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.
The religious leaders couldn’t agree on what to accuse Jesus of, so they sent him to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Today we’re REFLECTING on what happened when Jesus stood before him.
Read by Ruby
Mark 15:3-5
The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. So Pilate asked Jesus another question, ‘You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?’ But Jesus still said nothing, so Pilate was very surprised.
Mark 15:3-5 (NCV)
Jesus was accused of crimes that He hadn’t committed – it wasn’t fair! Jesus could have become angry and shouted that he was innocent. But instead He remained calm and chose to be silent.
Sometimes the right thing to say is to say nothing.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What is the longest we think we could go without speaking? Have we ever done a sponsored silence before?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord God, we ASK You to fill us with wisdom when things are difficult and we don’t know what to say or do. Help us to know when to speak up and when to say nothing.
In the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he tells us to pray for our leaders. Let’s think of the leaders that we know, or that we know about. For example, our church leaders or people who are in our government.
Father God, we thank You for our leaders. We ASK that You would fill them with all the wisdom and understanding that they need. Surround them with people who will support them and challenge them too. We ASK You to lead them as they lead us.
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 15:3-5
The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. So Pilate asked Jesus another question, ‘You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?’ But Jesus still said nothing, so Pilate was very surprised.
Mark 15:3-5 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Holy Spirit, thank you that You are our guide. Speak to us – we’re listening – we need Your help to make wise choices each day.
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.
