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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 48 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 9 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 19 times.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.

Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
and executes judgement for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall see his vindication.

Have you ever been let down by someone? It's a rhetorical question because of course you have! People should act with honesty and integrity and be reliable such that we can put our confidence and trust in them, but the truth is that no-one is 100% honest, 100% trustworthy, or 100% reliable. No-one is perfect, and if we think we are then we are deluding ourselves.

This passage from the prophet Micah comes immediately after Micah has implored his readers not to trust in people because people will let you down, and when we realise this it leads us to trust in God who will never let us down, the 'God of my salvation'

Micah then turns his attention from others to himself, and although the prophet is kinda talking about himself as a metaphor for the whole people, he recognises and laments his own weakness and failings, however the prophet is not only remorseful but penitent, and there is a difference between the two.

The 19th Century preacher George Campbell Morgan put it like this (paraphrased by Rev Gav):

"In this passage in Micah we discover the difference between remorse and penitence. When someone is remorseful they are sorry for themselves and mourn over their sin because it has brought them suffering, however, when someone is penitent they are grieved by the way in which their sin has wronged God and understand that it is through this kind of suffering that God is setting them free from their sin."

It's worth reading and pondering on that statement!

When we mess up and sin (i.e. put ourselves first before God, others, and the environment) and it's come back to bite us and we're suffering the consequences of our own actions, we can do one of two things. We can wallow in self-pity or we can recognise that, ultimately, we have hurt God, turn to God, and allow God's love and forgiveness to set us free.

As Micah put it (again, I paraphrase) , "God will bring you out into the light and you will be transformed by the forgiveness of God."

Holy God
You know me better than I know myself,
and I confess to you that I have sinned.
I have thought things, said things, and done things
of which I am ashamed.
I have put my own needs and wants
ahead of you, other people, and the world around me,
and I have offended you.
And so, I turn to you now,
trusting in your unfailing love,
humbly asking that you lead me into the light
that I might be restored through your forgiving love.
In Christ and through Christ
Now and forever.

Prayed 0 times.

Our weekly Insights and Bible Study plus Member Creativity.

Insights

Rev Gav | Mar 29

How should we respond when we are rejected?

A makeup palette in rainbow colours.
Whether you are a wizard, a muggle, or a mudblood, or whether you do not identify or fit into any group at all, may you know that God does not judge you and that you are welcomed and invited into God’s Kingdom!
Mar 23

Was Jesus political?

Yes, we can lament at those in power for their corruption and wicked ways, but we are responsible for only one heart, and that is our own.
Mar 16

How do we press on towards our goal?

Each of us needs to spend time listening to God, and stay in tune with the Spirit, to work out how and when and where God is leading, and to enable us to work out God’s purposes in the world.
Mar 11

Why does Gender Equality Matter?

We need to be like Jesus and break down the gender barrier, and we need to do it quickly. We need to Accelerate our Action.

Bible Studies

Rev Gav | Mar 29

Mission

An unkempt man plays pool in a dive bar.
Luke 5:27-32. We are to love and be a light to all and to be an influence for good and an agent for God.
A white on blue wheelchair parking symbol painted on asphalt or tarmac.
Mar 23

Forgiveness

Luke 5:22-16. We can receive that forgiveness of all our sins — everything we have ever thought, said or done, that has dishonoured ourselves, others, or God. All we need to do is ask.
The red and blue light that sits atop a police car.
Mar 18

Pharisee

Luke 5:20-21. There’s nothing you can do to make God love you more, and nothing you can do to make God love you less.
A group of diverse friends all stand in a line with their arms round each other.
Mar 2

Seek

Luke 5:17-20. We only need to have faith in this rabbi Jesus, and if we seek him, we will find him.

Creativity

Mar 24

The Prodigal

Father and son embrace
Here is a modern day short story based on Jesus’ story about the Prodigal Son
A girl peeks through a doorway in fear
Mar 9

The Doorway

Marie
Claire learns fear and the Spirit that is Love and changes fear to peace
The sun shines on the ocean behind the clouds.
Mar 5

A glint of hope

Rev Gav
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…
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