Category: bible

Thank you. For work


View of the sunrise on my commute to work

 
REFLECTION
The kingdom of heaven came near to Peter and Andrew at their place of work, fishing in the Sea of Galilee (Matt 4:18-20).  Pray for the kingdom of heaven to come near to us at our place of work too.

Litany of Labor

Let us pray to the Lord of all creation,
from whom comes life and work and purpose.

Almighty God,
when you formed us lovingly out of the dust of the earth,
you breathed into us the breath of life
and gave us work and purpose for living.
You placed Adam in the garden of Eden to till and keep it.
Through our work, you made us co-creators with you,
shaping the world in which we live.
You gave dignity to our labor by sending your Son to labor with us.
By our labor, you enrich the world.
By our labor, we enjoy the fruits of creation.
By our labor, we find direction and purpose.
By our labor, our families are made secure.

For providing varieties of work and for blessing us by our labor:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who plow the field and those who make the plow;
for farmers and farm workers, for steelworkers and machinists;
for those who work with their hands and those who move the earth:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who tend the sick and those who seek new cures;
for doctors and nurses, for scientists and technicians;
for those who keep notes and those who transcribe:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who think and those who create;
for inventors and explorers, for artists and musicians;
for those who write books and those who entertain:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who work in offices and those who work in warehouses;
for secretaries and receptionists, for stockers and bookkeepers;
for those who market products and for those who move them:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who inspire our minds and those who motivate us;
for teachers and preachers, for public servants and religious servants;
those who help the poor and those who work with our children:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those whose labor is tidiness and cleanliness;
for janitors and sanitary workers, for drycleaners and maids;
for those who produce cleaning products and those who use them:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

For those who sail the waves and those who fly the skies;
for captains and attendants, for astronauts and deep sea divers;
for those who chart and those who navigate:
We give you thanks, O Lord.

You bless us all with skills and gifts for labor.
You provide us opportunities to use them,
for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

Guard and protect those who labor in the world.
Bless the work of our hands, O Lord.

Look kindly upon the unemployed and the disabled.
Give health to the sick, hope to the bereaved.

Keep us from laboring only for greed.
Make us loving and responsible in all that we do.

Creator Lord, you are the source of all wisdom and purpose,
you are the blessing of those who labor.
Be with us in our labor to guide and govern our world.
Give all men and women work that enhances human dignity
and bonds us to one another.
Give us pride in our work,
a fair return for our labor,
and joy in knowing that our work finds its source in you;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

— written by Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and posted on Liturgy by TLW.
 

From the blog
Circle me, Lord
Work as an offering
In the school of prayer with Brother Lawrence
 

Walk his way with joy


 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

 

A Litany

Jesus invites us to a way of celebration,
meeting and feasting with the humble and poor.
Let us walk his way with joy.

Jesus beckons us to a way of risk,
letting go of our security.
Let us walk his way with joy.

Jesus challenges us to listen to the voices
of those who have nothing to lose.
Let us walk his way with joy.

Jesus points us to a way of self-giving,
where power and status are overturned.
Let us walk his way with joy.

Jesus calls us to follow the way of the cross,
where despair is transformed
by the promise of new life.
Let us walk his way with joy.

 
— by Rex A E Hunt, from www.rexaehuntprogressivelgy.com
 

Sing for joy


 

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

 
 

Advent Prayer

Alleluia the Christ child comes,
and we await his birth.
Let us throw off our distractions,
and allow the chaos to settle.
Let us watch for the signs,
and listen to the messengers.
Let us stand on tiptoe,
and shout aloud and sing.
Something new is emerging,
something new is being birthed.

 
~ written by Christine Sine, and posted on GodSpace.

From the blog
God’s glory revealed
Longing for his appearing
Ding! Dong! Curiosity
 

Peace that makes whole


Holy Spirit Guest House, Groningen

 

“The fruit of the Spirit is … peace …”

 

A prayer

Lord, create in me a love for peace;
not peace that is the absence of struggle,
not peace that is blind to injustice,
but peace that makes whole what is now broken.

 
from The Lion Prayer Collection, compiled by Mary Batchelor, p. 365

Day of Prayer: Saturday 29 November 2025

Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly, is encouraging Church of Scotland congregations to join together in a special Day of Prayer on Saturday 29 November, the eve of St Andrew’s Day.

