9/9/24

Good morning everyone,

- and it's the start of the big build up to our fun weekend. Lots to do, still getting organised with some stuff, but there is a light on the horizon now, it's all starting to come together.

The Chocolate Bingo on Friday 13th, ticket only, has all sold out, so I am sorry of you were planning to ring me about tickets, I'm afraid I have none left. But how super that all the tickets are gone and that we have a full house- groan, sorry about the pun, I'm sure it'll be a great evening. Saturday, fun day at church from 12-3 and is free and no ticket needed,  as is Sunday service in church at 10.30am. Everyone is welcome.....I'm going, it'll be fabulous, why don't you come and join me?

Today's reading is 1 Kings 8:31-62

‘If someone sins against a neighbour and is given an oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house, then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding them according to their righteousness.

‘When your people Israel, having sinned against you, are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your name, pray, and plead with you in this house, then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their ancestors.

‘When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray towards this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and grant rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

‘If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in any of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the afflictions of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands towards this house; then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know—according to all their ways, for only you know what is in every human heart— so that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors.

‘Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.

‘If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord towards the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

‘If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; and if they come to their senses in the land to which they have been taken captive, and repent, and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, “We have sinned, and have done wrong; we have acted wickedly”; if they repent with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies, who took them captive, and pray to you towards their land, which you gave to their ancestors, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name; then hear in heaven your dwelling-place their prayer and their plea, maintain their cause, and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you; and grant them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they may have compassion on them (for they are your people and heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron-smelter). Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant, and to the plea of your people Israel, listening to them whenever they call to you. For you have separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your heritage, just as you promised through Moses, your servant, when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Lord God.’

Now when Solomon finished offering all this prayer and this plea to the Lord, he arose from facing the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched towards heaven; he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice:

‘Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke through his servant Moses. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us, but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors. Let these words of mine, with which I pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires; so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Therefore devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.’

Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

Reflection......

Solomon has built a temple for God, and as he stands to pray, he asks, in prayer, that those who direct their longing to God may be favoured and blessed.

I bet may of us know the power of holy places, a church building, an alter, a wayside cross all can act as a focus for prayer- thin places we tend to call them and I have certainly been in a few places that I would consider to be "thin", God's presence more apparent, where heaven and earth seem to meet. 

Of course God is never limited to one place, his abundant love saturates and sustains us all. Yet I wonder if it's a thing about our humanity that we need something to focus on when we pray, whether it's a holding cross, a rosary, a temple, a church, an alter, we pray best, it seems , when we are close to things that act as a holy ariel, an antennae, like an internet dish, that is connects us more closely to God. So tune in and get praying....can't hurt being closer to God now can it?

Today's prayers.....

God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your Church. Send your Holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, joy to our worship, and power to our witness. Help our church grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local community. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Father God, we pray for our parish, that each of us might make use of our individual talents enabling each church group to flourish as a witness to the “One Body” of the Church. As we continue with preparations for our weekend to grow our church community and invite those who may not know you to join us between 13th and 15th September. Help us to spread the warmth of your love to everyone who joins us. Amen.

keep up the prayers please!

have a good day

Rev Rie