Author: Bellshill Central

October is a month with a particular focus on tackling poverty. Monday 17 October is the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and 3-9 October is Challenge Poverty Week.

Call to worship

Friends, fellow travellers, all who connect online at this time …companions in worship … Let this be the place and time for: fellowship … conversation … solitude … contemplation … praise … silence … Let this be a crossing place, where paths human and divine, weave together … and just sometimes, blessing comes to those who persevere.

Prayer of approach

God, Holy and Living: Maker of heaven and earth, Healer of creation, Breath and fire of Life. We pause now to worship You, now as the seasons turn, we still ourselves in reverence, now as days turn short and nights grow long … Pausing, still, we wait on You … We, who need Your blessing upon our lives, as night gives way to dawn.

Confession

Holy God, We who have fallen short, missed the mark, lost our way in the shadows; we need Your blessing, Your good word upon us … to reach the goal, make the mark, find our way home. We who have so much to celebrate and also to regret: we need Your blessing, Your good word within us in our daily struggles; the obstacles faced, our burdens borne and challenges met, apart and together. Whisper Your blessing to us today, The blessing of a new, grace-soaked story to live by, in place of the tired old tales we repeat to ourselves. The blessing of the precious name You call us by, Your name for each of us, Your beloved in Christ. The blessing of a new direction of travel, the way that leads to life, the way of Christ. We wait on You … we who need Your blessing upon our lives, as night gives way to dawn.

Word of pardon/forgiveness

People of God all you who watch and wait, who persevere in prayer, who seek the blessing of the God of Life: “Your help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” “The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” (Psalm 121 v2, vv7-8)

A home-made collect for Jacob

O Holy Mystery; who are you, who faces me here tonight at the crossing place? Are you human, angel, god or my own imagining? Now I must face you and not let go, not until you reveal your name or out of joint, I limp on into the dawn, blessed and new-named, a new me, a new day. Amen

Thanksgiving

Loving God, all our times are in Your hands. We give thanks, for the many who have made this journey before us here, in and around this church, this beloved place of worship and community life; where friends, fellow-travellers and companions, have found blessing in times of trial and struggle, celebration and festivity, all through lives of patient faithfulness and persistent prayer. These people, we name quietly now, in gratitude for all that they have given and every way that they have been a blessing

Silence

Intercession

As Jacob wrestled for blessing and as Jesus urges us to pray always and not to lose heart, so in our turn we pray for these, our concerns of the day, naming them now:

• Global and national
• Local, parish and
• neighbourhood
• Denominational, Priority Areas and Presbytery
• Congregational
• Personal

God, Holy and Living: Maker of heaven and earth, Healer of creation, Breath and fire of Life: As Your world turns on its way and all its people pass from night, into day and back into night again, may the prayer of Your people never cease and Jacob’s struggle for blessing and the widow’s demand for justice continue, until every voice in heaven, on earth and all of creation redeemed, cries ‘Glory!’ Until that day, we will join our voices to their persistent chorus in the prayer of Jesus: Our Father … Amen

Closing Prayer

Let us go now, to strive like Jacob for blessing, persistent as the widow demanding justice, praying always and not losing heart. And the grace of Christ attend us, the love of God surround us, the Holy Spirit keep us, this day and forever.

Each Monday our prayer group meets via Zoom.

This past Monday there was a focus for Baby Loss Awareness Week

PLEASE TAKE PART IN THIS SERVICE USING THE PLAYER/LINK BELOW

Please feel welcome and blessed into our short prayer service.

9th – 15th October is Baby Loss Awareness Week. To try and be a part of raising awareness and supporting those bereaved, our church will be lit pink. Our Zoom Prayer Room on Monday 10th October will include prayers for those affected by the loss of a baby.

The song, Borrowed Angels by Kristin Chenoweth is such a touching song that it’s nearly impossible not to cry when hearing it, and even more so at the funeral of a precious child that’s passed into heaven. Take a look at these very special lyrics: “There must be Borrowed Angels, here in this life. They come along, into this world, and make this world bright. But they can’t stay forever. Cause they’re heaven sent. And sometimes, heaven needs them back again.” Isn’t that so true? We know that these young ones are not responsible for knowing the gospel and it is believed that God will not condemn someone who isn’t old enough to be able to respond to the gospel, so that might give parents some comfort, and even though this song might start a flood of tears, tears are part of the healing process, although no one ever completely recovers from losing a precious child.

Prayer for loss of child (a prayer of comfort for someone who has lost their son or daughter)

Abba Father, We pray for the parents of children who have been taken far too soon. They long to be with their dear beloved child, their hearts are heavy with deep sorrow and their breath is shallow. Please carry them, for they are overwhelmed by the pain of their grief. Words can not express the depth of their loss or the heartache they feel.

We know you Lord God, are with their dear beloved son / daughter, your heart is overjoyed by him. Their breath is new life in Heaven. Please come and nurture the precious one. Thank you for the hope of eternal life that their child has now received. Lord, you will keep them safe until parents and child meet again. We entrust them into your care now. Amen.

Prayer for grieving mum who lost a child

Dear Father, Your Spirit carries the softness of eternity. You are the fragrance of comfort, you are the enfolding lullaby. Please encircle bereaved mums in their grief. Cocoon her within your arms of love, whisper heavenly truth into her soul and keep each fragment of her broken heart safe. When we are in pieces your presence will keep us. So we lay her in your strong arms Jesus. Come carry her. Watch steadily over her day and night. May she come to know that her beloved child is safe with you. Not lost but found, known and cherished. Amen.

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.

Washington Irving, 1783-1859

How many of us can remember Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz? Most of us can, I am sure, and even today this movie is played annually to remind us that home really is “home, sweet home.” Even with the passing of a beloved child, there is still hope that someday they will see the child again. The lyrics remind us that “Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true and someday, we’ll all “wake up where the clouds are far behind me,” which makes me think of the coming kingdom of heaven when all sorrow, pain, suffering, and even death will be gone and God will wipe away every tear, forever (Rev 21:4). This song about a rainbow might remind of us God’s promise to Noah in sending the rainbow.