Praying at Home Today: Friday 9 July 2021
Praying at home today:
Speaking to others with graciousness and wit
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.
Short reading
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.Sermo vester semper in gratia sale sit conditus,
ut sciatis quomodo oporteat vos unicuique respondere.Que votre parole soit toujours pleine de grâce et assaisonnée de sel,
afin que vous sachiez comment il faut répondre à chacun.
Colossians 4:6
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
Let your speech always be full of grace,
seasoned with salt
so that you may know
how to respond to everyone.
Colossians 4:6
re-translated
“Seasoned with salt”: what an extraordinary expression!
Salt is used to flavour foods; too much of it can be bad for us. It lowers the freezing point of water so is good on roads in winter. It purifies and preserves food.
And, of course, Jesus tells us that we’re salt for the earth.
However, another meaning is also possible. It appears that “seasoned with salt” is a Greek cliché meaning “with a flavour of wit”.
The great Bible commentator William Barclay translated this verse:
Let your speech
always be with gracious charm,
seasoned with the salt of wit,
so that you will know the right answer
to give in every case.
He explains:
Here is an interesting injunction.
It is all too true that Christianity
in the minds of many is connected
with a kind of sanctimonious dullness
and an outlook in which laughter
is almost a heresy….
The Christian must commend his message with the charm and the wit
which were in Jesus himself.
New Daily Study Bible: The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians
(Edinburgh, Saint Andrew Press, 2013)
Wise words indeed!
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Music for reflection
Prayer Suggestions
We pray at home today for the needs of our world:
- that we may not take ourselves too seriously
- that we may speak kindly and graciously in all our doings.
(In Holy Trinity, Stirling, we invite you to pray today
for the Revd Val Nellist.)
For all who have asked for our prayers.
a moment of silence
Pray for us all
Amen.
Prayer for Palestine and Israel
O God the creator of all life,
we bring before you all the people who call Israel and Palestine home.
We particularly remember those living in Jerusalem and Gaza
whose lives are marred by restrictions to their freedom,
the threat of eviction from their homes
and the constant fear of armed conflict.
We ask your forgiveness for the anger, hatred and violence
that all of us have the potential to carry within us.
We beseech you to soften hearts and open minds
so that the sanctity of life is always protected,
the right to freedom of worship upheld
and the security of a safe home defended.
We pray that justice will flow like rivers,
that human dignity will be respected
and that each of us may strive
to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with you our God.
Amen.
Embrace the Middle East
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 offenses,
comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous laisse pas entrer en 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
O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
good things no eye has seen:
pour into our hearts such love of you,
that, by loving you in all things and above all things,
we may be worthy of your promises,
which surpass all we can desire;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen.
Pentecost 7
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 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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