Skip to main content

Prayer Column - June 2021

A kingdom of priests?

According to Peter, in Jesus we are a royal priesthood (1 Pe 2:9), and the words are echoed twice in Revelation (1:6; 5:10), drawing on a promise to the Israelites as they were being given the ten commandments (Ex 19:6). It’s even implied in the making of humanity as the image of God and stewards of his creation, marred when they rebelled (Gen 1:26-31; 3:1ff). What does it mean to be a royal priesthood? As his image humans were to represent God. And as we love God, so we love his world. We treat it as God would, and raise its problems to him in prayer for healing.

Our dealings with God are largely spiritual (prayer; heeding his word), but must also affect the way we live. Likewise, material problems on earth have spiritual elements too – hence the need for being a priesthood in our stewardship. Lest we forget this, the Old Testament is replete with references to the

disobedience of God’s people harming the world, and the whole Bible looks forward to a time when, through Jesus’ spiritual salvation and Lordship, all will be physically well on earth once more, and for ever: no more discord (Is 65:17ff; Ro 8:18-25; Rev 21:1ff).

We are called to pray for progress at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November, and also to change the way we live, to help the environment. Both the spiritual and the physical are right. Both are part of our priestly stewardship through Jesus. He came to save the whole world, starting with humans, and we are his friends if we do what he tells us. Indeed, how can we call him our Lord if we don’t? (Lk 6:46; Jn 15:14). We need prayer for our own obedience too, if nature is to thrive. 

Roy Lorrain-Smith

A prayer for each week

Creator and Re-creator Lord, saving your world beginning with us as stewards, please so change us (and me) that we may play our part in your kingdom of healing. Amen.

Creating and Re-creating Lord, endlessly inventive and rich in everlasting promises, please fill me with confident hope in your plan to save the world through Jesus. Amen.

Creating and Re-creating Lord, complete in yourself and perfect in all you do, please transform me by the renewing of my understanding of Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

Creator and Re-creator Lord, who came here in human form to show us how to live and to make it possible, please lead in the way we should go, in step with the Spirit. Amen.

Your own prayers

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rock Solid

Rock Solid is the new youth club for 9-13 year olds at Wilsden Trinity Church . It aims to provide a group for older children to follow on from Wilsden Trinity’s other youth club, Friends and Heroes. Every Tuesday we meet for games, Bible stories, sweets, crafts and chats. Highlights so far include wrapping people up as mummies, making ice cream sundaes, playing Zip Zap Boing (which is as confusing as it sounds), building Easter gardens and making lava lamps. We set aside a good amount of time just for chatting, and each week we have a “Millstone, Milestone” section – each person can say if they’ve had a difficult week (millstone) or a brilliant week (milestone) and why. This has been a platform for many entertaining anecdotes and tales that the group has shared together. Rock Solid started in March 2017, and so far numbers are low. Our small group has fun, but we would love to welcome some new members! All children and young people between the ages of 9-13 can join. It is £2 on the ...

Virtual Worship - Easter Sunday 12 April 2020

Today’s the day - everything is changed. Death’s cave is empty, save linen cloth as calling card for Love. That life has won, and hope’s made whole, thank God! Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Holy and risen Lord, we come to worship you on this special Easter Day. We thank you for all you have done for us. We lift our eyes to honour you, living Lord Jesus. You have overcome death; fill us with your joy and new life. Amen You might like to read, sing or listen to an Easter hymn. Perhaps  Christ the Lord is risen today, or Low in the grave he lay (H&P 193/202, StF 298/305). This is perhaps the strangest Easter Sunday we have experienced in most of our lifetimes. Not able to gather as God’s people on this holiest of days. Not able to spend time with family and friends. Not able to visit dale or coast. Yet even as restrictions bite, we affirm God’s love in Christ Jesus, and seek to help each other hear the Easter message. We gather in ...

News from Thornton Methodist Church

Like everyone else, we are all trying to get on with life but at times it is not easy and not meeting with all our Church family can be difficult and lonely. Just before Christmas we were having services twice a month but not all people were able to attend which was very sad but we all kept in touch by text/phone it is not quite the same but it is good to talk. During Advent we put a display in the porch window of the Christmas story, adding different characters each week until all figures were assembled around the baby for the community of Thornton to see. All our children in Sunday School received an Advent calendar to let them know we were all thinking of them. We also had a Christingle service but this was very different from previous years. Masks were worn, tables set out at the required social distance and hand sanitizers available in lots of areas. People made their own Christingles from packs but instead of using fruits, wrapped fruit lollipops did the job just fine. Rev. Chris...