Category: COVID-19

This Sunday (27 September), Christians across Scotland will join together in prayer at 7pm in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown and the phased easing of restrictions, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.

Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been taking part alongside them.

“I’m delighted to have read that in the last couple of months online searches for ‘prayer’ have increased dramatically,” Dr Fair said.

“But reading about what prayer is and how to do it is only the start of it. After that it’s time to actually pray.

“And what better than to join with brothers and sisters from across the nation at 7pm on Sunday to pray our way through this ongoing crisis. I commend it to you and look forward to being with you, in Spirit, on Sunday evening.

This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic, states:

“For the second occasion, in the course of a journey that was now set to be much longer than originally anticipated, the people of Israel complain to Moses. At the heart of the complaint is the question: ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ The first occasion is recorded in Exodus 16 where ‘bread from heaven’ is provided by the Lord in response to that complaint.

“Now, as the journey is set to continue for a longer period, a complaint is raised again. In response, the Lord calls Moses to go ‘ahead of the people’ and lead them to the place of renewed provision. In response, Moses leads the people of Israel to the place where water is provided in the wilderness (Exodus 17: 1-7).

“For the second occasion, in the course of a journey that is now set to be much longer than originally anticipated, we are being asked as the people of God to share, in the communities of which we are a part, a renewed challenge in relation to the Covid-19 crisis.

“We are not where we wanted to be on the journey and we cannot go back to where we started. At this time, the question we might well ask is this: ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ As we go forward together, we ask that the Lord will lead us to the place of renewed provision, so that we can say, humbly and with thanksgiving: ‘Yes, the Lord is among us!’”

We pray:

Living God,
We journey in hard places today
And in the company of many who are weary and fearful.
We journey in hard places
And we confess that we are weary and fearful ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
As you have heard our cry in times past,
Hear our cry renewed.
As you have provided for your people in times past,
Renew your provision today.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
You have watched over us
And brought us safe thus far.
You watch over us now
And we trust that you shall lead us to the place of safety renewed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
In our remembering of the journey past,
We do not forget those who are no longer with us.
In our remembering of the journey past,
We do not forget the depth of the challenges we have faced.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
Go before us we ask
And lead us to the place of your presence.
Go before us
And bring us to the place where your presence is renewed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord God,
In our journey onwards,
May we know that you are among us.
At journey’s end,
May we know that you have always been with us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

This Sunday (13 September), Christians across Scotland will join together in prayer at 7pm in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown and the phased easing of restrictions, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.

Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been taking part alongside them.

“I’m delighted to have read that in the last couple of months online searches for ‘prayer’ have increased dramatically,” Dr Fair said.

“But reading about what prayer is and how to do it is only the start of it. After that it’s time to actually pray.

“And what better than to join with brothers and sisters from across the nation at 7pm on Sunday to pray our way through this ongoing crisis. I commend it to you and look forward to being with you, in Spirit, on Sunday evening.”https://www.youtube.com/embed/zk5ezb4hPSg

This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic, states:

“‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’. The language of forgiveness is integral to the Lord’s Prayer and to the rhythm of the Christian life. Forgiveness is integral to our relationship with the God who forgives and grants to us the possibility of a new beginning.

“In response, we are called to forgive others. Forgiveness speaks to us about the renewal of relationships that have been broken. In so doing, it takes us to a place where pain has been experienced and healing is necessary. The word of forgiveness offers the possibility of healing and renewal.”

