Greeting:

The Lord be with you

A prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God,
Increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind
And reaching out to that which is before,
We may walk the way of your commandments
And win the crown of everlasting joy;
Through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
Who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.

Reading:      Psalms 1 verse 1 – 6

1:  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2:  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night.

3:  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4:  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5:  Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6:  For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Psalms are a collection of songs sung by the Jews over many generations. The title Psalms means “songs accompanied by musical instruments” and they are written in many different forms. The overriding essence of Psalms is the dialogue between God and his people. The writers of the Psalms were able to express their deepest feelings of love, worship, praise and sometimes frustration towards their almighty and everlasting God, and in return God assures them of continuing love, grace and mercy. Christians have used the Psalms in worship from the very beginning and they have provided inspiration for numerous songs and hymns over the years.

Psalm 1 expresses the wisdom of a life of Godliness and the rewards this life brings in eternity.

True happiness

The opening phrase, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers,” has echoes of the beatitudes that we have been thinking about in our Midweek Bridges. We are blessed, happy or deeply contented when we wisely adopt a lifestyle that does not associate with those who choose to ignore the call of God. The extent of our rejection of evil is expressed in the words walk, stand and sit, there is no room in our lives for anything but the word of God, indeed it is our absolute delight upon which we fill our hearts and minds day and night.

Mindfulness and meditation have become popular ideas in our society and are generally associated with other faith communities than Christianity, however, Word of God meditation is very ancient and recommended for our wellbeing. In concentrating on God’s word and his promises of grace and love, the problems we face from day to day can be placed in perspective. God can really move mountains.

A tree planted by streams of water

The Psalmist describes the life of a believer as a tree planted by a stream of water demonstrating every indication of health and growth. This summer we have experienced periods of both rain and drought, and we have been amazed at how quickly the gardens dry out and need a good watering. At the rear of our family home in London there ran a small stream. On one occasion, after 24 hours of rain, it became a large stream and overflowed it’s banks and we were flooded. As a result, the Local Authority widened the stream and removed most of the plant life. The workmen cut down the willow trees but did not clear up some of the debris which floated away downstream. These cuttings floated to the banks and before long re-established themselves as saplings. This replanting was also aided by children who stuck willow cuttings into the earth. One of my sons took his children to see the place he grew up and was amazed at the size and extent of willow trees along the banks of the stream.

Our natural habitat as Christians is to be rooted deeply in the love of God and fed continually by the Holy Spirit which Jesus described as streams of living water springing up within our souls. If we live this kind of life then the promise is that we will bear fruit in season and prosper, not necessarily materially but certainly in spiritual terms.

In contrast the wicked are described as chaff, the most disposable of things that is easily blown away by the wind.

God knows

There should be no confusion about the difference between the Godly and the wicked because God knows, he is well aware of the spiritual journeys of those who love him and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We may have our ups and downs but if we remain rooted in God’s love he cares for us, strengthens us by his Holy Spirit and has provided for us in the congregation of the church. When we come to the final judgement we will find that we are covered by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary and judged righteous by the One who judges all.

Sadly, but inevitably, those who reject God’s offer of grace in Jesus Christ will be judged, found wanting and perish. We hesitate to dwell on the final judgement but it is an important part of human existence. The gospel tells us that Jesus died so the we could saved, and we can only really appreciate what that means if we have an understanding of what we have been saved from!

A prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Psalmist who expressed for us the wisdom of Holy and righteous living, meditating on your word and allowing your Holy Spirit to flow within us, bringing out the fruit of the Spirit and inspiring us to discover our place in the body of Christ, the church. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:

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.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen

The Blessing:

The love of the faithful Creator.
The peace of the wounded Healer
The joy of the challenging Spirit
The hope of the Three in OneSurround and encourage you
Today, tonight and forever. Amen

The blessing of God Almighty.
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with us and remain with us always.
Amen.

Prayers for 12th Sunday after Trinity 30 August 2020

While preparing these prayers, the word HOPE has been cropping up again and again.  To quote Bishop David Atkinson, ‘Hope has been defined as a gift from God through Christ, that provides an unshakeable trust in his faithfulness and a vibrant expectation of his timely intervention in keeping with his gracious promises.  Such hope keeps us going in the midst of adversity.’

Today’s passage is Psalm 1.  Father God, we pray that you will revive us; help us grow in love for you and your word, and help us to grow in our prayer life

We pray for our area. Lord; you told the prophet Jeremiah to get the people to pray for the city to which you took them, because if it prospers they will prosper (Jeremiah 29).  We pray for Bournemouth, for St Christopher’s parish.  Help us find new ways of sharing the love you have shown us.  We pray this too for the neighbours where we live.  Some are feeling hopeless – help us to be able to share the reason for the hope we have.

We ask your blessing on children and young people going back to school and college / university.  For those who are disappointed with not getting the results they thought they needed, give them hope that they may realise you have a purpose for their lives which is good.

Please cause our government and opposition in humility to ask for your help and wisdom.  With the current news, we pray also for the governments of Russia, Belarus, America and Lebanon. We praise you that you are working out your purposes in the midst of all this mess.

We pray for our leadership team and PCC.  Lord, they need your wisdom and perseverance for all the decisions that need to be made for the future of St C’s.

We pray for the Lunt family.  Simon is making relationships with young Iranian believers from a Muslim background.  We pray for Becky’s friend M that the Holy Spirit will open her eyes to Jesus – God the Son and Saviour.  Thank you for her son A’s friendship with Benjamin and that he has enjoyed going to the youth group. Prepare and bless Josiah and Carys as they move on to university and college.

We pray for all who suffer whether in our church family, particularly remembering those who have lost loved ones.  We pray for all suffering persecution and the effects of disasters.  Thank you for all who bring relief.  We pray you will meet the persecutors, that they will know it is you they are persecuting and turn from the evil

Finally, we pray with Paul the apostle that you will fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in you, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15).  AMEN.


Category: Prayers , Sermons , The Bridge

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