EDINBURGH NORTHWEST KIRK
APRIL PRAYER DIARY
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
Psalm 23 : 1
Prayers for each day
7 April - for Reverend Julia Cato and her family
8 April - for peace in Gaza
9 April - for the people working in the Church of Scotland offices
10 April - for the staff and volunteers of CrossReach
11 April - for our political leaders in both Scotland and the UK.
12 April - for the Kirk Session of Edinburgh Northwest Kirk
13 April - for the leaders and members of our uniformed organisations
14 April - for the political situation in Europe concerning Ukraine
15 April - for the visiting team and the elderly in the parish
16 April - for the work of Fairtrade
17 April - for the ministry of Fresh Start
18 April - for aid workers in Gaza helping to feed the population
19 April - for those dealing with issues of mental health and addiction
20 April - for those who have recently been bereaved
21 April - for the Turi Children’s Project
22 April - for those dealing with serious illness in their families
23 April - for families in the parish struggling with poverty
24 April - for individuals feeling lonely and unimportant
25 April - for the staff and pupils in the schools in our parish
26 April - for Simon and the choir who lead us in praise week by week
27 April - for those ministers leading us in worship for the next few weeks
28 April - for those who provide devotional talks during the week
29 April - for all organisations using the church halls
30 April – ‘Let us love one another because love is from God’
Reflection
Words by Ken Untener, Bishop of Saginaw
It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects
beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
If you have a prayer request or a favourite prayer which you would care to share in a future Prayer Diary, please e-mail office@cramondkirk.org.uk