Week: Mark's Gospel
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Jesus, we hear You inviting us, and so we choose to follow You, with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls and with all our strength.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Ruby
James 5:13
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.
James 5:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Jesus had been betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Today we’re REFLECTING on what happened when Jesus was brought before the religious leaders.
Read by Ruby
Mark 14:55-56
The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof of anything. Many people came and told false things about him, but all said different things – none of them agreed.
Mark 14:55-56 (NCV)
Jesus is the only person to have lived a perfect life. He hadn’t done anything wrong and he hadn’t committed any crimes… ever. But people still made up stories about Jesus and falsely accused Him. The religious leaders and the Jewish council knew that these accusations were untrue and yet they were still determined to get rid of Jesus because they felt that He was a threat to their power and position.
We hear lots of stories about other people from our friends and on social media. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What can we do to find out whether a story is true or not?
Now let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord God, we ASK You to help us stand up for what is true and right – that’s what justice is. Fill our hearts with a passion for justice.
Today we have access to more information and stories than ever before – anyone can go online and write about whatever they want. It can be hard to figure out what’s true and what isn’t.
Lord God, we also pray for the journalists who write the stories we read on the news and on social media. Help them to always write what is true and right.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Mark 14:55-56
The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof of anything. Many people came and told false things about him, but all said different things—none of them agreed.
Mark 14:55-56 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, You make wrong things right! We say YES to standing up for what is true and just. Help us to be brave and courageous.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Read by Ruby
James 5:13
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.
James 5:13 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Ruby is 12 and she lives in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland with her family. Ruby is a gymnast who never sits still! She loves dogs (but her mum won’t get her one), she loves her friends and she’s always up for a laugh. Ruby would love to work with animals when she’s older.
