Join in prayer this Sunday at 7 pm
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.
Amen
Scottish churches join in prayer this Sunday
This Sunday (20 September), Christians across Scotland will join together in a 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, which will also be available later in Gaelic, reads:
“At present, we are experiencing an extended exit from Lockdown to which there is no immediate end in sight. Allied to this, there are now increased restrictions on our movement. Taken together with our collective memory of the last six months, there is an uncertainty as to the direction to be taken. The impact of this on our personal and collective well-being is a matter of concern within Church and community.”
We pray:
God who provides,
Hear the cry of your people in their distress
And answer them in the desert places.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God who provides,
Guide your people in barren lands
And hold us safe when we are weak.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God who provides,
May we receive your gracious gifts in the morning
And in the evening discover those gifts renewed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God who provides,
Give direction to us when we were are lost
And renew our purpose when we are uncertain.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God who provides,
Renew the faith of your people
And equip us to serve you in the place that you have called us to.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God who provides,
On this day, may we receive bread from heaven
And know the glory of the Lord revealed.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Join Christians in prayer this Sunday at 7pm
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.”
This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which will also be available in Gaelic shortly, 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.
Amen
Scottish churches join in prayer this Sunday at 7 pm
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.”
This week’s letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic (a copy of which will be made available here soon), states:
“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.
Amen
Join Scottish Churches in prayer this Sunday at 7 pm
This Sunday (30 August), 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:
“‘Here I am’. 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 the 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 the 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.
Amen
Join together in prayer this Sunday at 7 pm
This Sunday (23 August), 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.
