A warm welcome to
St Cuthbert Church and Home Prayer Group,
whether at Home or in Church.
OUR PRAYERS FOR MAY ARE CENTRED ON ‘JOY.’
Jesus wished His followers to be joyful, and He explained to them that He is like a vine and they are the branches so they must stay close to His teachings in order to produce true fruit and experience the real, true joy in life. We hear this in John’s Gospel chapter 15 verse 11.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
St Paul emphasises how through our belief in eternal life, as a result if Jesus’s mighty Resurrection, will bring us joy and belief.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)
Shall we commence our Prayer time together with the Lord’s Prayer in the traditional form.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. AMEN.
So shall we pray,
A prayer of celebration.
O God, My Exceeding Joy, You teach me the way of life. In Your presence is a total celebration! Beautiful things surround me every day. Your blessings await me when I awake and gently lull me to sleep at night. Good times are a testament to Your love, as are trials, but today, I pause to praise You for the joy bubbling to the surface of every moment. In You alone, God, I find true joy. Amen.
A prayer of gratitude for the joy God brings to our lives.
Lord, I sing praises to You! I give thanks to Your holy name. Days of darkness will come, but You bring joy in the morning. A day does not exist that is not infused with joy, for I am Yours, and You are mine. Thank You for the freedom to rejoice, to be happy, and to overflow with joy in the good times and every day. Amen.
A prayer from Robert Louis Stevenson.
Grant us O Lord the royalty of inward happiness and the serenity which comes of living close to thee. Daily renew in us the sense of joy, and let the eternal Spirit of the Father dwell in our souls and bodies filling every corner of our hearts with light and grace, so that bearing about with us the infection of good courage, we may be diffusers of life, and may meet all ills and may cross all accidents with gallant and high hearted happiness, giving Thee thanks always for all things. AMEN.
A Prayer from Chandran Devanasen.
I thank Thee Lord for Pain the sister of Joy. I thank Thee Lord FOR Sorrow the twin of Happiness
Pain, Joy, Sorrow and Happiness, four angels at work on the Well of love.
Pain and Sorrow dig it deep with aches. Joy and Happiness fill it up with tears that come with smiles.
For the seasons of emotion within my heart I thank Thee O Lord. In Jesu’s name we pray. AMEN
A Prayer thanking God for the Joy Jesus brings to each of us from Canon Frank Colquhoun.
God of hope, fill us with all joy as well as all peace in believing that we may serve you with gladness, delight to do your will and always make melody to you in our hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord . AMEN.
A prayer of praise to God for all the everyday blessings of our lives and the joy with which they fill our lives from Helder Camara. A Brazilian Catholic Archbishop. 1964 to 1985.
The milk float,
The poor man, begging,
The staircase and the lift,
The railway lines, the furrows of the sea,
The pedigree dog and the ownerless dog,
The pregnant woman,
The paper boy,
The man who sweeps the streets,
The church, the school,
The office and the factory
Streets being widened,
Hills becoming laid low,
The outward and the homeward road,
The key I used to open my front door
Whether sleeping or walking –
All, all, all,
Make me think of you.
What can I give to the Lord
For all he has given me? Amen
The key I used to open my front door
Whether sleeping or walking –
All, all, all,
Make me think of you.
What can I give to the Lord
For all he has given me? Amen
A Prayer from Helen Waddell thanking God for the happiness and joy He makes possible for us through the life of His Son Jesus Christ.
Father, we thank thee for our happiness: for the great gift of life for the wonder and bloom of this world. We bless thee that it takes a very little thing to make us happy, yet so great a thing to satisfy us that only thyself canst do it, for thou alone are greater than our hearts.
We bless thee for thy calling which is so high that no one can perfectly attain unto it, and for thy grace that stoops so low that none of us can ever fall too low for it.
Above all we bless that thou didst send thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, for having seen Him we have seen Thee whose truth does ever warm, and whose grace doth ever keep. We pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
A Prayer thanking God for the joy and happiness we achieve through our faith.
I am happy because you have accepted me dear Lord. Sometimes I do not know what to do with all my happiness. I swim in your grace like a whale in the ocean. The saying goes ‘An ocean never dries up’ but we know that your grace never fails.
Dear Lord your grace is our happiness. Hallelujah! AMEN.
Another prayer ensuring we remember the joy only God can bring.
Mighty God, the enemy would have me feel helpless during these hard times, but I am not. He whispers how You have abandoned me, but You have not. Nor am I lonely or tempted to believe You are untrustworthy. I meditate on Your Word and lean on Your grace but confess the reality of Your joy can escape me in the battle. Lord, renew me, refresh my soul, and secure my heart with joy to overflowing. Amen.
Prayer from the Taize community.
O Lord Christ help us to maintain ourselves in simplicity, and in joy, the joy of the merciful , the joy of brotherly love. Grant that henceforth renouncing all thought of looking back, and joyful with infinite gratitude, we may never fear to precede the dawn to praise and bless and sing to the Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Our own silent prayer
Shall we say the Grace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
Thank you for being with us, whether at home or in Church and so contributing to our prayers for Joy.
Roger.
Church and Home prayer group meetings are usualluy held on the first Wednesday of each month and are advertised on our website and in our church magazine.
On alternate Wednesdays at St Cuthbert's, there is a short Holy Communion service, which begins at 10.30am and lasts about half an hour, and anyone joing the prayer group in church are warmly welcome to stay in church for this. There is also the added bonus of coffee and fellowship in a local cafe after the Holy Communion service!
We would very warmly welcome you.
