Presbytery Prayer Point

You are invited to pray with fellow Presbyters at 12 noon on Wednesday 13^th May 2020

Lord, keep us under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love.

Lord, we continue to pray for all those affected in any way by the pandemic and today we especially pray for all the missed moments that have occurred during this time. We bring to mind the birthdays when children have had to party with only their families to play the games and eat the cake. We remember elderly residents, especially those in residential care, who have had to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with only dedicated staff as guests and in some cases, with families on the lawn outside.

We also recall all the missed moments between grandparents and grandchildren. Those moments when a hug cures a sore knee, when Grandmother’s special soup makes you feel better or when a walk with grandparents along the beach solves all the things that bother us. We pray for grandparents and other family members who cannot get to visit new-born babies and for new parents who miss that reassurance and love that extended families offer in these happy circumstances. 

Lord, we pray too for the people whose weddings have been postponed. After all the preparations and anticipation of starting married life together and the worry of potentially losing money they will be feeling especially disappointed. 

We bring to mind all the children who are missing moments being absent from school and nursery. We pray that their resilience and enthusiasm will carry them through these confusing and bewildering times. And we pray too for their parents who are challenged to sustain a time of normality and learning for their children.

Holy God, as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc and the daily death toll continues unabated, we bring to our thoughts those who have to say goodbye from a distance. Lord, lost moments mean that family and friends are denied the opportunity for any meaningful farewells or any close physical contact other than from immediate family.

Lord we gather all these lost moments and those known personally to us, and we offer them to you, and as we do so, we know that they will be smothered in your grace and love so that those who have experienced lost moments will become aware of your comfort and protection. Lord in extending your care in these times of lost moments you remind us all of the eternal hope that lies in tomorrow and that in time these lost moments will be regained tenfold. As we move forward in time and the virus loses its grip, we await with patience for the opportunity to regain lost moments and to never take them for granted again.

We are not people of fear: we are people of courage.
We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety.
We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity.
We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs
For as long as it takes wherever you call us. Amen.

You are invited to pray with fellow Presbyters at 12 noon on Wednesday 6th May 2020

Lord, keep us under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love.

Lord at this time, our communities across Argyll are gradually adjusting to changes in life previously unheard of. And as this happens stories of fortitude, compassion and courage have emerged. Lord, as we visualise this beautiful part of the world, we bring to mind the communities we have visited and lived in. We see in our mind’s eye the larger towns like Oban, Inverary and Dunoon; the smaller communities such as Tighnabruaich, Strachur and Kilmartin; the islands including Gigha, Barra and Lismore and we recall the people who live and work there. We bring to mind the essential workers who make the community what it is and who have risen above and beyond the call of duty to sustain these communities in their time of crisis.
Lord we especially bring to mind those who have paid the ultimate price in this endeavour and today we give thanks for the life of Robert Black, a paramedic from Campbeltown who died in the line of duty protecting his local community. We pray your blessing on his family and friends as they come to terms with the price that Robert has paid for his diligence and devotion to his profession. We remember too, others who we do not know who have died on the frontline against an unseen and cruel enemy and we pray your blessing upon them at this difficult time.

Lord, we pray for all the residential care homes across our Presbytery, many of whom were cared for pastorally by local congregations who can now no longer provide visitors or support to residents. We pray for the safety of residents and staff alike at these difficult and challenging times and we especially pray for the mental well being of all those who find themselves in a vulnerable situation at this time. Some residents, as a result of their lack of understanding, will find these times especially difficult when normal routines are disturbed, and regular visitors and contact are suddenly no longer there. Lord help those who feel bewildered by all that is happening and help them seek and attain that peace of mind they crave in their later years. Lord, we pray for staff working in immensely challenging situations especially in those circumstances where residents are almost akin to family members. Lord, keep staff safe so that they can continue their caring of the most vulnerable in our community.

Lord God, we hold in our prayers the children in our communities at this time as they come to terms with new routines and situations and we especially bring to mind those children with special needs. We acknowledge the additional challenges that these circumstances bring to children who have to deal with learning difficulties and who are now separated from the usual community facilities available to them during times of normality. Uphold and sustain their parents and other carers who now need to make do with less than ideal facilities to manage the challenges these children face in their everyday lives.

