Prayer and Lord's Prayer, inspired by Psalm 95 and Luke 2:22-32, and prayers by Frank Colquhoun, Seren Kierkegaard, Rita Snowden, The Rule of Taizé, Timothy Dudley-Smith, in Mary Batchelor's The Lion Prayer Collection, 1996. Also, Spill The Beans, 13th July 2025.
As we gather together in worship, let us come before God with open hearts, ready to celebrate the quiet joys and the profound moments in our lives. We bring our praise for the everyday gifts that surround us and our honest confessions for when we have missed God’s gentle call.
In this prayer, we hold space for both adoration and confession, recognising that in the silence and in the speaking, God’s Spirit meets us. Let us pray together.
God of stillness and singing,
of summer days and quiet moments,
you are present in all things:
in the laughter of a picnic,
the hush of a quiet church,
the whisper of the wind through a tree,
and the silence that holds more than words ever could.
You are the one who speaks through scripture, song and Spirit,
through others, and through the deep places of our hearts.
We praise you for the beauty of ordinary days,
for holidays and for rest,
for the joy of sunshine and shared meals,
for the gift of time and the grace of ‘enough'.
You are the Creator who calls us to joy,
the Redeemer who meets us in sorrow,
the Sustainer who breathes life into silence.
You are the God of the overlooked and the celebrated,
the near and the far,
the strong and the fragile.
And we adore you.
Yet in the light of your goodness, we confess:
We have not always listened.
We have filled the quiet with our noise,
spoken too quickly, or stayed silent when we should have spoken.
We have missed your voice
in the cry of the weary,
in the needs of our neighbour,
in the nudge of your Spirit.
Forgive us, Lord,
when we cling to what is easy,
when we hold back our compassion,
when we shut down that still, small voice within.
Forgive the ways we resist your change,
refuse the unfamiliar,
or harden our hearts to your call.
Teach us again the grace of silence.
The holiness of listening.
The strength of gentleness.
Make us more like Jesus,
who spoke with truth and love,
who welcomed the lost and lifted up others,
who lived joyfully and simply,
whose heart beat in tune with Yours.
Renew us by your Spirit,
so that in word and in silence,
in action and in stillness,
we may reflect your mercy and live Your love.
So now, let us pray together in the words Jesus taught us, saying:
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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
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