Scottish Christians join in prayer in response to pandemic

This Sunday (4 October), following this weekend's General Assembly proceedings, Christians across Scotland will join together in prayer once more 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:

"As we journey through these days, we will come to occasions of real significance that will mark out its future shape and course. However, we might only come to appreciate the significance of those occasions as we look back and reflect. We are not yet in a place where we can look back and understand all that has happened in these past months. History has yet to be written. However, the events of our times will shape that history in ways that we can only anticipate.

"The journey of the people of Israel described in the Book of Exodus takes them to many places and occasions of significance. The journey to Mount Sinai and the significance of receiving the commandments of the Lord is one such. Traditionally, we refer to these as the Ten Commandments and their giving is a moment of profound significance in the Exodus story.

"This part of the story begins with a recalling of the fact that it is the Lord their God who has delivered them. In turn, the Commandments offered set out the boundaries within which the community of Israel may live and flourish (Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20). In these difficult times, let us recollect that it is the Lord our God who will deliver us and who offers to us life and the hope that our communities will flourish once more."

We pray:

Lord our God,
We recall that you are the One who journeys before us.
As you have journeyed with us in times past,
Journey with us now
In all that we face as the people of God.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord our God,
We recall that you are the One who offers life
To all who call upon you.
We call upon you now
And trust that you will answer in your good time.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord our God,
We recall that you are the One who speaks to your people
And offers to them the word that brings life.
May your word spoken to us this day
Bring life and the promise of hope once more.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord our God,
We recall that you are merciful and gracious
And that you abound in love.
Grant us understanding to speak words of comfort
And wisdom to speak words of hope.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord our God,
We recall that your Son invites us to love you
With heart and soul and mind
And to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Grant us grace to do so in these times.
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
• Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, 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)