Tag: Prayer items

Online prayers

by Bellshill Central, posted in Prayer items

We didn’t manage to meet online via Zoom his week but an online prayer service I’d prepared below for you to take part in, in your own homes.

Let us pray together

Song…As we are gathered

Opening words

Almighty God,
You sent Your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church.
Open our hearts to the riches of Your grace,
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love, joy, and peace.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

Prayer of approach

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the sure foundation of our faith,
and when our faith is weak
it is because we are not resting our hearts upon You,
but trying to go it alone or dependent on flimsy grounds.

Forgive us when we wander from Your paths
and find ourselves lost and troubled or doing foolish things.
Keep us safe in Your love
and so let our faith be sure and steadfast whatever we may have to face in life.
Help us to be more understanding and forgiving of others
as we should if we follow Your ways.

Lord Jesus Christ we thank You for Your faithfulness to us,
for Your willingness to forgive
and to let us try again to be Your people.
Here in our church today,
strengthen our faith that we might go out from here restored
and ready to help others in their needs.

We ask it in Your name,
and further pray now together in Your words,

Our Father, …

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty one, God the Lord,
   speaks and summons the earth
   from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
   God shines forth.


3 Our God comes and does not keep silence,
   before him is a devouring fire,
   and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above
   and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 ‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
   who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
   for God himself is judge.


7 ‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
   O Israel, I will testify against you.
   I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
   your burnt-offerings are continually before me.
22 ‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
   or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
   to those who go the right way
   I will show the salvation of God.’

Prayer of thanksgiving and intercession

Loving Lord and Father of all, we bring You now
our thanks and praise for all You have given us
and blessed our lives with.
For the wonderful world in which we live,
for the summer season
and the promise of the harvest.
Give us grace to accept Your gifts
and help us to share them unselfishly, wherever we see need.

Dear Lord and Father of all
we thank You for Your still small voice of calm
that reaches out to us through the strains and stresses of life,
and in that calm now we bring You our prayers for others and for our world.
Heavenly Father teach us to pray with love
and understanding and grace.
Help us to see and to hear the needs
that are all around us.
Teach us, O God, to care.

There are those who are despised or avoided
because they are troublesome or difficult,
or because they are just different.
We could help them if we cared:
so teach us, O God, to care.
There are those we just do not like,
and those we think are somehow not worthy of our time.
We could help them if we cared:
teach us, O God, to care.

There are those we perceive as a threat to our way of life,
and those whose needs are all too visible as they perish from want.
It all seems too much for us alone to deal with.
Yet we could help them if we cared:
teach us, O God, to care.

And there are those for whom we do care,
those we worry about and fear for,
our own families and friends in illness,
or troubles,
or in danger.
Father, our care for them is not in doubt,
but teach us what we might do to help them better
and to bring them comfort and strength.

Lord Jesus,
Your Church is an ever present witness to your love,
a living echo of Your voice of calm,
we are a part of that Church and so too, we are,
each of us,
called to bring Your love into a world which needs it daily.

In all the needs of the world,
Lord, You are there.
We too could help if we cared:
so teach us,
O God, to care.
These things we ask,
in Jesus’ name. Amen

Song ….. Dear Lord and Father

Prayers at 7pm

by Bellshill Central, posted in Weekly Church News
This is a recording of our time together for prayer via Zoom. If you wish you can play this video and follow along with the text below.

For a community, church, nation or world that are going through tough times, Psalm 85 looks with confidence to a God Who continues to encourage and embody incarnation. Some scholars suggest that there is an echo here in the Old Testament of what the angels sing in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!”

The writer of this psalm comes with the lament of the people but moves the song on to one of hope and blessing and the graciousness of God. This is an unequivocal word of peace spoken in God’s own voice.

Peace-loving and peace-giving God, you bless
us with your unfailing and unconditional love:
We come to worship and praise our loving God,
and rejoice in God’s tender mercy towards us.

Generous God, you pour blessings and grace
upon us, forgiving us for our sin and shame:
We come to worship and honour our merciful God,
and rejoice in the wonder of forgiven and forgotten sin.

Holy God, in the beauty of your shalom, and in
the glory of your presence, all barriers are lowered:
We come to worship and revere our glorious God,
who enriches the lives of God’s own people and
speaks peace into the hearts of all faithful people. Amen. 

