Join with us in a reading and some prayers as we come together at the end of the Lords day.

OUR BIBLE READING

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
   your judgements are like the great deep;
   you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
   All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
   and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light.

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
   and your salvation to the upright of heart!

The first four verses of the psalm focus on the character of sinful man. It may be David’s expression of the consciousness of his own sin. When we come to know God more intimately and view ourselves purely in God’s light, we come to see more clearly our sinfulness and arrive at the same conclusion as Isaiah when he saw the vision of God and cried out in response, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4). We will no longer compare ourselves with others but with the unattainable standard of God.

Let us pray

We thank You, our heavenly Fatherbecause, by Your divine power,You have given us everything we need for living a godly life.We have received all of these by coming to know You,our Lord Jesus,the one who called us to Himself,inviting us to become part of His family.We thank You for the great and precious promises You have given uswhich enable us to share in Your divine nature,and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.You promised to continue to abide with usand to empower us through Your Spirit.Thank You for the fellowship of believers,for brothers and sisters who are extensions of Your love to us.We thank You for the various gifts and abilities You giveto enable us to fulfil our mandate in the world.Receive our thanks our heavenly Father.We offer them with hearts full of praisein the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, we pray for the Church,Your body and ambassadors,to which You have committed the ministry of reconciling people to You.Grant us grace to live as light and salt in Your worldthat we may be effective witnesses for You inOur Jerusalem: our family and close friends,in our Judea: our neighbourhood and our city,in our nation and the world at large.Help us to commit ourselves to pray earnestlythat Your kingdom may come in our community, nation and the world.We pray that Your church will stand firmly in Your word.We pray for our ministers and spiritual leadersFor wisdom and grace to proclaim Your truth without fear.We pray for our political leaders in our city, in Scotland and in the United Kingdom,that they may be endowed with wisdom and a longing to serve You faithfully.We pray for Your protection upon our leaders.The winter period is particularly challenging for the poor in our nation.Thank You for our social support system that is in operation,for the NHS and our care system.May we continue to be an extension of Your love to those who are in dire need.Comfort those who have lost their loved ones.Grant healing to the sick.May we all have the assurance of Your ever abiding presence.We thank You because You will abundantly exceed all that we ask or think.Be glorified in Your church and in our life.Amen

We gather as the people of God in a short time of stillness, contemplation, praise and prayer. We look to the Prophets in this season after Christmas

Isaiah 43:1-7

Restoration and Protection Promised

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
   Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
   and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
   nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
   I will bring your offspring from the east,
   and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
   and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
   and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.’

On reading this passage from Isaiah we are immediately drawn to the hymn “Do not be afraid” (CH4 191). In many ways these words of scripture create a sense of calm in this soothing passage, given that in the lectionary calendar it comes to us at the beginning of January, after the rush and excitement of Advent, Christmas and after the bringing in of the New Year and all that accompanies it. The words of Isaiah bring for us – all of us, regardless of our background, ethnicity, age and stage in life, ability or disability – assurance and comfort. At the start of this New Year, we are assured that we do not face things alone, we go in the strength and presence of God. So, we can allow ourselves to take a deep breath, exhale and utter, ‘With God, I can do this.’

Intercessory prayers

We pray for all who are bearing heavy burdens:
those facing difficulties and problems to which they can see no solutions,
wrestling with inner fears and racked by anxiety for themselves or loved ones;
troubled about money, health, work or relationships;
all who crave rest for their souls but cannot find it.

We pray for the influence of Your Holy Spirit in the troubled places of the world.
Fill us with Your passion for justice that we may strive to build bridges of reconciliation.

Pause

We pray for all who are happy and for whom things are going well,
that they may know the source of their blessing.

Pause

We pray for all who are distressed.
Comfort the sad, be present with the sick and make Your will known to them.
Strengthen those who are depressed by failure.

Pause

Our dear God,
we ask that You will help us to spread Your love to our friends and neighbours.
Let us think of one or two particular friends
and ask that God will help us tell them the good news.

Pause

Let us think of the people sitting on either side of us
and ask that God will be especially close to them.

Pause

We also remember those people who are not with us today,
perhaps through illness or because they are on holiday.

Pause

Lord, thank You that You listen to our prayers – spoken and unspoken –
in Jesus name. Amen