Midday Prayer

 

DRAWING NEAR

 

We pause in the middle of our day,

to regather our scattered senses,

to be still

and to know that you are God.

 

We lift our minds to think of you;

We open our ears to hear your voice;

We open our eyes to see the beauty that is all around us;

We open our hearts as we respond to your invitation

- to be with you; to watch you; to learn from you; to work with you.

 

Take a time of stillness and quiet to lean into God

PRAYER

 

We join with our brothers and sisters across the globe as we pray ...

 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (the evil one).

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever.

Amen.

 

Trust in Him at all times O people –

pour out your hearts before him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:5-8

Prayer for others

  • The needs of the world
  • The burdens and desires of our hearts
  • The churches we know
  • The ones we’d love to encounter Jesus

Athelstan (c. 895 - 939 AD)

Athelstan was the first king of all England, and Alfred the Great's grandson.

He reigned between 925 and 939 AD.

A distinguished and courageous soldier, he pushed the boundaries of the kingdom to the furthest extent they had yet reached.

 

I wonder how God is inviting us to actively unite the church in our generation – removing every dividing wall – in our own hearts and in our relationships?

PAUSE FOR INSPIRATION WITH ST ATHANASIUS

See if one of these quotes from the Patron Saint of Theologians contains an invitation from God

“For, indeed, everything about is marvellous, and wherever a man turns his gaze he sees the Godhead of the Word and is smitten with awe."

Where is your gaze pointing you toward the awe of God?

“You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself.”

Where do you need to be straightened?

“For of what use is existence to the creature if it cannot know its Maker? How could men be reasonable beings if they had no knowledge of the Word and Reason of the Father, through Whom they had received their being? They would be no better than the beasts, had they no knowledge save of earthly things; and why should God have made them at all, if He had not intended them to know Him?”

Are you simply enjoying the invitation to eternal life – discovered as we KNOW Him (John 17:3)

“Let no one who hath renounced the world think that he hath given up some great thing... the whole earth set over against heaven’s infinity is scant and poor”

Is there a desire in you to ‘sell everything’ so that you can purchase the Pearl of Greatest price?

“The Saviour is working mightily among men, every day He is invisibly persuading numbers of people all over the world, both within and beyond the Greek-speaking world, to accept His faith and be obedient to His teaching. Can anyone, in face of this, still doubt that He has risen and lives, or rather that He is Himself the Life? Does a dead man prick the consciences of men, so that they throw all the traditions of their fathers to the winds and bow down before the teaching of Christ?”

With the ‘THE SURPRISING REBIRTH OF BELIEF IN GOD’ is there a fresh call to share your faith?

This thought was embryonic in Athanasius, and further developed by Augustine and Anselm (and others!).

The original problem with Lucifer, was not rooted in a desire for evil … it was that he saw how wonderfully he had been made, the extent of his own capacities, and decided that he would be able to achieve the purpose for which he had been created, without the help of God. This is the very definition of pride – I can do it alone – I don’t need you Lord.

Are there good projects that you’re working on in your own strength?

Is it time for humility?

CLOSING PRAYER

 

Bless us as we continue our pilgrimage this afternoon.

Help us to recognise where you’re at work

And Holy Spirit,

We welcome your disruption and interruption

As you lead us into fullness of life.

We’re confident of your intimacy and your presence Lord

- keep us in step with you

- walking in your peace we pray.

Amen