Sunday prayers continue across the Church of Scotland

This Sunday (25 July), Christians across the country – and further afield – will join together in prayer and reflection at 7pm in response to the pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown, 15 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 the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Lord Wallace, is taking part alongside them.

"We should always be mindful for the wisdom handed down to us from past generations; much of it learned the hard way, from mistakes made and consequences suffered," Lord Wallace said.

"So, too, we are grateful for the richness that comes to us from living alongside people of other traditions. In our day and generation we must surely allow our minds and hearts to be open so that we can risk getting to know them and learning from them.

"In this pandemic, our responsibility is to come together and offer our prayers for all the many diverse expressions of our Christian faith that enrich life, as we have done for many months now.

"As we move into a new phase with many restrictions being eased, we call to mind those for whom the restrictions of recent times have been profound and life-changing. We pray that those who are anxious and nervous about change will find reassurance. And in exercising our own personal choices, let us be mindful of the needs and concerns of our neighbours.

"A pattern has been set for us, lived out in Jesus Christ, made possible by the Spirit. May we follow in His way, and be guided by the one over-riding rule of love in all that we say and do."

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

"The Psalmist says of the Lord: ‘You open Your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.' The imagery embodied in the words of the Psalmist speaks of a God whose will is to sustain and nurture all creation. The God who so wills is a God whose ‘kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' and one that endures throughout all time. (Psalm 145: 10-18)

"As our eyes turn to God, we see that intention expressed in the good gifts that we receive in the course of our lives. Equally, we are conscious that the gifts we receive are not thereafter to be kept and retained by our closing our hands and keeping the gifts to ourselves. The goodness of God is a gift to be shared with others.

"Within the community of which we are a part, we are called to reflect the One in whose image we are made and whose hand is open towards us."

We pray:

Living God,
You open your hand towards us
And offer to us good gifts.
We accept your gifts with gratitude
And respond with thanks and praise.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
You open your hand towards us
And offer to us the gift of life.
We acknowledge that we made in your image
And recognise your image in the life of each person upon the earth.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
You open your hand towards us
And offer life to the world.
We receive your offer
As a sign of your faithfulness towards us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
You open your hand towards us
And offer your gifts to all.
We resolve to share the gifts we have received
And not to close our hand towards others.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Living God,
You open your hand towards us
And offer to us signs of your kingdom.
We pledge to bear witness to your enduring kingdom
And to your abundant grace.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Signed by:

• Lord Wallace, 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. Dr David Miller, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
• Rev. Neil MacMillan, Moderator, Free Church of Scotland
• Rev. Paul Whittle, Moderator, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
• Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Thomas R. Wilson, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
• Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
• Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Rev. Ruth Turner, 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)