Matthew 25:40 New International Version

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Gracious God, as we embark upon Fairtrade fortnight, we ask that you bless the endeavours of all those who seek the ability to provide for themselves and their families, through the process of fair trading. We pray for those who grow crops amidst issues of climate change and global warming. We pray for those who skilfully produce craft items with a lack of resources. We ask that all Farmers and Artisans will be supported and guided and given the opportunity to receive a just price for their goods. We pay for the process of importing and exporting Fairtrade goods and ask that all those, in consumerism and retail, support the application of just trade rules and a fair market. Finally, Lord God, help us all to consider and understand where and how we purchase our goods so that all traders are treated with dignity and respect. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (New International Version)
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Gracious God, as we digest the roadmap set before us in the coming weeks, we thank You that You remain unchanging and dependable, the One in whom we can place our trust. We thank You that at last there seems to be a route forward for us as communities, that take us beyond the current restrictions. Today we think of all those in education, business, retail, industry, leisure and entertainment who will spend the next few days digesting the information and beginning to navigate their path forward over the coming months. We give thanks for all those involved in the vaccination programme who have helped to make this next stage of the journey a possibility. Lord God, we appreciate that the road ahead will not be easy for many people, there is still a huge amount of uncertainty around peoples livelihoods, but we ask for courage, for wisdom but above all, assurance. May the power of Your Holy Spirit continue to sweep across our nation and may Your presence be felt in every home and business setting today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
‘Be still before the Lord’

Gracious God, on this third day of Lent, as the weekend approaches, we pause to consider the moments when we have felt your presence this week and give thanks. We give thanks for a conversation, a message received, an appointment scheduled, a joke shared, an anxiety eased, a word of encouragement and hope, or a glimpse of the beauty of Your creation. Living God, help us to continue to take still moments to come to You, to seek Your guidance, to reflect upon the past week and to receive Your strength and love for the days ahead. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

1 John 4:9, 19 (NIV)
‘This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. We love because he first loved us.

Gracious God, on this second day of Lent we give thanks that as you created our world, into that world Your poured Your love. Thank You that before we loved You, You first loved us. And so today we recognise that love and choose to embrace it. Help us to be channels of Your love and Your compassion in our communities. This Thursday, we continue to pray for all those channelling Your love in our hospitals, hospices, surgeries and care homes. For every second of care given to another person, we give thanks. And we pray too for all those silently caring for loved ones at home, often in very difficult circumstances, who continue to give that love and attention every day to someone in their care. We pray that all care givers will experience the strength and courage that comes from being loved by You. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Genesis 1 (NIV)
‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’.

Gracious God, as we begin our journey through Lent, we go back to the very beginning and come to You with thanks and praise because You are our creator God. You are the creator of everything. Stars, too many to count, twinkle and light up our night sky because you placed them there. The Sun rises in the morning and sets at night because You created it to radiate heat into our world. The Moon waxes and wanes and shines down brightly because you began its rotation. You created planet Earth to spin on its axis and on the Earth, You made sandy beaches that we can walk on barefoot to watch waves tumbling in seas and oceans. You have created seas and oceans that ebb and flow with the turning of the tides and rivers and streams. You built mountains that we can scramble to the top of to see the vastness of the fields and valleys you have created below. You have made trees and flowers that change in colour and appearance, as the seasons change, to give us a world of colour, variety and delight. You have made creatures of every shape and size, of the sea, of the sky, of the land. And you have made us, each of us unique and individually precious to you. And so, we come before you this morning to praise and thank you for the wonderful world you have created because you are an awesome God. Amen.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

‘I can do all this through him who gives me strength’.

