6 mins
The Big Question
The Rev Fergus Buchanan, minister at Baldernock l/w Milngavie; St Pauls
“I will take as my inspiration the people of God returning to their land after 70 years in exile in Babylon.
“We cannot imagine how it would feel for them to stand in the rubble of the holy city of Jerusalem and see the devastation that was once the Temple.
“But in that moment they were mindful of their God, that He is the God who builds, gathers and heals. (Psalm 147: 2-3).
“So: I’ll be praying that the Church will have faith to meet the challenges of the year ahead believing that Jesus has not pressed pause on His great project, to build His Church. We may experience disruption but never destruction. Peter says we are ‘being built into a spiritual house.’ (1 Peter 2: 5).
“I’ll be praying that God will gather His people once again to worship in churches throughout the land and that this will be the springboard for His mission to the world. It will be an encouragement for us to be together once again to sing the praise of God and to see, touch and hear one another.
“I will be praying that those who have suffered in 2020 through the pandemic or in other ways will know the healing power of God in their lives and be enabled to go forward in faith.
“Whatever the experience ‘He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.’ The Cross is our assurance that God is not absent in the worst of times.”
Sabine Chalmers, Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees
“My prayers are for children like the 11-year-old boy called Ahmed from Syria who I met in Jordan two years ago. He was only one when the war broke out in Syria and has only known life as a refugee, a person without a home, without access to schooling or a bed.
“The number of people who have been forced to leave their homes has never been greater. Almost 80 million people are in search of safety, stability, dignity for their families. My prayers are for peace from our Great Peace-Maker, for reconciliation from our Great Redeemer, for provision from our Great Provider, and for comfort from the Great Counsellor. May Jesus tend the broken-hearted and break the power of evil.
“And my prayer is for our own hearts; that the love of Christ will rule in them; that the compassion of Jesus would overflow from them; and that our hearts would soften as we are challenged in our attitudes towards the sojourner, and people who look different from us.
“My prayer is for a radically hospitable Scottish community that says ‘no’ to hostility and ‘yes’ to welcoming the stranger; a society that embraces differences and celebrates diversity; a community that extends a hand of friendship to unfamiliar faces; and a people of faith who serve their new neighbours in love.
“Would God’s mercy overflow in stations of conflict and war, would God’s love reign where hate and division are spread.”
The Rev Dr David Sinclair, Church of Scotland Mission Partner, working with the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague
“Perhaps the obvious answer to the question is the prayer that we, all of us, everywhere, can overcome the depredations of the pandemic.
“That is, that not only will something be produced that can cure or prevent it but we will find a way for everyone to benefit from that, regardless of where they live, or how much they have or lack.
“So I will also pray that the grossly immoral divisions that have been laid bare and accentuated by the pandemic can be laid siege to as part of a ‘recover from Covid’ campaign.
“So often a ‘new normal’ is couched in terms of what we will no longer be able to do, or at least be able to take for granted.
“But I will pray that, within the church and beyond it, we will grasp the opportunity to examine the old normal with its inequalities of wealth and health, opportunity and security, regard and hope, and attack those divisions with just as much urgency and enthusiasm, resolve and resource.
“And, on a more personal level, as Mary and I return to Scotland we will pray for colleagues and friends we are leaving behind in the Czech Republic, holding them in memory and in love, praying for the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, praying that church and land may survive the oppression of Covid as they have survived oppressions in the past, praying that faith and hope and love will continue to hold us, and hold us together.”
Hannah Sanderson, Faith Nurture, Church of Scotland
“What will I pray for in the new year?
“I only need three words.
“Thanks and Help.
“WOW!
“Look at this world, look at that bug, those freckles.
“You’re amazing God - I can’t get my head around you but that’s OK.
“The stars fill me with awe, the way the night is blue, purple, black and grey all at once.
“Here I go again, learning something new about you Spirit from the most unusual people.
“Jesus, brother, lover, friend - you blow me away. Your faithfulness. Your forgiveness. Your fun.
“Thank you God for loving me and never letting go. Thank you for my family and friends. Thank you for musicals, blue cheese and Sushi. Thank you that I can be the change in my communities. Thank you, Jesus, that I can stand up for your truth by treating people the way you would. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for all that you are.
“But sometimes it is all too much! Oh God - how can I make a difference for those crushed and twisted by poverty, those women and children abused by men, this weeping planet, the desperately lonely, the spreading darkness of individualism. Oh! Jesus help me perceive my own biases. Help me see and dismantle the structures that oppress. Holy Spirit, help me stop hurting other people. Help me walk this walk not just talk this talk. Guide me on this challenging and beautiful walk of lifelong, 360 degrees, 24/7 discipleship.”
The Rev Dr Derek Brown, Lead Chaplain, NHS Highland, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness
“Where to start? There is so much to be mindful of at the moment that it’s hard to distil what a focus for prayer might be. That said, what I would like to pray for in 2021includes the following:
“I would value prayers for tolerance. The past number of years has seen a rise in attitudes that demonise those whose opinions and beliefs are contrary to our own. Let’s examine our own interactions with the people we meet. Can we work towards a willingness to listen to the other even if we disagree?
“I would seek prayers for hope. The news that has, as I write, just come through that there is a potential vaccine on the immediate horizon is something that has raised the prospect of a way out of the pandemic restrictions. I wonder what other things that we as Christians can hope for and put our efforts into making happen for the benefit of all.
“I would look for prayers in a time of reflection. So much of our normal lives have been disrupted this past year. Where do we go from here? I’d like to think that in a time for reflection our prayers will help us to take stock and seek out what it is that we have learned about ourselves, the communities in which we live, and the world that we inhabit. And crucially - what will we do with the knowledge?”
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This article appears in the January 2021 Issue of Life and Work
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