We pray:

God of forgiveness,
We thank you that love abides in the depths of your heart
And that you will to forgive us through Jesus Christ.
Knowing this to be so, we cry out to you.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of forgiveness,
We thank you that you know our hearts
And that you accept us as we are.
We turn to you in the hope of forgiveness.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of forgiveness,
We thank you that your promise is sure
And that there is forgiveness with you.
We embrace you, knowing that you have already embraced us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of forgiveness,
Create in us a pure heart,
That we might love more deeply all who are made in your image.
As we have been embraced by you, we embrace the world of your creation.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of forgiveness,
May love abide in our hearts as it abides in the depths of your heart.
As we have been forgiven through Jesus Christ,
May we celebrate this gift in the company of all your people.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Signed by:

• Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
• Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
• Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
• Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
• Rev. Dr David Pickering, Moderator, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
• Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
• Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
• Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
• Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Rev. Jim Ritchie, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
• Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
• Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
• Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)

Christians across Scotland will once again join together in prayer at 7pm in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown and the phased easing of restrictions, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.

Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been taking part alongside them.

“I’m delighted to have read that in the last couple of months online searches for ‘prayer’ have increased dramatically,” Dr Fair said.

“But reading about what prayer is and how to do it is only the start of it. After that it’s time to actually pray.

“And what better than to join with brothers and sisters from across the nation at 7pm on Sunday to pray our way through this ongoing crisis. I commend it to you and look forward to being with you, in Spirit, on Sunday evening.”

This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic, states:

“How well do we respond to a challenge? The answer we give will, no doubt, depend on many different factors. Whatever our answer, we know that our response is strengthened when it is made in the company of others.

“Our response to the challenge of living out our calling as a member of the body of Christ is one that depends, in principle, on our response being a shared one.

“Living out our calling, in response to the mercy of God, lies at the heart of what it is to worship. Within the body of Christ, we have shared gifts and a shared identity. (Romans 12: 1-8) At the same time, living out that calling in these strange and challenging times is by no means easy. We do so in the assurance that we are not alone and acknowledging our continuing dependence on the mercy of God.”

We pray:

Living God, whose name is mercy,
We acknowledge that we live in dependence on your mercy.
Hold us, and all whom you call,
In your gentle keeping.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God, through whom we receive mercy,
We respond to your gracious gift
And offer our lives into your service and the service of others.
Accept us as we are and embrace us in your love.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God, as the one who inspires mercy,
Make us ever merciful to others.
As we respond to the challenge of these times,
May we live out our calling ever conscious of the body of Christ.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God, who wills to be merciful to all,
Renew our calling to worship you.
In the place where we are, whether in shared company or in our own company,
Receive our worship through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God, whose name is mercy,
May your name be known throughout the world.
As those who have received mercy,
May your name be known in the place where we are.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Perhaps you find it hard to pray at home? You aren’t alone in this!

Being stuck at home can be boring, frustrating, or lonely, even if there are other people in the house with you! And if you are very unwell, or worried you might become so, it can be frightening, too. God is with us in these situations, whether we are conscious of his presence or not. Remembering this, and relying on him in prayer, can help you to keep going.

God wants us to turn to him in all our troubles and perplexities, even if we can’t always find the “right words”. And remember – the rest of the church is praying for you!

Our church building is still temporarily closed, for your safety and protection

Under the current guidelines we could now open the building for private prayer but our leaders have decided not to at the moment and here’s why we made this decision….

If you came for private prayer we would have to;

• Ask you to wash your hands or sanitise them at the door
• Ask you to wear a mask
• Ask you if you had COVID 19 symptoms, underlying health problems (and turn you away if the answer to any of these was “Yes”)
• Encourage you to sit at a particular seat (we know how much Church people love this!)
• Ask you not to sing
• Ensure you left by another door
• Then clean and sanitise every surface people touched ….

Alternatively you could ….

• Sit and pray in your favourite armchair in your house with a nice mug of tea or coffee ☕️
• Go for a walk, short drive, cycle, run and pray (Yip praying with your eyes open is allowed)
• Pop round to a Church friend and have a nice chat and wee prayer together in their garden

Talking to God is a conversation that requires no special place, objects, people or words. He loves you and He is listening when you pray, wherever you pray. So, just go for it 👍 🙏

The Church building is temporarily closed but God’s ears and heart are open wide.

We share prayers and prayer pointers each day via Facebook and Twitter. Join us. Pray long or short. Pray from the heart.