Sabbath rest for sheep: John 10:1-21

Dear Jesus, We come to you today as sheep — not very wise, not very powerful, without much influence in the world, but creatures that you love. You call each of us by name, you bring us out to be near you, and you yourself lead us through this world as our shepherd. So, Lord,…

On God’s closeness: Matthew 9:1-17

Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe — Out of nothing, you brought all existence, Out of chaos you brought order, Out of the bare earth, you brought life. LORD God, King of the universe, Your are above all, beyond all, you stand outside all time and space — you alone are…

In praise of the Word: 2 Timothy 3:14-16

LORD God, King of the universe, By your word you brought creation into being — you spoke, and your words so perfectly expressed your will, your character, your heart that existence itself leapt out of nothing in obedience. By your word, you called order out of chaos, life out of dry dust, man out from…

Asking for profligate love: Philippians 1:1-11

Our loving Father, Here we are — your holy people, come to love you together. Not holy by our own means, not perfect or blameless by the world’s standards, but in our Lord Jesus, entirely loved and welcomed by you. Father, we are here again today to sing together your promises — those promises you…

Peace, peace, and accusation: Luke 12:49 – 13:5

Dear Lord Jesus, We approach you in a time of division and extremes, paradox and impossibility. We live in a world of total connectivity, yet are isolated in our homes, half of us unbearably lonely, the other half desperate for respite from our cell mates. The world has been driven to ground by a virus,…

Hinenu: here we are, more or less

Our Father, Here we are, sitting in prayer. Sitting more or less quietly, our hearts turned more or less to you. Each of us has come from our separate home, leaving behind a different morning and a different week to meet here together and praise you, more or less. LORD, it is a simple thing…

In praise of the mundane: Matthew 13

Dear Lord Jesus, How lovely it is to have time to be in your presence together; to sing songs in your honour, to hear the stories you told, to think about your claims on us, and greatest of all, to have the privilege of talking directly to you, knowing that you yourself are listening and…

Three parables: Luke 15

LORD God, King of the Universe, We come before you in prayer to praise you, to honour your name, to join with angels in adoring you. We call you holy, holy, holy — The LORD God Almighty, with all the church, not only in every nation and every language, but across every time in history.…

‘I count everything as loss’: Philippians 3:1-11

Dear Lord Jesus, How hard it is sometimes to pray. How hard to quieten ourselves, to still our souls, and attend to you fully. How bright and hard and noisy the world is, and how silent you sometimes seem in comparison. We are surrounded by whirlwinds — by the clamour of wars and politics and…