Wednesday prayer 21st October

It's Wednesday, and another opportunity to join the 'Distance Prayer Group' in prayer between 2 and 4pm. Here is Rita's message:

Good Morning everyone, thank you for joining us for our weekly prayers and meditation. But what to write about today, as there are several special themes around this week? Last Sunday was the Feast of St Luke, and next Sunday is Bible Sunday 2020. Midweek, today is also known as Trafalgar Day, the celebration of the victory won by the Royal Navy, commanded by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, over the combined French and Spanish fleets in 1805.

The church service on the radio last Sunday celebrated St Luke's Day. I took 3 things from that. First, that our service to God's kingdom should be part of our everyday life, the Holy Spirit is still at work today even as it was in the earliest days of the Church. Second, that Luke never mentioned himself by name, he points only to Jesus in all his writing and teaching. And third, that God uses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.

Bible Sunday is the one day in the year when we especially reflect on the importance and meaning of the Bible. Biblical scholarship, particularly since the 19th century, has opened up the pages of scripture to us; new ancient texts have been discovered and there are many translations available. Our current Bible is generated from thousands of different textual sources, words have been pored over for years to bring fresh understanding to a text we may have once believed to be set in stone, but the text is nothing without the believer. Whoever wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews was probably correct when they wrote “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” On this coming Bible Sunday let's give thanks for God’s word living and breathing through us in our generation.

I didn't find a thanksgiving prayer for Trafalgar Day, but what about the Psalms? There are several which spring to mind, ie: Ps 9:1-2, Ps 95:1-6, Ps 100, Ps 118 and Ps 148. Or I sometimes find the BCP General Thanksgiving helps if I struggle for the right words.

I hope these few thoughts will help you over the coming weeks as we face even more difficult times ahead. Keep safe, God bless,

Rita