Reading and Prayers: 7th August 2022

Hello everyone,

Yet another month has begun, and we are well into the holiday season. Please pray for all those travelling at present that they will have a good rest. And pray for those unable to get away due to the financial situation, that they can find things to do locally:

Loving God, thank you for holidays, for days out and days doing nothing but resting. For the people who remind us that it is ok to rest and encourage us to stop when we need to. We pray for all the members of our church family who are away on holiday, keep them safe as they travel, give them joy in time spent with family and friends and we pray that they will return rested and refreshed.

Sunday Services this week:

Our services this week, all at 10 am, are: Morning Prayer at Measham and Norton, and Holy Communion at Normanton and Snarestone.

We are no longer producing a regular recorded service of Morning Prayer but do check out the Cathedral services here which you can join online if you would like to: http://leicestercathedral.org/services/

Looking ahead:

Activeage meets in Measham Church Hall at 10.00 am on Wednesday 10th August.

Also on Wednesday at 2.30pm, Packington & Normanton Ladies Group are meeting at Packington Church.

There is no meeting for Little Fishes this Friday.

Further ahead, Ready, Steady, Stick has its next session on 23^rd August from 2.00 -4.00pm. Please let families know about this. If you are able to help, please let Brian know.

Our services next Sunday, again all at 10 am, are: Holy Communion at Donisthorpe and Packington, Holy Communion with Baptism at Swepstone, and Morning Prayer with Baptism at Measham.

Details of all these services and events are on the websites.

Woodfield Team prayer

God our Father, you long to draw all people into your love.

Increase in number your church throughout the Woodfield Team; deepen us as followers and learners of Christ; and give us courage to share the good news of your kingdom.

We pray this in the power of your Spirit, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for Sunday 7^th August 2022 - The Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Lord God,

your Son left the riches of heaven

and became poor for our sake:

when we prosper save us from pride,

when we are needy save us from despair,

that we may trust in you alone;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. 

Reading 7^th August 2022 - Hebrews 11.1-3,8-16 New International Version

Faith in Action

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

…

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Prayers for today:

We pray:

Lord encourage us, when we are worried about the future and distracted by the past, to sit and rest in your presence in the present, to be renewed in faith, guided by your love, and strengthened for service.

• Eternal God, you are our creator and sustainer. We bring before you the needs of our church, our world, our communities and ourselves, trusting in your love which reaches out from before the foundation of the world and that will be with us to the end of the age.
• We cannot see all you have in store for us, help us to hold on to your promises, declared to the whole world through Jesus Christ, your Son. Help us to trust your plans for us and to be thankful for your steadfast love and guidance.
• Embolden our hearts to step out and put our faith into action, knowing that as we work and wait for your kingdom to come again, You are waiting with us, longing for your children to come home and to be at peace.
• We give thanks for this world You have created. We pray for greater wisdom and responsibility in our stewardship of this earth. Help us to remember that it is your world, we do not own it or its resources, rather You have given it into our care for us to look after.
• We pray for our brothers and sisters across the world, who face oppression and discrimination because of their faith, or who simply do not share the wealth and privileges we take for granted. Give them refuge under the shadow of your wings that they might have sustenance, shelter, and freedom from persecution.
• Loving God, we thank you for the food and water that we take for granted and for all who work to produce and supply it. We pray for those in our country and the wider world who struggle to feed their families, those who have lost their jobs, are on low incomes and are dependent on food banks. Bless all working to meet their needs and fill us all with compassion and a willingness to share what we have with those in need.
• Father, bring healing in mind, body and spirit to all who are troubled. In lives afflicted by pain, illness, distress or grief bring comfort, hope and the courage they need for today and every day.
• For those who are mourning, lead them gently through this time of darkness into the light and peace of your enduring love.
• Thank you for your gift of faith: the faith that has enlightened and inspired people in all generations. We thank you especially for those whose faith and conviction have encouraged and strengthened us in our journey.
• Dear Lord, help us to listen to your voice. Thank you for your guiding words, reminding us that you have a plan for each and every one of us. Strengthen our faith as we learn to walk with you in the path you have set before us. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray,

Amen.