In the midst of the darkness

Our prayer for last night's midnight service, as we watched and waited for the light to break forth in darkness:

We pray with and for those who this night await the Saviour of the world to be revealed.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

We pray for the children who will be born this night, in conditions that are hostile, inhospitable, uncomfortable and temporary.

We pray for the women and men, whose children will be born in an alien land, in a place they seek refuge, hope, peace.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

We pray for those who this night undertake jobs unseen by others, who in the midst of their toil and labour, in the humdrum of their everyday life, need a revelation of the divine, and an assurance that they are not forgotten, not overlooked.

We pray for those who have no work, who face redundancy, or whose work and financial future seem uncertain and insecure.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

We pray for those who hold authority to govern and judge, and for the police forces who enforce the laws of the land, who seek to keep peace.

We pray for those who are tempted to use their authority, power and influence to abuse others, or promote themselves. We pray for people who are victims of the wilful neglect or persecution of hostile governments.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

We pray for people of other faiths, remembering that you spoke to star-gazers, and revealed the birth of your son to them. We pray that they may find the true light that gives light to all men, and come to worship him.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

Lord we pray for ourselves, sometimes confused, often conflicted and seemingly too content. As we wait for a fresh revelation of Jesus to ignite faith in our hearts, and to reawaken passion in our mission.

Lord, in the midst of the darkness, Let your light shine.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An outpouring on outpourings

I guess many of us will have been looking with a mix of interest, curiosity, hope, bewilderment and maybe amusement at the events taking place in a conference centre in Lakeland, Florida, USA. For a few of weeks now, nightly “Revival” meetings have been taking place there, led by Todd Bentley. A google or youtube search on “Florida Outpouring” will give you a flavour of what's been happening. There are now reports of a “Dudley Outpouring” as well as others around the globe as leaders who have seen what’s been happening (normally on godtv.com or the God Channel on satellite) go to Florida and bring back what they have “caught”, and impart it to the folks at home. So, what to make of this? I’ve been asked for my reflections by a few folks, possibly because when the Toronto Blessing movement was at its height in the UK I was involved with a ministry (that I deeply appreciate and love) that sought to introduce people to what God might have been doing in that time. As I reflect on those...
Read more

World Book Night, One million Book Giveaway

Image
So, it's the first World Book Night tonight, and the organisation aims to give away one million books. There are 25 titles being given away, and folks wanted to be part of the process were invited to make contact a few months ago, indicating which book they'd like to give away and why. I applied, and asked to distribute the book "One Day" by David Nicholls. I'd picked up a copy whilst on holiday a couple of months ago, a friend had suggested it, and said there would be a particular reason I'd like it. It's a book that is set on July 15th, St Swithin's Day, my birthday, and follows the relationship of two very different kind of people. It wasn't the usual kind of book I'd read, but I found it terrifically moving, very funny, and quite insightful about human relationships, life, and slowly growing older. Here's the blurb from the World Book Night site: I can imagine you at forty,’ she said, a hint of malice in her voice. ‘I can pictur...
Read more

Communion service at Baptist Assembly

This last weekend saw approx 1300 baptists joining together in a very sunny Blackpool for the annual Baptist Assembly; a time for us to gather in prayer, celebration and reflection about the life of our Baptist Union of Great Britain , and the work of BMS World Mission. For the last few years I've had the privilege of being one of those who gets to shape some of the larger sessions, we have the somewhat utilitarian title of "session Design Group". It has been a thrilling experience seeing words we've crafted and laboured over be used in ways that have brought joy, peace, hope, laughter, as well as creating space for people to encounter God or access his word afresh. This year I had the task of shaping a communion service that would be intergenerational, that is to say would speak in some way to people of every age. For various reasons there were some constraints (getting more than a thousand people moving around in a fairly full space can be tough, and we needed t...
Read more