Praying at Home Today: Friday 25 September 2020
Praying at home today: God’s promise fulfilled in Jesus
A warm welcome to PrayingAtHome.com, where you can find worship resources for praying at home today or wherever you are.
We hope these readings, prayers, music and the short reflection will help you stay in touch with the Church and to sustain you on your journey through life.
If this is your first visit to this website, then you might like to read about the common elements and the suggested structure for each day’s prayer.
Everything is optional!
We follow the Track 2 “related” Old Testament reading and psalm (or equivalent response).
Opening to the Word
You can spend a few moments in silence,
focussing on your breathing
to become more mindful of the present moment
and to open yourself more fully
to God’s presence within you.
In the name of the living God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Short reading
000
James 4:14
The Liturgy of the Word *
Here are today’s Bible readings.
You can read just one, or all three if you have time.
One link to all three readings
Separate links to each reading
Short Reflection
Inter-generation strife
Ezekiel describes three generations of people, in which the first and third obey God’s commandments and a second, which does not.
Amidst what to our eyes seem to be arcane and misogynistic attitudes, are also timeless and practical gems such as giving bread to the hungry and clothing to the naked (attributes that Jesus praises in the Gospels), and acting justly and faithfully.
At first sight, Ezekiel’s condemnation for having a picnic on a mountainside seems a bit harsh, until we realise that eating of a sacred meal in high places was a practice in idolatrous cults.
Personal responsibility
This three-generation description tells us something, however, about personal responsibility. We may despair of our children or our parents; equally, they may despair of us!
Nevertheless, we can only be responsible for our own actions (and inaction); ultimately, others must take responsibility for themselves (subject, of course, to mental capacity etc.).
And while we may worry about others, this may not actually help; instead, we can pray and continually seek to do good.
What is good has been explained to you;
this is what the Lord asks of you:
to act justly,
to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
Jesus the mediator
Jesus is the one who bridges the gap between one generation and another by taking on the sins of the world and, as the risen Christ, presenting that redeemed world to his Father.
God’s promise to be with God’s people is fulfilled in the Son, who is with us always.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Psalm 24 (25):5
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Prayer Suggestions
We pray today for families separated by the actions of one generation against another.
We pray for reconciliation and healing.
We pray for students starting college or university,
especially those most affected by the pandemic.
We pray for those whose work is affected by the pandemic and for generous assistance by governments to ease the difficulties they face.
We pray for those who work in care homes,
those good Samaritans,
that they may continue to be loving and kind to those for whom they care.
On this day when the Church in Scotland celebrates the life of Finnbar of Caithness (Bishop, 610), we pray for all who have oversight of their local Churches and for the priests and deacons who work with them.
(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we pray today for the Revd Graham Willey.)
We pray for all who have asked for our prayers.
a moment of silence
Pray for us all.
Music for reflection *
The Lord’s Prayer
We can say the Lord’s Prayer in any language or version we choose.
Here it is, in English, Latin and French.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in cælis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.
Quia tuum est regnum,
et potestas, et gloria, in saecula.
Amen.
Notre Père qui es aux cieux,
que ton nom soit sanctifié.
Que ton règne vienne.
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
comme nous pardonnons aussi
à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal.
Car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire
pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
Concluding prayer
Living Trinity of love,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
help us to know your presence
among us today and every day.
Amen.
Returning to the world
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Benedicamus Domino.
Deo gratias.
Thank you for joining us in praying at home.
Oremus pro invicem.
In these strange times, we are called to trust
* You can find more organ music from Holy Trinity Church, Stirling
on Alistair Warwick‘s website and on SoundCloud
There are several books by Brother Roger of the Taizé Community from many booksellers.
You can buy The Complete Chronicles of Narnia at Amazon
Other worship resources
Praying at Home Today: Acknowledgements
* Beginning with the week after Pentecost, the lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Currently, we’re following the semi-continuous readings (Track 1).
In that lectionary, the readings are in the following order: Old Testament reading, Psalm, New Testament reading; we have changed the order to the more usual OT, Psalm and NT.
English Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Latin Bible texts are from Biblia Sacra Vulgata, and are in the Public Domain.
French Bible texts are from Version Segond 21, copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève.
Images, unless otherwise stated, are from lockdown in Scotland, by Alistair Warwick.
Music engraved by The Art of Music.
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