, The New Zealand Prayer Book (created by the Anglican Church in Aotearoa) was re-published in a new version by Harper Collins in 1997. This prayer book was celebrated by clergy and lay people alike for the way it combined the traditional Anglican prayers and forms of worship with the rich earth-based spirituality of the Maori and other Pacific Island cultures. It is eloquent in its wonderful simplicity and diversity.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: MAORI & POLYNESIA 

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe;
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world;
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings;
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trial too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever.
Amen.

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A familiar Psalm

While I'm in the charge of the Lord, I'll have all I need.  I'll have somewhere to sleep 
and something to eat.  I'll have fresh water to drink.  I'll feel at peace.
I'll take the right road for His sake.  Even when I'm in apparent danger, I know I'll be all right, 
because You are with me.  You'll look after me.  I won't feel small or self-conscious.  
You'll give me all good things - and go on giving all my life long.


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Amanda Gorman and The Hill We Climb from the American presidential inauguration


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A prayer before worship

God who is love,
I have come to worship you.
Help me to remember that you are always with me.
May I pray to you in faith,
sing your praise with gratitude,
and listen to your word with eagerness;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen



Commitment

Lord, you gave me all I have: the people, the talents, the interests and abilities. 
Who knows what I might find I am able to do? 
Help me to use my gifts of speech to support those who are vulnerable. 
May I use my communication skills to give good news. 
Make me generous with my possessions, 
that I may value them less than the friendship and company of those around me. 
Most of all, Lord, help me to use my time wisely
and to share it fruitfully with those who need it. 
Amen


flowers


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Here's a challenge to make and use a prayer journal

Prayer journals or diaries can help us reflect on God speaking to us through our everyday experiences. It is somewhere where we can write or draw anything we want to say to God, and anything we see, or hear or notice from God.


Use paper to make a booklet, and then personalise the cover in a way that is meaningful or inspiring to you. Try to make an entry in your journal each day. At the end of the week, look back over your entries and try to identify what (or if) God is saying to you.



Talking about God:


We're shy about talking to others about God.  We'd more readily recommend our local Indian restaurant than a personal relationship with a risen Saviour.  Our world is screaming out for a hefty helping of real hope and it seems all we offer is the usual comfort food.

What are you doing to help the disciples of tomorrow?  It's a path that will cost us much; we may have to endure pain and sorrow along the way, but we owe it to God.  The same God who loved each of us so much that he sent Jesus to win for us the salvation we could never win for ourselves.  So go and talk about God, and help others find the faith we hold so dear. Joanne Mead (Enfield Circuit) (abridged)


neighbours

 Jesus said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it.  Love your neighbour as yourself.

The first commandment remains no less challenging today than it was for those who heard Jesus speak those words nearly 2000 years ago.  To love the Lord like that - how does it work in practice?  It has to mean leading God-centred rather than self-centred lives.  It means putting faith before fortune, faith before pleasure, and maintaining a personal relationship with God through Jesus.  It means following Jesus' example in our dealings with others and upholding Kingdom values in a society that sometimes can feel quite hostile to those with religious conviction.

Who is our neighbour?  Jesus didn't just mean those who live beside us.  He meant everyone.  The second commandment is tough because it demands that we love the unlovable.  It demands we pay attention and be gracious to those who don't count amongst our friends, and that's not easy.

If we all strove to keep those two commandments, what a different place the world would be.  It is however, a glimpse of our future.  A glimpse of the time when God's Kingdom will be fully established.
Joanne Mead (Enfield Circuit) (abridged)

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This video, produced by the Church of the Latter Day Saints, illustrates very clearly how Peter felt called to accept Others - "Gentiles" - with whom, under Jewish law, he was forbidden to mix.  Delivered in the English of the King James 17th Century translation, it appears a bit Shakespearean.  It makes clear what a revolutionary move it was, though. The story can be found in Acts, for a modern rendering.





Northumbria Community  
Celtic Daily Prayer Daily Meditations

dawn
Compiled by Rev'd John Hayes

32 page booklet of images, thoughts and prayers
4meg download

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