Lord God, encourage and keep safe the community-based volunteers who have emerged during this time of adversity as they go about the daily tasks of life that we take for granted. We give thanks for their willingness to support their community and undertake the care of their neighbour in their time of need. We pray your blessings upon them and that they keep safe whilst undertaking their duties.

Lord as the pandemic progresses and days turn to weeks help us not to become complacent and undo all the good work to date. Remind us of the sacrifice that many have made including their own lives, to ensure our safety and health. Grant us patience that we may emerge in due course to take our places in our community and in our church pews but only when it is safe and sensible to do so.

We are not people of fear: we are people of courage.
We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety.
We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity.
We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs
For as long as it takes wherever you call us.
Amen.

April 2020 we will remember as our first month of isolation, lock down, social distancing, however we describe it.   We move into May knowing that there is a long way to go, that our actions have been effective to a high degree, our health services are holding out, and that workers in all services are keeping going through difficulties and distress.  None the less, we are daily saddened for the families and friends of all those who have succumbed to the virus, whose lives have been shortened by this illness which still threatens us.  

However, we have our faith, we have a relationship with the God who is over all things, We have a trust in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and we have the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit in us – breathed into us as the gift from Jesus to His followers.   So we are not abandoned or forgotten, and we can lift our prayers to God our Father for all those who we know – in distress, in sorrow, in exhaustion as they work to care for others, and we can give thanks for our comfort and safety as we live within this locked down world.

The psalm this week is Psalm 23, a Psalm well known and often sung in times of sombre reflection.   As with many things, it can be so familiar that we skim over and miss the depth of comfort and meaning which is in these well known words.

In the hymn book there is an arrangement of this Psalm by the French priest, Joseph Gelineau, and I give this here to read through with fresh eyes and heart, to appreciate once more the peace, comfort, protectionand goodness from God which this psalm celebrates:

The Lord is my shepherd;
There is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
Where He gives me repose.

Near restful waters He leads me,
To revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
He is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness
No evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and staff,
With those who give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
In the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
My cup is over flowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
All the days of my life.
In the Lord’s house shall I dwell
For ever and ever.

To the Father and Son give glory,
Give glory to the Spirit
To God who is, who was, and who will be
For ever and ever. 

Joseph Gelineau , 31 October 1920 – 8 August 2008) was a French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, mainly of modern Christian liturgical music.   Heavily influenced by Gregorian chant, he developed his Gelineau psalmody which is used worldwide. Later he composed numerous chants for the ecumenical French Taizé Community.^[3] (Wikipedia)

Gelineau’s translation and musical settings of the psalms have achieved nearly universal usage in the Christian church of the Western world. These psalms faithfully recapture the Hebrew poetic structure and images. (Joseph Gelineau Biography,GIA Publications,) 

Here is a message about work with young people which is going on across Argyll Presbytery:

If you have parents or grandparents of young people of secondary age that you are able to contact then please encourage them to get their children to log onto the eXp Facebook page for more information about the plethora of activities that Susan and her team have arranged. (Susan Whyte, Presbytery Youth Worker)

From: Susan Whyte [mailto:susan.whyte@expyouthwork.org.uk] 
Sent: 29 April 2020 10:08

Good morning everyone, 

Week 6 of lock down…. most of the worlds focus is on the problem – covid19 and what it is doing to individuals, families, communities, countries, our world and our economy.  Everyday I am challenged – do I join the world and focus on the problems of life?  This would be an easy thing to do as I am hearing about it in every news report,I am reminded of it every time I talk to a loved one on a flat screen or when I hear the voice of one of our young people or a leader who is struggling with the impact of social isolation. What other choice to I have?  The answer….Instead of focusing on the problem, focus on the Problems Solver!  The minute you read that, you will know who I mean – yep, Father God.  Every day life problems can serve to keep our eyes of the ‘author and finisher’ of our faith.  It is a challenge, but our focus should be on God.  At times like this we have to admit that our faith perhaps doesn’t measure up to what we would like it to be.  Let’s not measure our faith but measure our God!  How big is the God you serve?  My God?  Well, He is a great big God!

Susan Whyte

Argyll Presbytery Youth Worker & Team Lead | eXp Youth Work
m: 07470 593935
e: susan.whyte@expyouthwork.org.uk

130 John Street, Dunoon Argyll, PA23 7BN
expyouthwork.org.uk