Join Scottish churches in prayer this Sunday evening

This Sunday (18 October), as restrictions continue across Scotland, Christians across the country – and further afield – will once again join together in prayer at 7pm in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown and the phased easing of restrictions, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.

Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has been taking part alongside them.

"I'm delighted to have read that in the last couple of months online searches for ‘prayer' have increased dramatically," Dr Fair said.

"But reading about what prayer is and how to do it is only the start of it. After that it's time to actually pray.

"And what better than to join with brothers and sisters from across the nation at 7pm on Sunday to pray our way through this ongoing crisis. I commend it to you and look forward to being with you, in Spirit, on Sunday evening."

This week's letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic states:

"Does God go with us? That is a question we might well ask at this time. Does God go with us as we journey through the latest stage of the challenge that we face personally and as a community? Does God go with us in the uncertainty of the times in which we live? If so, how do we know?

"Moses led the people out of Egypt and, during the subsequent journey in the wilderness, it seems that the persistent questions asked of him by the people of Israel can be summed up as follows:

"Does God go with us? If so, how do we know? In reply, the response of the Lord is this: ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest… and I know you by name.' In return, Moses asks that he might see the glory of the Lord. In reply, the Lord offers to put him in ‘a cleft of the rock' as a place of safety (Exodus 33: 14, 17, 22).

"The words of a traditional hymn capture the image:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

"Does God go with us? Yes, even on the hardest journey. If so, how do we know? We know because the Lord leads us to the place of safety."

We pray:

Lord, lead us
To the place where you are known
And to the assurance of your presence.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place of rest
And to the promise of renewal.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where the people made in your image gather
And their voices are heard.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where we are called by our name
And find acceptance in your sight.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where we are protected
And our safety is assured.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord, lead us
To the place where your glory is revealed
And our lives are transformed in Christ.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Signed by:

• Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
• Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
• Rt. Rev. Kevin Pearson, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
• Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
• Rev. Lindsey Sanderson, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
• Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
• Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
• Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
• Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Rev. Jim Ritchie, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
• Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
• Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
• Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)