Jesus said  “Come follow me…”

Matt:1:17 NIV

I can come when I’m happy
I can come when I’m sad
I can come when I’m angry
I can come when I’m glad

I can come when I’m lonely
I can come when I’m fearful
I can come when I’m joyful
I can come when I’m tearful

I can come on days when all goes right
I can come on days of struggle and fight
I can come on days of sickness and pain
I can come on days when I’m strong in frame

I can come always
I can come for ever
For I am loved
I am accepted
By Jesus
My Saviour

God of grace, your love for us is deeper than the oceans and higher than the heavens.  The light and warmth of your love encircles our world, enfolds us in your love and invites us to come, just as we are.

Jesus, Light of the World, we come ….

Ruth Rushworth

Praise the Lord… for his loving kindness is great toward us. The Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. 

Ps 127 1-2 NHEB

Gracious God,
Our Lord and King,
Our praise and worship,
To You we bring.
Lead us safely,
through this day,
To love and serve You,
Each in our own special way.

To play our part,
In your Kingdom plan,
To share the joy of Jesus,
God made man,
To grow in faith,
To stand tall and upright,
United in love,
Responsive to your light.

To see the needs,
Of those far and near,
To respond with love,
To disarm fear,
To spread the news,
Of the hope and promise,
Of the love of God,
And his son Jesus.

Gracious God, thank You for this new day.  Thank you that we can see your love all around us in your wonderful creation and in the love and kindness of others. Help us to appreciate and give thanks for all You have given us.

We pray that your Holy Spirit would  help us to grow together in faith, hope and love. Help us to nurture our planet and to reflect the love and kindness of Jesus in our world today.  Amen

Ruth Rushworth

The Holy Spirit prays with us, 
In a way we cannot express,
When the words will not come,
The Spirit interprets them best.

Based on Romans 8:26-7

Gracious God, thank You that You are always with us. We put aside any distractions and come to a quiet place in our hearts to meet with You.

At times, it is difficult to know how to pray and so we thank You that your Holy Spirit helps us and interprets the prayers of our hearts when we cannot find the words.

We bring to mind situations, places and people around the world and close to home in need of our prayers; we lift them before You and ask your Spirit to help us pray  …..

Loving God, You know, understand and care about all that we face in our lives. You want to walk alongside us and help us. We bring before You anything on our hearts and ask your Spirit to pray with us and for us …..

Loving God, may we go out today trusting in the presence, strength, peace and guidance of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God.

I John 4:7 NIVUK

A beautiful gift,
of compassion and grace,
Of overflowing love,
Unrestricted, by time or place,
Direct from the heart,
Of Jesus, God’s own son,
Through the power of Spirit,
For now and all time to come.

Gracious God, we thank you for your love; for the love of family and friends and the love we share with each other.  We thank you for all the love, care and kindness shown to us that we take for granted.

As we reflect and look at the image, we think about the love and heart of Jesus for the whole world.  We think about the colours we might use to show the transforming love of God in our lives and how we might share that love with others.

Loving God, draw us closer to You that we may know your love more deeply and share your love, peace and kindness with others in our world.  We pray for people, places and situations on our hearts ….. in Jesus’ name. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one friends. 

John 15:14 NLT

A single poppy standing,
Amidst waves of sea green,
Honouring all who were lost,
And futures that might have been.

A single poppy standing,
On the pathway from the beach,
Remembering lives sacrificed,
To gun fire and shell blasts.

Their memory lives on,
In the freedom we enjoy today,
We remember, we give thanks,
We stand, we stop, we pray.

Gracious God, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we give You thanks for all who courageously gave their lives, for all who were injured and all who bravely took part.

We pray for all who are suffering loss of any kind through war and conflict today.  May they know your strength, peace and comfort. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

Ruth Rushworth

God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5 NIV

God in Heaven,
Gracious and good,
Watching over us,
Pouring out love.

Filling our hearts,
With the Spirit of kindness,
The Spirit of goodness,
Joy and faithfulness.

Showing us patience,
And self control,
Gentleness and peace,
Flowing through our soul.*

Dear Lord, we thank you for the transforming work of your Spirit; the work that produces the beautiful qualities of Jesus and love in our lives.

We pray that your Spirit will help us in any area of anxiety or difficulty and flow through our lives with your love in Jesus.  Draw us we closer to You and help us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

*The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.
Gal 5:22-23 NIV

May the the Lord bless you and protect you

Numbers 6:24 NLT

The Lord bless you and keep you ….
Loving God, thank You for your love, care and protection over our lives. Help us to know You better and deepen our faith and trust in You.

The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you ….
Thank you that your love shines through the face of Jesus.  May we look to Jesus, the light of life and share his love and kindness with others.

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace ….
Thank you that you look on us with love and kindness. As we pray, may we know the peace of your presence in Jesus.

We pray for your blessing for others …

Gracious God, we thank you for this timeless and beautiful prayer of blessing. Thank you for it’s words and the assurance of your love and care.  May we bring it to mind as we go about our day.  We pray for all you have placed on our hearts, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

The Lord hears me; He listens to my prayers.

Ps 116:1 GNT

“Sign in, create your account, you are offline, try again later, forgotten your password, accept cookies, are you sure you want to continue, update your profile, this site is no longer available”  and so on …..

Dear Lord, whatever frustrations we face with our internet or other communications, we thank You that You are always “on line” ready to listen and speak with us.

Gracious God, thank You that You love us with no strings attached.  Help us to come to You with an open heart, in confidence and trust.  Help us to rest in your presence, know your sustaining love and peace, and speak with you about all things.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Ps 46:1 NIV

Ruth Rushworth

..God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5 GNT

Your Spirit is here
As You promised,
Within, around, through,
And among us.

Your Spirit reveals,
We are truly loved,
Cherished and adored,
By the tender heart of God.

Your Spirit comes,
To make Jesus known,
To help us to love him,
And make our heart his home.

Your Spirit unites us,
In one heavenly family,
Living and working,
Together in harmony.

Your Spirit enables,
The life that we lead,
To love and serve You,
In thought, word and deed.

Your Spirit leads us,
In ways true and right,
To use our gifts and talents,
With gentleness and might.

Your Spirit warms our hearts,
Enlightens our earthly minds,
With tenderness and grace,
Transforms our daily lives.

Your Spirit connect us,
And teaches us to pray,
When we cannot find the words,
The Spirit knows just what to say.

Your Spirit assures us,
Of our eternal heavenly home,
Of unending love, joy and peace,
Praising Jesus on the throne.

The Holy Spirit comes,
Gentle as a dove,
On the wings of the eagle,
Blown by the wind of heavenly love.

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom You have given to us to help us live out our Christian lives and  be more like Jesus.
As we reflect, may we invite your Spirit to show us your love in our heart.  Amen

Ruth Rushworth
Image: courtesy of Ian Mawdsley

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

1 John 1:5 NIVUK

The breath of God hovered,
Waiting til the time was right,
To breathe life, to create,
To transform with love and light.

The power of God waited,
Until 3 days had passed,
To resurrect, heal and restore,
The relationship that was lost.

The grace of God shines,
Through Jesus, God’s own son,
Love and mercy have conquered,
Grace and peace have overcome.

The love of God transforms,
hearts and minds and souls,
By the power of the Spirit,
Living and active in our lives.

Holy Spirit, transforming love, come fill us afresh with the love that cannot be overcome; the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Gracious God, we pray for the light of your love for those people, places and situations You have placed on our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Ruth Rushworth