Author: Bellshill Central

As we join in our time together lets draw together with God in a short call to prayer

Call to prayer

Come to the Lord whose love is better than life,
to the One who satisfies, sustains and supports.

Come to worship, to think, to spend these moments when,
together, we honour God, who is over all.

Approach to God

Looking, only because of the promise of finding,
calling out, only because we are sure we are heard,
we meet in one another’s company in person and online
so that we may meet with You,
God of love which is richer than life.

We look only because we were first sought out,
we tell You we are here only because You first came to us.

Help us, by Your Spirit, to seek you more,
even as we have been fully found.

Adoration

Everlasting, ever-gracious, ever-seeking and ever-calling God,
Yours is the offer of life
because the gift of life itself is Yours.

You call the universe into being and, through myriad interactions
space and time come to be,
stars and galaxies form,
their dust gives potential for life –
and we find ourselves here, alive, praising You.
We are awe-struck not only at the grandeur of Creation
but the miracle of incarnation.

You choose, in Jesus the Christ

to be born as one of us,
living among us, showing Your grace and telling Your love,

to be excluded from us, shunned and hated,
dying among us, still showing grace and declaring love,

to meet us risen,
inviting us to listen that we may live.

God of endless goodness, we praise You.
Amen

Psalm 63

Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence

A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
O God, you are my God, I seek you,
   my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
   as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
   beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
   my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
   I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
   and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
   and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
   and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

Intercession

In a world of uncertainty we pray for those who deal with risk –

those in the insurance industry,
protecting individual loss through grouping contributions from many.

Those concerned for issues of health and safety,
anticipating and addressing issues to protect from harm.

Those working in healthcare settings,
diagnosing and treating while the risk of infection remains.

Those directing national life,
balancing many factors, may they add integrity to insight and they instruct.

In a world largely unknown we pray for those who are discovering.

Explorers and botanists, uncovering and describing a still unexplored, wonderful world,
researchers in life sciences, addressing illness and responding to ever-varying viruses,
engineers and technologists, developing sustainable sources of energy for all,
astronomers and physicists, looking back to time’s beginnings.
Inspire discoveries of more of Your wonderful Creation, Lord God.

In a world of forced migration, persecution and distress we pray for those who suffer –
over forty million people who are in immediate danger of starvation,
through conflict, COVID-19 and climate change.
Lord Jesus, may the fruit of faith
lead to greater sharing of the harvest of the Earth.

Where more than six in ten of the total human population
has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine,
but only one in ten of those in poorest countries has had one jab,
where infection results in unemployment, missed schooling,
poverty, risk of abuse and untreatable illness –
Lord Jesus, may the fruit of faith
bring the benefit of scientific progress to all.

More than 22 million people in Afghanistan suffer starvation now
as a result of poverty, conflict, pandemic and drought,
and are unable to flee and find little support where they are.
Lord Jesus, may the fruit of faith
bring food, warmth, shelter and work.

For Your Church in Your world at this time we pray,
may Your people be enthused to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom,
may new believers be welcomed, taught, baptised and nurtured,
may loving service be our ready response to human need,
may Your people work to transform unjust structures of society,
to challenge violence of every kind, to pursue peace and reconciliation,
may we, as Your children, strive to safeguard the integrity of creation,
and sustain and renew the life of the earth which You have entrusted to us.

AMEN

Blessing

As we have met, so we part –
yet the glory of God which we gathered to praise
does not cease,

and the grace of Christ we recognise among us
remains always,

and the Spirit’s leading we discern in our fellowship
continues to guide us.

So [we] go to live as the people of God,
and the blessing of God the Source, the Son and the Spirit
be with each of you/us
this day,
this season,
and always. Amen

Our prayers are for ourselves, our communities, but especially the Ukraine

Please join together in prayer reciting these prayers followed by 5 minutes of silent prayer. Then listen to the music at the end.

Almighty God

You are the Lord of all people and all nations.

We lift before you the current situation in Russia and Ukraine. We pray for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, so we pray for peace to come.

We pray that in this horrible situation people will call on Your name and know Your salvation power.

We pray for each girl and boy, each woman and man living in fear of what today and tomorrow might bring. May they know Your loving hand of protection and blessing on them.

We pray for our friends and people we know who have connections with Russia and Ukraine. We pray that they will know Your peace, strength and comfort at this time.

We pray for soldiers on both sides. May they look to You and call upon Your name. May they know Your presence, protect them, guide them. Lead them to put down their weapons and turn from this war, standing up for peace.

Even during such violence and aggression may Your love and peace come through and have victory. May Your light shine and breakthrough this darkness so that all will see Your goodness and power.

We pray for Putin and all the Russian leaders. Change their hearts from violence and aggression and lead them with great wisdom towards peace. You God can change any person and we pray that You do a transformation in their lives.

We pray for all leaders, of all nations. May they cry out to You for wisdom and guidance. May You grant them wisdom to make godly decisions and to respond in ways that will lead to peace and Your will being accomplished in these days.

We also pray that You will raise up leaders that will lead in ways that will demonstrate Your unfailing love throughout the world.

Nothing is impossible for You God, so we pray for Your supernatural power to cause things to happen, and we thank You for stories how You have protected some people.

We pray that at this time people will be treated equally. We especially think of Russian people throughout the world. We pray that people will demonstrate love towards them and not treat them with prejudice.

Finally, we pray for ourselves. Help us to demonstrate Your love in these times. Help us to share our faith and stand up for what is right. Help us to do practical things for those in need and teach us to pray in this situation. Give us a heart for all those in need and stir us to pray for a transformation to take place.

We lift all our prayers to a God who loves us and is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. In the name of Christ our Saviour.

Amen.

A prayer for Ukraine  

God of all,
with alarm and concern we bring before you
the military intervention in Ukraine.

In a world you made for peace and flourishing,
we lament the use of armed force.

We mourn every casualty of this conflict,
every precious life extinguished by war.
We pray comfort for those who grieve
and those who are fearful.

Hear our longing that leaders and nations
will honour the worth of all people
by having the courage
to resolve conflict through dialogue.

May all our human failings be transformed
by your wonderful grace and goodness.

We ask this in the name of Christ,
the author of peace and sustainer of Creation.
Amen.

Prayer for Hope

God of all time,
God of this time,
these times are difficult, and we bring them to you.
There have been other times like this when countries have invaded others.
You show us countries seized a village or settlement at a time and countries facing full invasion.
You reveal, when we dare to look, how national boundaries have changed like waves on the sand.
We feel so powerless; it all is so human and so tragic.
We bring it all to you in our confusion and worry.
Remind us, as ever, that worry is not what we must carry.
Remind us that worry makes us smaller, makes our powerlessness real.
Fill the place that worry has taken in our hearts and replace it with hope.
Give us courage to read the news as we can, to listen, to watch, to understand.
As we face the reality of these times, we pray for your hope to carry and fill us.
Let hope be the insight which we gift to each other.
Fill us with your knowledge that hope is as real an act as giving our money and our welcome.
You will bring peace, as ever you do.
Give us courage to gift your hope to that process.

In the name of your incarnated Christ and in the power and presence of Holy Spirit,
Amen