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I once was lost…

“Today, if you are reading this and you have been marginalised, belittled, ostracised, or left out in the cold; if you have made mistakes, hurt others, or hurt yourself; if you have walked away from relationships, said harsh words, or behaved badly; if you are continually hijacked by inappropriate or disturbing thoughts, desires, or feelings; if you feel undeserving, a lack of self-worth, or that you are unlovable; then hear the message of Jesus — that God loves you, has come to you, and wants you to find your home in them.” Rev Gav, 2022

Daily Bread

Morning Prayer

Your love, O Lord, is never ending
and your mercies endure forever.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness!

The night has passed, and the day lies open before me,
and so, at the dawn of this new day, I come before you
with an open heart and ready to be filled with your love.

As I rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set my heart on fire with love for you.
Fill me with your life-giving Spirit
that I might be Jesus to all I meet
and a vessel for your unending love.

Loving God, who abides in heaven,
you are the Father and Mother of us all.
May your holiness be declared,
your justice be observed,
your will be embraced,
and your kingdom be established
on earth as in heaven.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
And from the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Prayed 44 times.

Afternoon Prayer

Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning
and dwell by the farthest ocoeans,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Holy God,
kindle in me the fire of your love
that I may bring warmth to the world.
May I be led from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
from hate to love,
from war to peace.
And may I be so anointed with your Spirit
that I may be filled with both your peace and joy,
and live and work to your praise and glory.

For all that has past I thank you
and for all that lies ahead I give you praise.
May my eyes be open to see you
in all whom I serve and encounter.

Help me be Jesus to the world.
Help me be your hands and your feet.
Help me have your heart for the broken-hearted.
Help me be Jesus to a world
that needs you more than words can tell.
Help me be Jesus to the world.

And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with me and all those I hold dear,
Now and for evermore.

Prayed 18 times.

Evening Prayer

Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be honoured in the earth.

Loving God,
As this day draws to a close
may I know your grace, mercy, and peace.
Cleanse my heart and mind
of all anxiety, weariness, and pain,
and in the stillness,
may I know your loving presence.

As I reflect on my day,
I give you thanks for all that has been done
And let go of all that has not been done,
handing it over to you
to make good that which I am unable.

For the love I have shared, I am grateful.
For provision and nurture, I am grateful.
For kindness given, I am grateful.
For the sorrow I have caused, I pray for forgiveness.
For injustices ignored, I ask for mercy.

As I look forward to this night
I cast my fears upon you –
fears of the world’s darkness
and fears in my inner being.
May I find my rest in you.

May the peace of your Spirit
that transcends all understanding
fill me and all those I love and hold dear.

Tomorrow is a new day
with new joys and new possibilities.
May I wake tomorrow
feeling refreshed, expectant, joyful,
and with a heart full of your love.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

For you are with me,
now and always.

Prayed 8 times.

Night Prayer

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Holy God,
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
and hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Protect my conscious and my unconscious,
and guard me as I sleep this night
that my dreams will be filled with hope
and my rest be in your loving arms.

Spirit, in whom I live and move and have my being,
from you, nothing is hidden.
Breathe into me your cleansing wind
that I may be filled with your unending love.

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.

From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.

Jesus Christ,
I cast my burdens unto you,
and ask that my soul might be refreshed as I sleep.
For I am yours and you are mine.
Now and forever.

Prayed 18 times.

"Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved."

As a priest, one of the things I vowed to myself was that if it ever became just a job, where I ended up going through the motions without feeling any emotions, then it was time to quit. In any caring profession we can become numb or our hearts can become hardened as we 'self protect' against the pain and anguish of others. For example, what comfort would I be able to bring to those at a funeral if I no longer had empathy for those who were bereaved?

I think the same thing can happen in society. We can be so worn down by the constant feed of bad news that we become numb or hardened to it, and that numbness or hardness creeps into our hearts and, from the inside out, begins to shape who we are.

I recently had an unpleasant encounter with someone who is on the opposite political spectrum to me, and I found his views to be both shocking and distressing. I felt violated by his opinions which, to me, amounted to the support of prejudice and injustice, and the encounter left me riled, hurt, and upset. However, what shocked me most, was how I subsequently felt about this person. I had mentally labelled them and demonised them as the 'other' and no longer saw them how God saw them — as God's beloved child. How I wept that I could have so easily been drawn into being the very kind of person I so despised! Lord, have mercy on me! Thankfully, the following week, I had an opportunity to see them again and I smiled and engaged them as I always had — with love.

Friends, we must never tire of loving and we must never stop loving, for we are on the side of love — God's love.

Holy God
May my love never grow cold.
May I never stop loving.
May I never stop allowing your Spirit to work through me,
to bring comfort and peace to all I meet.
May I never stop being Jesus in the world.
Never.
Amen.

Prayed 1 times.

Our weekly Insights and Bible Study plus Member Creativity.

Insights

Rev Gav | Mar 5

What does it mean to fast?

Two people stand in a field silhouetted against a cloudy sky with a person holding an umbrella over a child.
Let us put ourselves out to freely offer acts of service, and without resentment or bitterness, untie and set free those who are bound.
Mar 2

How does God really see us?

God loves you, because God loves you, because God loves you, and God remembers your sins no more. You are truly free.
A person stands on a wooden step ladder.
Feb 23

How do we reach perfection?

If you are trying to follow Jesus and you are being told you are a ‘sinner’ and you are being made to feel guilty or condemned — possibly by a Christian leader or church doctrine — then you are being told to focus on a gap that is no longer…
Feb 16

Should we ignore the sparks of discrimination?

I hope and pray with all my heart that the sparks of discrimination we see today do not become flames that become a raging inferno that engulfs and destroys nations.

Bible Studies

Rev Gav | Mar 2

Seek

A group of diverse friends all stand in a line with their arms round each other.
Luke 5:17-20. We only need to have faith in this rabbi Jesus, and if we seek him, we will find him.
A woman hides behind the vail a curtain and the look on her face is sadness — perhaps at being ostracised.
Feb 24

Clean

Luke 5:12-16. Today, we live in a society where some are bullied, ostracised, marginalised, oppressed, or persecuted. This happens in the classroom, in the workplace, and even at higher levels of society.
A woman holds up her hand, palm facing outwards as if to say, "Get away from me!"
Feb 16

Follow

Luke 5:8-11. You may or may not be a follower of Jesus. You may not have let Jesus shine God’s love and mercy into your life. You might not have got down on your knees and said, “Get away from me, I’m not worth it,” but today, Jesus is asking…
A closeup of two fishing nets. One white with large holes and one turquoise with small holes. The white one is overlaid over the greeny blue one.
Feb 10

Superabundance

Luke 5:6-7. We have a superabundant God, a God who loves us and wants the best for us.

Creativity

Mar 5

A glint of hope

The sun shines on the ocean behind the clouds.
The sun shining through the clouds.
The sun setting behind an island.
Feb 13

Sunset

Rev Gav
A photo of the sunset (including sun pillar) from Somerset, Bermuda.
A pair of hands shackled together by handcuffs.
Feb 3

If the Son sets you free

Marie
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (NLT- John 8:36) Some time ago, I watched a…
A picture of a single candle in cupped hands
Feb 2

Candlemas

Helen Tyte
Today we celebrate Candlemas, where we remember the purification of Mary forty days after the birth of Jesus, and the…
Jan 24

Stars

Rev Gav
A wonderful soundscape with a haunting piano melody and underlying groove.
Jan 18

Oceans

Rev Gav
This week I have been working on a backing track for the worship song ‘Oceans’
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