Its an anthem for the persecuted church. In around 60 countries Christians are currently persecuted for their faith, and a friend who heads up an organisation dedicated to their support challenged Graham Kendrick to write a song expressing solidarity with them. He drew inspiration from the prayer for he martyrs in the Apostle John’s vision in the book of Revelation. The song was launched at a prayer event sponsored by Release International and Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Opening Prayer

Lord God,

speak your peace to your people, gathered virtually in Jesus’ name.

We confess that our faithfulness to you,

our obedience to your calling,

our righteousness is not steadfast and true.

In living out our praise, we too easily falter after the first page.

Were it not for the lavish gift of your Son, we would be lost.

Through him, however, we turn to you in our hearts,

knowing your steadfast love and faithfulness,

your righteousness and peace.

In him your salvation is at hand.

We thank you.

May this worship and time of prayer reflect your goodness,

as we respond to you with our heart, soul, and mind.

Make a path through the middle of Your church here in Bellshill today,

and walk among us through your Holy Spirit.

This we pray in the name of the One who is your peace, your salvation—

Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer

Beloved, how gracious You are to your people;

You restore their souls time and time again.

You forgive their distractions

when they wander far from You;

You give them new life.

Yes, You bless them and raise up new hope;

You awaken their hearts to love.

Restore us again, O Spirit of Truth;

burn us with the refining Fire of Love!

We cannot live separated from You;

cast out the demons of fear, doubt, and illusion.

Revive us again, we pray; may your people rejoice in You!

Have compassion on your people, O Holy One,

and grant us your forgiveness.

Listen, O People, in the silent Chapel of your heart;

and the Beloved will speak of peace to you,

to the hidden saints, to all who turn their hearts to Love.

Surely new life is at hand for those who reverence Love;

O, that harmony might dwell among the nations.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;

righteousness and peace will embrace one another.

Wisdom will spring up from the ground

and truth will look down from the sky.

Yes, the Eternal Giver will grant what is good,

and the lands will yield abundantly.

Mercy and compassion are Love’s way;

You will guide our footsteps upon the path of peace

as we recognize with open hearts that You are our peace.

Amen

PSALM 85

1 You, Lord, showed favour to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
    and covered all their sins.[b]
3 You set aside all your wrath
    and turned from your fierce anger.

4 Restore us again, God our Saviour,
    and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
    that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;
    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
    but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
    and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,
    and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
    and prepares the way for his steps.

Responsive Prayer

Lord, you were favourable to your land.

You restored our fortunes.

You forgave the iniquity of your people.

You pardoned all our sin.

Restore us again,

O God of our salvation.

Will you not revive us again,

so we may rejoice in you?

Show us your steadfast love, O Lord.

Grant us your salvation.

Let us hear what God the Lord will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful,

to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet.

Righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground.

Righteousness will look down from the sky.

The Lord will give what is good.

Our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before him

and make a path for his steps.

Prayers of Intercession and Lord’s Prayer

Blessing

Lift up your eyes!  Look around.

Where does our help come from?

Our help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

God will not let you stumble and fall;

the One who watches over you

will never slumber or sleep.

God will keep safe from all of life’s evils;

from your first breath to the last breath you breathe,

from this day forward and forever.

So we go in peace to love and serve God and our neighbours.

AMEN.

COMMUNITY… Time to Remember

by Bellshill Central, posted in Other News

Time to Remember Service is a new service for us here at Central. It aims to offer a quiet, contemplative space and environment for those who may be recently bereaved or needing time to pray for a particularly difficult situation. Please invite anyone you feel might benefit along, on Sunday 3rd November at 6.30pm, here in the church.

An opportunity to come and remember your loved ones who have died, hear their names read out and to light a candle.

Remember a time or difficult situation.

If you would like to attend and wish a loved one’s name read out please email us on bellshillcentral@gmail.com or phone 01698 841176

A School Prayer

by Bellshill Central, posted in Other News

As a new school year approaches we are mindful of the preparations being made by teachers, admin staff, parents and children and all the other support and maintenance staff.  We ask blessings on them all.  We are blessed to be involved in the lives of Mossend, Lawmuir and Bellshill Academy pupils and staff. 

We give you our school. 

We give you all the teachers and staff who work here,

We give you all the children who study here.

We pray our school would be place of great discovery, adventure and creativity. 

May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love, 

A place where every one is respected and all are deeply valued. 

We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.