2023 – Page 163

Bible Verse for the Week

But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

Matthew 4 verse 4

Daily Devotions for Sunday 1st January, 2023

Morning
As we step into a New Year…….we look upward and Pray – to hear and receive from the Living God

Reading : MATTHEW chapter 3 verses 1-12

Meditation : take time and consider these words this Sunday morning.
The Preaching of John the Baptist.
In the desert. Make a straight path!
What words stay with you?
What encourages and challenges you today?

And then pray in response to the LORD our God
Pray your own prayer of praise and thanks.

O LORD our God,
Good and majestic One,
Great and so worthy of praise.
We bow before You.
We lay our lives before You.
Help us to make way for your kingdom rule in our lives
Even today.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Midday
Pray the Lord’s Prayer as your own midday prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
Now and for ever
Amen

Evening
Reading : read these verses again from MATTHEW chapter 3 verses 1-12
Reflect on all that is said here in this particular passage and then Pray in response to this God

O LORD, our Great God,
Hear our evening prayers of praise we ask
As we thank you for what we read
As we look back over our day
As we look ahead to tomorrow
As we name before you those we are concerned about.
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotions for Saturday 31st December, 2022

Morning
Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from God, the Holy Spirit

Reading : LUKE 2 verses 41-52

Meditation : take the time to consider these events this Saturday morning.
The boy Jesus in the Temple.
My Father’s House.
Which words stay with you as your day starts?
What is God teaching you about His ways today?

And then take time to Pray with Praise in response to this God
As we step into a new year with Him

LORD God
Father God
Abba
Hear the morning prayers of your children
In Christ Jesus
As we move from one year to the next
Amen we pray together this day

Midday
Pray the Prayer for the Month as your own midday prayer

Dear Lord, help us to remember at this time of
Presents and Puddings,
Cards and Chocolates,
Paper hats and Limericks
With all the Glitz of Christmas celebration
That the King of Glory came Humbly into our world.
In Jesus’ name
Amen

Evening
Reading : read these particular verses again from LUKE 2 verses 41-52
Reflect on the words and images and then Pray in response to this God

LORD God
Father God
Abba
Hear the evening prayers of your children
In Christ Jesus
As we step from one year to the next
Amen we pray together

Daily Devotions for JANUARY 2023

Someone is shouting in the desert,
“Prepare a road for the Lord, make a straight path for him to travel!”
Matthew 3 verse 3

During 2022 we were looking daily at the theme of GOOD NEWS as we journeyed with Paul through his letter to the ROMANS.

In 2023, we will be looking at TELLING OTHERS THE GOOD NEWS – with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And pausing at our times of Midday Devotion to pray for others
in our church family, our city and our world.

We are all invited to listen for God’s voice and make our response as we journey together in our ‘rhythm of devotion’ in 2023.

These Devotions are but one way to feed on God’s Word in the morning, at midday, in the evening… to pray with Him continually through the day and even to share with others the treasures or hurdles you discover.
The Church website and Facebook page (even on a handy mobile) provide a fuller daily devotional page. However it all follows the pattern below which the information provided fits into, based on the Kirk’s origins of the Celtic and Northumbrian traditions which we started as a church family in 2015.

Morning
Reading and Meditation on the content and Prayer of response
Midday
Prayer – mostly for others
Evening
Verse(s) from the morning reading
Reflection and Prayer at the end of the day

A Prayer for the Month of JANUARY

Dear Jesus, to each other we have given our gifts of love
When we celebrated your birth.
But the wise men brought gifts
Showing Your Kingship,
The bitterness of life,
And the embalming in death.
Help us to remember that You came Purposefully
To exchange Your Life for ours.
Amen

The Lord’s Prayer