Praying at Home Today: Wednesday 20 January 2021
Praying at home today
for a generous faith, welcoming others
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’s optional!
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
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant.Respice in me, et miserere mei;
da imperium tuum puero tuo.Tourne-toi vers moi et fais-moi grâce,
donne ta force à ton serviteur.
Psalm 85 (86):16ab
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
Today the USA inaugurates its new President. Like any change of leadership, there will be challenges ahead, particularly opposition from those who favour the former President.
Emotions will be running high and there is a very real danger of conflict.
Today’s readings warn us about binary thinking. It’s easy to have a simple “us v them”, “right v wrong”, “good v evil” mindset.
We know from studies of the human condition that simple binary systems are too restrictive, too easy. They can encourage lazy (or non-) thinking attitudes and behaviour.
Jesus and the children
In the Gospel reading, the disciples are being strict, turning away children. Perhaps they’re just being protective of Jesus.
But Jesus rebukes them (and elsewhere in the Gospels), welcoming them with open arms.
It’s too easy to try to restrict God, to try to create God in our own image, projecting our fears, anger, loneliness and other emotions onto God.
(See Creating God in our own image for a helpful commentary.)
For the love of God is broader
than the measure of our mind,
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.But we make God’s love too narrow
by false limits of our own;
and we magnify his strictness
with a zeal he would not own.
FW Faber, alt.
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
So, in this Christmas season, when we celebrate the breaking of God into our human existence, we pray that we may allow ourselves to be moulded into what God purposes for us, as individuals, as the whole human family and all creation, remembering that
There is grace enough for thousands
of new worlds as great as this;
there is room for fresh creations
in that upper home of bliss.If our lives were but more simple,
we should take God at God’s word;
and our lives would be all gladness
in the joy of Christ our Lord.
FW Faber, alt.
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
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Music for reflection
Prayer Suggestions
In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we pray at home today,
bringing before God the needs of our world:
- for the people of the United States, as their new President, Joe Biden, takes up office
- for former President, Donald Trump
- for the unity of all who profess to be Christian
- for the unity of the human family.
For all who have asked for our prayers.
a moment of silence
Pray for us all
Amen.
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;
sanctificetur 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
Almighty and eternal God,
ruler of heaven and earth:
mercifully hear the prayers of your people,
and grant your peace to our times;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
world without end.
Amen.
Returning to the world
Verbum caro factum est.
Et habitavit in nobis. Alleluia!
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 Bookshop.org
Other worship resources
Praying at Home Today: Acknowledgements
The lectionary for weekdays is taken from the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
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 usually 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 usually 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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