Evening Prayer based on Northumbria Community Prayers and Moravian Readings

Monday 20 February 2023

Pause

As I enter prayer now;
I pause to be still;
to breathe slowly;
to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God

Preperation

Watchwords

Watchword for the week

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”

Matthew 17:5

“How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.

Job 14:1-2

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Hebrews 13:14

Prayer

Eternal Creator, although our days in this life are numbered, we take comfort in the assurance that, just as you have neither beginning nor ending, so your love for us never ends. May your eternal love for us empower us to look to the future with holy expectation and confidence. Amen.

In your name Papa, Jesus and Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

Psalm 130:6

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.

Psalm 130:1-2

I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord! I will obey your decrees.

Psalm 119:145

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?

Psalm 130:3

I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.

Psalm 130:5

Expressions of faith

Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; and though I am poor, today I believe.

Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day; and though I am weak, today I believe.

Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day; and though of anxious heart, today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept me safe in trials; and now, tried as I am, today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day; and though it may be hidden, today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine; and though the night is here, today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken when time was ripe; and though you be silent now, today I believe.

Today’s Scripture Reading

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

Psalm 145:3, 14

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!

Isaiah 12:3-4

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

John 13:14-15

Today’s Meditation

If you must be heard, let it be like the babbling brook,
laughing over the rocks.

If you must be seen, let it be like sunlight
giving warmth and comfort to all.

If you must be acknowledged, let it be as the eyes
behold the skies in all their glory.

If you must lead, let it be like the wind and all its unshackled direction.

If you must learn, let it be like breathing,
the natural flow of in and out,
and done without thinking.

If you must teach, let it be like the water,
deep and flowing,
for your words are like pebbles in a pond,
the ripples they cause spread out in all directions,
and what you give out eventually returns.

If you must know, let it be flowing and growing.

And above all, if you must:
shine!

Kerry Hillcoat

Prayers for others

OMS Prayers

Open Doors World Watch List

Pray for North Korea

Father God, we thank You for the remarkable bravery of our brothers and sisters in North Korea. Continue to encourage, equip and empower them as they follow You amid such extreme persecution. Protect secret gatherings of believers – may their meetings be places of divine encounter. Give wisdom, boldness and discernment to Your children to know how to express their faith in society without drawing the attention of the authorities. We cry out to You for this nation, Lord, asking that You will build Your church and soften the hardened hearts of Kim Jong-un and his regime. Amen.

Canticle

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord ’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

Psalm 27:4

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord ’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 63:7

Blessing

I will be at peace with my brothers and sisters, and love them.

I will follow the example of the wise and good, knowing You will comfort and help me, both in this world and in the world to come.

In your name Papa, Jesus and Spirit. Amen

Closing Prayer

Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.