Praying Together 2021

140 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. May the grace and peace of God be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Saint Clare lived in simplicity and poverty in the spirit of Saint Francis. Let us pray that we will be like her. (pause ) God of tenderness, help us not to be greedy for possessions but to learn to trust in your care for us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 6:28-33 Jesus said to his disciples: “Don’t worry and ask yourselves, ‘Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?’ Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. RESPONSE Do you sometimes feel worried about things? What sorts of things do you worry about? Jesus reassures us in today’s reading that God knows what we need and that God will take care of everything. Jesus tells his disciples, “Don’t worry!” This animation from Saddleback Kids retells the story from Matthew’s gospel that we have just heard and is called “Don’t Worry”. Listen to Jesus’ message carefully and trust God the next time you are feeling worried. DISMISSAL May the peace of Christ fill our hearts. Amen. May God bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ring the bell or chime to signal the end of the prayer. Extinguish the candle. “Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these.” Wednesday St Clare 11 August 2021