Welcome to ROOTS at home for adults

ROOTS is a partnership of denominations and other Christian organisations and has been publishing lectionary-based worship resources online and in print since 2002.

Copyright
You are welcome to copy this material for use in your own resources e.g. printed sheets or web pages including audio/video recordings. If you do so, please include this acknowledgement to ROOTS:
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.

The world ablaze: Prayers for difficult times

Opening prayer

God, in our journeying make us adventurous.
In our encounters make us kind.
In our hearts give us peace.

Bless us as we step out of our comfort zone,
out of the boxes we keep ourselves in much to the time.
Help us to take risks and make a difference. Amen.

Introduction

Jesus calls the disciples, equips them, and sends them out as if classroom learning has finished. They are apprentices. But there comes a time when everyone has to break out of the classroom and trust they will cope with the job they have trained for. Apprentices learn while working, as the disciples discovered. All of our life is an apprenticeship in Christian living.

Jesus knows the struggle it will be for apprentices to learn properly. He didn’t mollycoddle the disciples and refuse to send them out. Instead he equipped them for the task and trusted them to work out how to use the equipment. Being a Christian means that Jesus equips us for the task at hand, no matter how hard it gets. God entrusts the task to us.

Part of being equipped is learning to trust others. Just as the disciples are listed in pairs, so perhaps Jesus sent them out in pairs, to support and encourage each other. We are never left alone. But do we trust our real selves to those God puts around us? Are there people we refuse to see as being part of God’s equipment for our task?

PostScript - The Kingdom has come near

This week's Live your faith sheet

(Bible notes, prayers, a picture and questions for reflection, a live your faith action)

Activity: Reaching out

Gather together a selection of family magazines – whatever you have to hand – and cut out images that say something to you about how your church community is already reaching out.

Stick these images onto a large piece of paper to make a collage. If you are working with others in your household, talk together about why you have chosen the image that you have. What themes or connections with particular people can be identified? Place the collage in a suitable place to help you continue to ponder these things in the coming days, and as an inspiration to prayer for your community.

Prayers

A prayer of adoration

Lord, we worship you in the beauty of holiness:
with music, dance, stillness, words and silence.
May the joy of your presence fill our lives,
and overflow into the lives of all around us.
Amen.

A reflective prayer

Loving God, crowd is a ‘dirty word’ at the moment,
as we fear they might spread a virus.
But your Son saw the helplessness of the crowds
and it moved him to compassion. 

We see the helplessness caused by international conflict,
lives overtaken by fear of brutality, families crippled by grief,
homes and happiness destroyed.
We ask that the will and the way
to find peaceful solutions to intractable quarrels might grow in every heart.

We see the helplessness caused by economic injustice,
livelihoods snatched away, children tormented by hunger, futures emptied of hope.
We look for your wisdom and selfless concern in the decisions of world leaders. 

We see the helplessness caused by fear of the stranger,
immigrants shunned because of hostile caricatures,
the mentally unwell frustrated by another's ignorance,
ex-prisoners barred from pursuing an honest day's work,
and even people who simply pass us by, we and they mutually fearful of COVID-19.
We hope for a spirit of welcome which will pervade every community.

We see the helplessness that obstructs our discipleship,
nagging doubts and petty vanities that rise up as obstacles hindering obedience.
We pray for strength to cast these aside and follow you diligently.
May this world that you love yield in abundance the fruits of your kingdom,
and may we be faithful labourers, collecting them in for Jesus' sake.
Amen.

A prayer of thanksgiving

We give you thanks, loving God,
that when we can’t find the right words, you transform our stumbling;
when we can find only harsh words, you transform our pain;
when we can find no words, you transform our silence;
when we would speak your words, you transform our longing,
and speak through us your life-giving words of healing, acceptance and grace.
Amen.

Listen and sing

Preview songs on YouTube, buy online and download.

Fearless, Newsboys on United (deluxe) 
Every little thing, feat. Andy Mineo, Hillsong young & free on Every little thing 
Live out loud, Steven Curtis Chapman on Re:creation

Traditional hymn(s): Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy