Faith Daily | 3 December 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - Advent One

Almighty God,

give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness

and put on the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life

in which your Son Jesus Christ came among us

in great humility,

that on the last day,

when he shall come again in his glorious majesty

to judge the living and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 9: 27-31

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ 28When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ 29Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ 30And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no one knows of this.’ 31But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Meredith Scott-McMahon

What amazing examples of Jesus’ power in this short passage from St Matthew!

I found the following definition of a miracle online: ‘A miracle is an extraordinary event that goes against nature, cannot be explained by science and that Christians believe is caused by God.’

I don’t believe Jesus went against nature. I believe the perfect will of God is to heal, to make whole, and for us to live the ‘abundant life’ He promised in John 10.10. But we also have to live in an imperfect world where humans have exploited nature, upset the natural systems, and have failed to live the life God meant for us, and therefore suffer the consequences.

When he walked on earth, Jesus demonstrated God’s glory, power, compassion and great love for us through the miracles he performed. He constantly taught us how to live the kingdom life so that the true nature of the world might be restored.

Those who have lived the life he demonstrated, like the disciples after Pentecost, like St Francis of Assisi and other saints, performed many miracles also. So when we are truly united with God, living out His vision for us, is this possible for us?

I believe we are called to live close to God, and that Jesus understands our weakness and our brokenness and is there to help us every tiny step we take towards wholeness. That He knows the deep desires of our hearts for the health and healing of ourselves and families and has given us the Holy Spirit who prays through us.

The new healing service at Holy Spirit is a mighty step forward for our beautiful community of believers. We have the united voice of our prayers for healing and can wait expectantly to see how God answers!

FINAL PRAYER: from the parish “Healing Prayer Service”

Loving God,

you share with us the care of creation,

and call each of us by name.

We remember that those who encountered Jesus

found acceptance, healing and the possibility of new life;

that the disciples, though imperfect human beings,

through prayer and touch helped others to find healing

in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so, in the name of the Triune God, we pray this day for

………………………………………… name those on your heart and mind………..

Loving God,

we have prayed, and we will keep on praying

for those in need of healing prayer.

In the grace of God there is hope,

in the cross of Christ there is peace

and in the Spirit of God there is life.

Amen.