O God, our hope and refuge, in our distress we come quickly to you. Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided, replaced now with an emptiness, a longing for an innocence lost.
We come remembering those who lost their lives in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.
We are mindful of the sacrifice of public servants who demonstrated the greatest love of all by laying down their lives for friends. We commit their souls to your eternal care and celebrate their gifts to a fallen humanity.
We come remembering and we come in hope, not in ourselves, but in you.
As foundations we once thought secure have been shaken, we are reminded of the illusion of security.
In commemorating this tragedy, we give you thanks for your presence in our time of need and we seek to worship you in Spirit and in truth, our guide and our guardian. Amen.
This Sunday (6 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.”
“We live in a time in which we have had to adjust to restrictions in the manner in which we gather as the people of God. The restrictions, for good reasons, have necessarily limited the numbers of those who can gather together for prayer and worship. This has presented many challenges and the challenges are ongoing.
“The limitation on the numbers who are able to gather might, at times, give the sense that our gatherings, whether virtual or actual, are in some way diminished. If so, the words of the Gospel of Matthew encourage us to think along a different path. Jesus says: ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them’ (Matthew 18: 20).
“Wherever we gather and however we gather; whether together or in our own company, Jesus is present and he will never leave us or forsake us. We are not alone.”
We pray:
Living God, You gather us together From across the face of the earth, That we might worship your holy Name Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God, We gather together in strange times, Whether virtually or actually, And ask that you will accept our worship of your holy Name. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God, You gather us together In the company of those who have gone before us. Hold us safe in your keeping and watch over us as the people of God. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God, We come in the assurance That, where we gather in the name of Jesus, He is there among us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God, Whether we gather in twos or in threes, Or whether we come to you in our own company, Never leave us or forsake us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Living God, We come, in the company of all your people, And together we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, To the glory of God the Father. 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)
In these simple words, we hear a presence revealed and an identity disclosed. When we hear these words spoken by someone that we know, we know that the intention behind them is that they will inform us that another human presence is with us. In saying these words, the speaker knows that we will recognise their identity because their identity is known to us. Nothing else needs to be said. There is, we might say, a communion shared between the person who speaks and the person who hears.
In the Book of Exodus, it is the living presence of the Lord who is revealed and whose identity is disclosed to Moses. The revelation and disclosure takes place on ‘holy ground’ as Lord speaks out of the bush that burns but which is not consumed. Moses does not yet recognise the identity of the One who speaks and the divine name of Lord is not yet fully disclosed. Moses asks that he might know the identity of the One who speaks to him. In response, the Lord says: ‘I AM WHO I AM’. (Exodus 3: 1-15) The presence of the Lord is revealed to us in the depths of the human heart as the Lord speaks to us. There is, we might say, a communion shared between the One who speaks and the person who hears.
We pray:
Living God, Speak to us that we might sense your presence And know your Name this day. Speak into the depths of our lives Out of the depth of your life divine. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Living God, Reveal your Name to us As you revealed your Name in ages past. Reveal your Name to us For we long to know you that you are with us now.
Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Living God, You have made yourself known to us And invited us to share in your life. May we share our lives with others And know them as our family and our friends. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us. Living God, As we share in the life of the world May we better hear the voices of those around us. As we hear their voices May we better know the depths of who they are. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
Living God, You make known to us your identity In the communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May we hear you speak, in the place where we are, That we might share in living communion with you this day. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.
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.”
“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.
BELLSHILL: CENTRAL PARISH CHURCH OF SCOTLAND 