Resources for prayers at home - Lent 5 (29.03.2020)
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the
Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14
Silence
Confession
If you O Lord, kept a record
of sins, O Lord, who can stand.
Silence
We confess our sins and our failures
-
To fear the Lord
-
To wait for the Lord
-
To hope in the word of the Lord
In the Lord there is forgiveness for with the Lord is
unfailing love. Psalm
130
Collect
Most merciful God, by the
passion, death and resurrection of your Only-Begotten Jesus Christ, you created
humanity anew. Breathe upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised
to a new life in Christ and serve you in the right way all our days; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Ezekiel 37:1 - 14
New Testament: Romans
8:6 - 11
Gospel: John 11: 1- 45
In the
midst of fear, suspicion, uncertainty and frustrations, our Gospel reading for
this Sunday once again gives us hope, when Jesus says “I am the resurrection
and the life”. We have Jesus at the funeral house of his friend and Martha and
Mary encounter Jesus in the midst of their sorrow of the loss of their brother.
In the
midst of their sorrow we see the faith of the two sisters, Mary and Martha in
Jesus. A frequent visitor to their home, Jesus is Lord and teacher to
them.
Lord is a
person who owns absolute ownership rights. Hence it is a title that carries
respect and honour. In the midst of their sorrow and tears, Mary and Martha by
calling Jesus Lord, shows that they belonged to Jesus and they trusted him.
Teacher is
a person who is acknowledged for their competency and knowledge in their field
of learning. Through Jesus their teacher they had learned that, as Lord, Jesus
is life.
As Lord of
life Jesus assures us life and teaches us that life can be found only in him.
That is the assurance we all need in this hour of pandemic. Jesus our healer,
Jesus Lord of life, is bigger than the pandemic and our trust must continue to
be in him.
Isn’t it
wonderful to be owned by Jesus, the Lord of life?
For further study
1. What can
you learn about Jesus from this portion of scripture?
a. His coming
late.
b. His going
to the tomb
c. His
emotions - crying
2. If you
compare your life with Mary and Martha
a. …..where do
you go first in times of trouble?
b. …..who is
Jesus to you in difficult moments?
c. …..how is
your faith in such moments?
a. …..how hard
is it to follow Jesus?
3. How does
this story give you hope in the situation of the Corona Virus?
4. As a family
note down the ways in which Jesus has cared for you during this period of
curfew
Thanks & Praise
Praise the Lord. Praise him
for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Psalm 150:1a, 2
·
For those who are being healed of the virus.
·
For the commitment and sacrifices of doctors and
all medical staff
·
For those who provide essential services that
the needs of the people will be met.
Intercessions
Answer me when I call to
you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and
hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1
We prayer for all affected by
the Corona Virus. That God’s healing hands will be upon them, making them whole
and restoring them to good health.
We pray for the families of
the affected and for families who have lost loved ones. For God’s love and
comfort in times of fear, concern, and uncertainty. That they will be spared
from discrimination and isolation by those around them.
We pray for the doctors and
medical staff and all others involved in the care of the affected; That they
may continue to serve with dedication, courage and strength and that God’s
presence will also be with their families.
We pray for all the daily wage earners, the poor, small
businesses, those who provide other essential services, that their needs will
be
met and they will be protected
from the pandemic.
We pray for the general
public; that they may be responsible and follow the right procedures that they
too will be instruments of healing;
that they will be mindful of
the needs of others and be kind and generous in this time of needs.
We pray for the leaders of our
nations and the leaders of the world; for right decisions to be taken as they
keep at heart the citizens of their nations, and work for the benefit of
all.
We pray for the church and its
witness in this time of pandemic; that the church will walk in the path of
Jesus, giving courage and strength to a world that is affected, living in fear
and uncertainty, that through it’s actions the world will know Jesus as the
Lord of life.
Daily prayer during this
period of pandemic
Liberating God, who broke into
human history with compassion and healing for all, give to the world at this
time a sense of neighborliness so that we may turn fear and anxiety into
patient listening, isolation and social distancing to the healing of memories
of hurt and an assurance of a social embrace through our presence, through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit One God forever and ever. Amen
Living in confidence
Jesus says, I am the
resurrection and the life. John 11:25a
May God who made both heaven
and earth bless us. Amen.
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