More information and resources here

Watch live stream
They will be livestreaming the first hour (11am–12noon) and the final hour (7–8pm) of the day (UK time zone). So, if you’re not able to join in person, you can still be part of this time of prayer and worship from wherever you are.

From the blog
Forget not
In the school of prayer with Terry Hinks
Unite my divided heart
 

When you reap

 

God says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.”

 

A prayer

Almighty God, Creator of all things,
Maker of all people,
grant that we may find a unity in you,
that we may be joined together in the bond of peace,
that we may share, with justice,
the rich resources of the world,
that no one may be in hunger, or oppressed,
that none of your creation may be spoiled or misused.
We ask this in the name of him who gave himself for the world,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
 

by David Adam, from The Rhythm of Life: Celtic Daily Prayer, p.46

From the blog
A new nature
No more tears
Sabbath rest
 

Sowing and reaping


Mosaic wall, Scots International Church Rotterdam

Prayer of Intercession

(inspired by 2 Corinthians 9:6)

In humility of heart let us pray to God the Father of all.

 
Lord, in your word you teach us
that sparse sowing means meagre reaping;
give us generous hearts as we respond to your love.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us that a generous heart
produces a bountiful harvest;
pour your love within us.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us to pray for those who govern us;
bless all in positions of authority
who take decisions for the nations of your world.

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

Lord, you teach us to bring your healing
to the sick and suffering;
may your healing be upon those
whom we name before you now …

Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer.

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven….

 
~ from www.givingingrace.org/

From the blog
Germinate and grow
A Peace Garden
A holy space
 

The proper time to reap

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

A prayer

Almighty God,
you called us to labour in your vineyard:
Keep us faithful in your service,
whether the harvest is plentiful,
or the soil seems barren and our labour unprofitable;
knowing that the harvest is yours,
and you will reap in your own appointed time;
to the glory of your holy Name.

 
written by Eric Milner-White (1884-1963) and G.W. Briggs (1875-1959),
from The Book of a Thousand Prayers by Angela Ashwin, #552
 

From the blog
All good gifts
Joyful response
Thank you. For fruit-bearing trees
 

A strange sight

Exodus 3:1-5

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight — why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
 

You Break In

Into the daily cycle of our lives
When all seems well
With us and with the world
When our yoke is easy
And the burden light
You break in
And scatter our complacency

Into the daily cycle of our lives
When we are comfortable
And at our ease
When the fire is lit
But eyes are closed
You break in
And challenge our dependency

You break into
Our daily prayers
Humble hearts
Lay souls bare
You break in
You break in

You break in
When defenses are down
With an Angel’s shout
Or the quietest sound
You break in
You break in
And we change
And all things change
When you break in

 
written by John Birch, posted on the Faith and Worship website

From the blog
Prepare a way
Blessed assurance
Broken spirit sacrifice
 

Strange territory

Prayer

inspired by the Beatitudes

God of life and of truth,
Your Son invites us to see the world through your eyes and we find ourselves disoriented:

You bless the poor
You bless the meek
You bless the pure in heart.
You turn our world and its values upside down.

We have signed on to follow your Son
but this is strange territory.
It doesn’t look anything like
the life we have been taught to yearn for,
to work for,
to believe will bring us happiness.

Yet, You know the despair that besets
so many of our young people
who fear that their future has been mortgaged
by our greed and carelessness.
You hear the cries of those who
have traded their souls for power and money
and now have emptiness as a friend.
You see those who are caught in lives that
lead only to weariness and anxiety.

Set us at Jesus’ feet
so we can learn to judge our lives differently.
Awaken in us that hunger and thirst for you
which will lead us to your will
and your peace.

Open our eyes to see your unexpected blessings.
Open our hearts to welcome you
when you come to us in strange ways.

Then make us into a community of blessedness
that beckons this neighbourhood
into your joy.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus
who blesses us with your living presence
and fills our lives with your life-changing truth.
Amen.

 
~ written by Christine Jerrett, posted on her website

From the blog
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