Gracious God, this Shrove Tuesday we take a moment to consider the concerns of our hearts and lay them before You as we prepare to journey through Lent with You; the things we hope for, the things we need to let go of, the things that weigh us down, the things that affect our relationship with You. This year our lives have been turned upside down and we face challenges from so many different directions, as a result of the pandemic. But we pray that this Lent season may be a time of reflection and renewal and hope for the future, as we reflect upon the gift of Jesus Christ our Lord, and our relationship with Him. And so we offer this day to You knowing that we can do all things in Your strength. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Mark 12:31 (NRSV)

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Gracious God, as we will mark the campaign for racial justice this coming Sunday, today we pray for our communities, across our nation and our world, where racism, division and prejudice exist. Lord God, we know that You created humankind to live in peace and harmony with one another. You created different races of people to bring the beauty of diversity into our world. We see the example of Your Son Jesus Christ, who reached out with compassion and friendship to all people regardless of their race or culture. And so, Creator God, help us to fulfil Your vison of a world where all are treated equally, where justice and tolerance are at the heart of every community in order that all humankind may flourish. May the power of Your Holy Spirit breathe unity into our world today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Gracious God, as a new Thursday dawns, we pray once more for all those working within the NHS and healthcare system. Today we pray especially for the staff in our Intensive Care Units who deal with the effects of Covid 19 on a daily basis. As news reports reach us of their exhaustion and anxiety, after so many months of working under such tremendous pressure, we lift them before You. As communities we give grateful thanks for their continued dedication and expertise. We give thanks for the compassion and the love they give to all those in their care. We pray that they may know the assurance of Your love and Your presence with them throughout this day. Living God, we ask that you give them strength, give them courage and most of all, give them a sense of peace at the end of a difficult shift knowing that they have truly witnessed to the power of Your love in our world. So too, we pray for their families, concerned for the wellbeing of their loved ones and often separated from them for many hours, due to the demands of long working shifts. May the power of Your Holy Spirit be experienced today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Proverbs 17:17 (NRSV)
“A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity”.

Gracious God, today we thank you for the gift of friendship. We give thanks for those who laugh with us when times are good, and weep with us when times are sad, for those who show their care for us in very practical ways, for those ever ready to be a listening ear or offer a word of advice, for the people we trust and can depend on.
Lord God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus, our constant companion, who journeys with us offering support and encouragement. Through His example we see what it truly means to be a friend to all and so help us to be faithful to His teachings. Help us to live out His commandment to love our neighbours and treat them with the dignity, compassion and respect that we would like to receive in return. Help us to be ready to extend the hand of friendship to new friends, not yet made, to those in need of a new friend. May all our relationships be rooted in love, the love that comes from You, our creator God, remembering that we love, because You first loved us. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Malachi 3:6, (NLT)
“‘I am the LORD, and I do not change.”

Gracious God, as we come to You this morning, many aspects of our life have changed beyond belief; the ways in which we interact with others, the way we conduct our leisure time, the restrictions placed upon us in work settings, the ways in which we worship You as a community, life is unrecognisable from the lives we shared almost a year ago. As we try to respond to these changes, there are days when we feel simply lost at sea. And yet we know that Your love for us is unchanging, we know that Your power and Your majesty is unchanging, that You are the anchor in our lives, You are the stability amidst the storms of change and our lifeline when we need support. So Lord God, help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and the assurance of the promise of Hope to be found in Jesus Christ who taught us that nothing can separate us from Your love. May that promise be the anchor on which we secure our lives today, Amen.

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)
‘Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments’.

Gracious God, as we begin a new week, we come to You. Life continues to be challenging for us with uncertainties and worries, with issues that affect our physical and mental well-being and yet we know that we are assured of Your presence with us in any situation, we are assured of Your strength and guidance and we are assured of Your compassion and Your love for us. As the dark days of winter begin to lengthen, as we see snowdrops in bloom and daffodil shoots appearing on grass verges, we are reminded that Spring is coming. As these floral wonders of Your creation reflect new life and Your continuing presence in our world, give us the faith and the confidence to continue to place our trust in You, to keep hope for the future and may the beauty of Your creation refresh our inner-being and cause our hearts to smile. In the name of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, Hope and Love we pray, Amen.