Morning
Reading : Jeremiah 3 v22 – 4 v2
Meditation : consider what causes us to backslide in our Christian faith
Pray to be faithful and humble
(Pray your own words
Of confession
Of trust
Of need)
Amen and amen we say together.
Midday
Pray to be more like Jesus, doing the Father’s will above all
Evening
Reading : Jeremiah 3 v 22
Reflect on these words at the end of the day and pray to God in response
Reading : Jeremiah 3 vs 6-16
Meditation : consider how God calls us to be faithful to Him –
and pray for ‘stickability’ as a follower of Jesus
Living and Faithful God,
Help me understand these words
And what You require of Your people.
Help me to be faithfully yours
By the help of the Holy Spirit
Even today,
In Jesus’ name I ask, Amen.
Midday
Pray a blessing on all those who work in places near to the Kirk
Amen we pray together
Evening
Reading : Jeremiah 3 vs 12+13
Reflect on God’s mercy and pray your evening prayer in response
Morning
Reading : Jeremiah 2 vs 26-37
Meditation : consider Judah’s choice of gods – why would God’s people do that??
Pray in response to be faithful to the LORD and be rid of any false gods
LORD God
These are heavy words – yet truthful.
Help me,
Help us,
To live in Your ways
Even this day
And to have NO other god in our heart or home.
Amen we pray.
Midday
Pray for all pupils and staff in Liberton schools
Evening
Reading : Jeremiah 2 vs 35+36
Reflect on these verses at the end of your day and pray in response
Morning
Reading : Jeremiah 2 vs 1-13
Meditation : consider how we often wander away from God
Pray in response to walk more closely with Jesus, by His Spirit
Lord Jesus –
I read these words
And I know I have not followed You as I should
Help me
Strengthen me
Even today
To keep in step with Your Spirit
And not wander away or be distracted.
Amen I humbly pray.
Midday
Pray the Lord’s Prayer as your own midday prayer
(words can be found under Prayer tab on website)
Evening
Reading : Jeremiah 2 vs 5+6
Reflect on what God says here… and pray ….
Another busy month at Liberton Kirk and another month of awesome praise and worship!
Power Point and Sleepover
This month was PowerPoint, and afterwards we had another great sleepover!!
PowerPoint was held in Destiny Church on Gorgie Road and attracted over 600 young people. A speaker
from an organisation in London called ‘One Life’ really challenged many of our young people on the position
of Leadership, and how they can be leaders within their churches. We are looking forward to seeing our young people transformed into future leaders of the church! After PowerPoint we held a sleepover where more than 50 young people from Gorgebridge, Liberton Kirk, Liberton Northfield, and our St Andrews friends, all gathered together, and spent an awesome night playing “Just Dance” on the Wii, basketball in the Recreation Hall, and hanging out in the foyer. And, as if that wasn’t enough, our German friends were over and offered
the chance to spend the whole night worshipping God. We turned the Wilson Hall into a worship space in which Karen and Markus spent the whole night singing and praying. It was a fantastic experience for both
leaders and young people alike. 19 young people spent the whole night in the worship room. Some slept, some read their bibles and others just sat in the presence of God. And in the morning, after very few hours of sleep,
we were greeted by bacon rolls and tea!!
I would like to say a huge thank you to all those who helped in the organisation and running of the most awesome Friday night.
Youth Service
Once again, the young people have been given the chance to take over and run their own evening service. This service will be on the 4th December and be looking at God’s Hope in Times of Trial. They are very excited about putting their new found passion for Leadership in to action!!
Alex
It was Benjamin Franklin who once famously said “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In a similar vein, there are two things which can be said to be certain when it comes to God – to know him requires faith, and faith implies the possibility of doubt. In other words, however deep our faith, doubts are things we all have to deal with.
Doubt provokes questions. It is what encouraged the second year pupil at Gracemount High School to put up his hand and ask, “If God made us, who made God?” It is what prompted the sceptical father of Jamie Haith, (leader of Student Alpha), to ask his son, “Were there polar bears on the Ark, and if so, how did they get there?” It is what provokes populist writers like Richard Dawkins to ask,“Why does God need to exist at all?”
However spurious, ridiculous, or even hostile these questions might be, they reflect a popular scepticism we will all have heard expressed by friends, family members, colleagues or neighbours – that the existence of God is increasingly unlikely, and he is either an irrelevance or more likely a bit of a nuisance. In other words, if he does exist, they doubt that he is a force for good at all.
In January 2012 we are planning a series of Sunday morning themes which will challenge these views head-on. Our Aim will be to suggest that God exists, that He is very relevant, and that He is a force for good in a very needy world. The series will look at the question – “Is there a God, and, if so, can he be trusted with my health, my possessions, and even my life?”
There is a famous saying among us Christians that “Even if we do not have all the answers ourselves, we do know someone who does”. As followers of Jesus, Christians believe that in him we find the clearest expression of God’s truth revealed. Jesus himself famously promised, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 18.31,32). Our questions, therefore, will be aimed at Jesus in person –
As I said, we all struggle with doubts, so here is a chance to face up to them. And we all know people who are sceptical about what we believe, so here is a chance to invite them along to hear for themselves. You could then invite them to lunch afterwards, or arrange to meet up for a coffee during the week, and continue the conversation.
In the meantime, I wish you the blessing of Gods loving and very real presence throughout Advent, Christmas, and the New Year to come.
Much love,
John
Richard Dawkins, of course has made a name for himself as the champion of the ideological movement known as ‘the New Atheism’, particularly with his best known book entitled ‘The God Delusion’. This in turn has provoked a number of books written in response, my favourite being ‘The Dawkins Delusion’, by Alistair McGrath. It also produced a satirical play, which was staged during this summer’s Edinburgh Festival, entitled ‘Does Richard Dawkins Exist?’
