‘Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart’. 
Proverbs 3:3 NIV

Gracious God, we praise you and thank you for your love and faithfulness, shown to us in Jesus.  We thank you for those who have shown us your love in different ways.

As we go about our day, may we have hearts of thankfulness for the beauty and love around us, from the tiniest snowdrop or crocus, to a helping hand, an act of generosity, a listening ear, a wise word or a timely prayer. Stay close to us and help us to consider how we can be true to you and display your faithful love today. Thank you dear Lord. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

“…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of one of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Matt 25:40 NIV

In the stillness
In the being
In the knowing
In the loving
In the giving
In the caring
In the sharing
Jesus is here.

God of love, God of light,
bless our hearts, increase our sight,
that we might know you better still,
reflect your heart, your mind, your will.

Loving God, as Jesus sought out quiet time with You, away from the crowds, may we too seek to spend time, however long or short, with You.

Show us how we might be a shining light  and reflect your love as pray, live, work and serve that we and others may encounter Jesus, the Light and Saviour of the world. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:33 NIV

My ways are gentle,
My path is straight,
My love is forever,
My mercy great.
My faithfulness is true,
My forgiveness assured,
My life is eternally
Bound to yours.

Faithful God, we reflect on the love of Jesus, the love that came down from heaven to earth, the love that sacrificed His life on the cross, the love that conquered death and rose to new life.  The love that offers light and life to all…..

Loving God, we thank You for your faithful love, the love that burns brightly and dispels the darkness, the love that overcomes, the love that gives meaning, hope and a future. We thank You for all we have and who we are through Jesus.  We reflect with you on what this means to us …….

As we look at the cross and lighted candle, we light a candle in our heart for the people and situations we wish to bring before You, in Jesus’ name……

May your faithful love hold us in peace and trust.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 1:2 NIV

Through the heart of God
We are loved, just as we are,
Our saviour Jesus came from afar,
To gather us all to himself,
To speak of truth, of love, of rest.
He invites us into a kingdom of love,
To share the joys of heaven above,
He adorns us with his love and grace,
Gifts of peace and lights of faith.

He shows us ways to aid the weak,
To comfort those who grieve and weep,
To be His light in a darkened world,
To speak to those who have not heard
Of the love Jesus asked to be shared.
To work for justice, pray for peace,
To seek His face, His will, His grace.

Gracious God of all our days,
Accept our worship,
Our song of praise,
Our heart of thankfulness,
For Jesus your Son,
For your Holy Spirit,
God, three in one.

Loving God, we praise You. May your gracious, all-encompassing love embrace us and transform us from the inside out, that all may know they are cherished by You, God of Love and Creation. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Jesus said “Come to me all you who are thirsty, come and drink! Streams of living water will flow from within all who believe in me.”

John 7:38 NIV

Gracious God, we come to You; we calm our minds and still our bodies, slow our breathing and settle into this time of reflection with You, living, loving God. We come, with all that is on our hearts and minds, knowing that we are perfectly loved and accepted by You just as we are. Gracious God, we praise you….

As the deer pants for water,
so I long for you O God….
I will meditate upon your kindness…
For by day
the Lord pours out
his steadfast love…
Through the night
I pray to the God
who gives me life.
He is my help!
He is my God!

Extracts from Psalm 42 TLB

Gracious God, thank you that we can come and bathe under the cascade of the pure, renewing, refreshing waters of Jesus, through the power of Your Holy Spirit.  Thank you that You satisfy our deepest thirst and longings.
Draw us closer to You as we drink deeply from the waterfall of Your everlasting love, strength and grace in Jesus. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

.. My grace is all you need…

2 Cor: 12:9 NLT

Loving God,
We come to You,
Our God, our Saviour.
In this quiet space
We worship You,
We praise You,
We thank You.

We listen.
We wait.

We offer ourselves,
our lives up to You,
Trusting, that You
Will bless,
Give back,
And provide,
All we need
In our lives
To love and serve
You and others,
With joy and gladness,
Today and every day.

Come, Lord Jesus,
By you Holy Spirit,
Fill out hearts,
Our minds,
Our lives,
With love for You.

Loving God, imprint your love, your grace, your power and your peace on us through your Holy Spirit, that the light of Jesus may always shine brightly in our lives, homes and communities. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

The Lord has shown us what is good “…to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” 

Micah 6:8 NIV

Loving God, we praise you for your wonderful and beautiful creation. The world and everything in it belongs to you. We praise you for Jesus, light of the world and the life, love, hope and future we have through Him.

Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut commented:

“My first mission blew me away…

When you’re looking down on the earth and you realise that people are fighting each other, as opposed to this view that you have of people all being part of a single planet; it’s really saddening.

Viewing the earth from space, it certainly transforms the way you look and think about earth, you see everything as one interconnected system, including all your family and friends and everything you’ve ever known is down there on this planet. It’s the place we call home and we need to take care of it.” *

Loving, creator God, we pray for our world …
We pray for unity  …
We pray for peace  …
We pray for justice  …
We pray that we might love and care for each other; each one is precious to You …
We pray that we might take care of our planet and everything you have given us …

Gracious God, we thank you that, no matter how things seem, you are in control and your good and loving purpose will prevail. May we lift our eyes from our perspective to yours.  May we walk closely with you and draw on the guiding light of your love and presence with us, as we live out our lives this day, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

* Ellen Ochoa Astronaut
Speaking on 2022: The Year From Space
Channel 4, Tuesday 3rd Jan 2023

Free Image: Bing Wallpaper

He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will … neither slumber not sleep

Psalm 121: 3-4 NIV

He opened his arms
In a welcome embrace,
Stay close my child
As you run the race,
Surmount the obstacles
Over which you tread,
Trust in me,
I know the way ahead.

I will never leave you
I am always yours.
I never take my eyes off you
I’ll help you stay on course,
I adore you with a passion
And a heart that burns with love,
All I am I give you
My child, I am enough.

Loving God, we reflect on your gracious promises to us.  Thank you that you are our help and protection, our constant guide and companion who watches over us by night and by day. May we stay close to you and lead others towards you. For Jesus sake.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! For that is what we are!

1 John 3:1 NIV

He’d gone his own way,
He was down on his luck,
At the end of his tether,
With no way back up.

Then he remembered,
The light clearly dawned,
And taking his courage,
He turned to head home.

He had no expectation,
Of the welcome in store,
Hoping to be treated
as a servant, nothing more.

But his father was waiting,
And saw him arrive,
He ran to embrace him,
Exclaiming, my son! he is alive!

Weeping tears of great joy,
He ran through the town,
Dressed his son in great jewels,
In the finest linen gown!

With gladness and rejoicing,
He led his son home,
To the place he belonged,
And could call his own.

He threw a magnificent feast,
With no thought of the cost,
To celebrate the return,
Of the son who was lost.

Gracious God,  we reflect on the familiar story of the prodigal son returning home.*  The son knew he would be received by his father, but had not recognised the extent of the father’s love waiting for him, and the rapturous welcome and great rejoicing that would accompany his return home.

Loving God, we praise you and thank You for this illustration of your amazing goodness and love for each one of us. You love us because your very nature is love. We thank you for Jesus, who gave his life that we might be restored to you.  We pray for anyone you have placed on our hearts today.  May we open our lives more fully to your unconditional love and stay close to you in prayer, praise, trust and thankfulness, for Jesus sake. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

*(St Luke’s Gospel, chapter 15, verses 11-32)

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Galatians 5:22 ESV

Gracious God, Jesus said, remain in me and you will bear much fruit, fruit that will last. (John 15:4-5)

Loving God, we praise you and thank you for the wonderful blessing of your fruit, produced by the working of your Holy Spirit in different seasons of our lives. We acknowledge and thank you that it is not the result of our own effort, but received through your goodness and loving-kindness to us through Jesus.

Gracious God we reflect with You on the fruit of your Spirit and thank you for your many blessings in our lives…….
May we love and support each other on life’s journey, and may we we stay close to Jesus, that we may bear fruit that will last, for the glory of your eternal kingdom. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.

Ps 36: 5 NIV

Gracious Lord, as we reach the mid point of January, we hear phrases such as “Blue Monday” and the “January blues”.  At times, like the weather, our lives are overcast, grey and cloudy, and we battle against driving rain and blustery winds. Gracious God, we remember that blue skies are above the clouds and that light does penetrate the gloom.

We take time to quieten our minds, slow our breathing, calm any anxious thoughts and be still before you…. We reflect on, praise you and thank you for your love and faithfulness towards us. We lift our eyes to you and share our worries, our concerns and our joys with You, gracious God. May the breath of your Holy Spirit fill us with your strength, your perspective and your peace.

We pray for anyone in need of encouragement, a kind word or a helping hand today.  May we share the love, encouragement and hope we have through our faith in Jesus with one another.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth