Praying Together 2021

166 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 peace of Christ be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Saint Cornelius and Saint Cyprian, both Church leaders in the third century, worked for reconciliation in difficult and violent times. Let us pray for reconciliation. (pause) God of mercy, when human beings fail, be our strength and draw us into a communion of love with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans 8:34-35, 38-39 Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. RESPONSE Today’s reading reminds us that nothing is stronger than God’s love for us. No matter what we do or where we go, God never stops loving us. There have been many songs written about God’s wonderful love. One of these songs is calle d “God’s Great Dance Floor” by Chris Tomlin. Listen and sing along. Maybe you can make space for a dance floor too! DISMISSAL May God’s never-ending love fill us with joy. 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. “I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love.” Thursday Sts Cornelius and Cyprian 16 September 2021