Blank Spacer

A journey through Lent - 2016

Blank Spacer

Day Twenty Four - The Branch.

Jesse Tree Image

This passage speaks to us about the reliability of God. His love for us does not rise and fall according to our worth or some random factor we can neither explain or understand.

Unlike us who so often measure our love by our mood or our experience of how another person treats us. God is always there for us 100%.

Jeremiah, reminds his people that they can rely on God's promises, that he will always be there for them.

Jesus is the righteous Branch whose life, death and resurrection mean that we never fear being rejected by God.

This means we can be fully open with God about our own failures and faithlessness. We can do so without any fear knowing that each day we can say sorry for them and know he will receive his forgiveness.

God will give us a fresh start because of Jesus.

The point at which we realise the fact that we need that fresh start each day is the point when God really makes changes in our lives.

As we travel through this period of Lenten reflection we pray that we may, once again or maybe for the first time will acknowledge our need for forgiveness.

For it is surely true that if we come to him asking for it, God will be faithful and give it to us.

Bible Passage: - Jeremiah 33:14-18 (NIV)

'"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

'"In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Saviour."

For this is what the Lord says: "David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices."'

Contemplation Saying.

"he will do what is just and right in the land."

Contemplative Prayer.

Think of the saying in order to understand context and meaning,

Feel the meaning of the saying with and in your heart,

Pray, using the saying, for yourself or others. With only a name and without explaining the reasons or pre-defining any answers.

Listen for God's voice in the quiet of your prayers.

Pray using your own prayers or one of those which have been prepared below.

Hymn: Singing the Faith - "Faithful One" or "Great is Thy Faithfulness"

Let us pray together.

Twitter Prayer

Changeless God, we thank you for your constant love, revealed to us in Jesus. Amen

Facebook Prayer

Changeless God, we thank you for your constant love, revealed to us in Jesus.

We pray that his life will shape our lives into ones of love and service.

Forgiving God, so often we know we fail, in thought, word or deed. On bad days sometimes all three, so we know that we need to truly ask for forgiveness. We pray for that forgiveness in Jesus name. Amen.

Full Prayer

Ash Cross

Lord Jesus, we thank you that your mercies are new every morning and your faithfulness is far beyond our understanding.

Help us to have the grace to acknowledge our shortcomings and failings today.

Those parts of our lives which do not fit in with your will for us. That we love you with all of our heart, mind and soul. That we love others as ourselves.

Help us see that, despite our frequent wandering away from you, you will never leave us as we try to follow in your ways.

We pray our prayers in the confidence supplied by our Saviour Jesus. Amen.

Prayer separator image

"Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning in Thee.
Thou changest not Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be."

Changeless God, we thank you for your constant love, revealed to us in Jesus.

We pray that you will open our hearts and minds to the message of our Saviour.

That his life will shape our lives into ones of love and service.

Forgiving God, so often we know we fail, in thought, word or deed. On bad days sometimes all three, so we know that we need to truly ask for forgiveness.

Remind us that we never need to fear that we are beyond forgiveness, that you do not have a huge journal which records our wrong doings. For you are a God who lives and works with us in the present and future not dwelling on our past lives but moving us forward without looking back.

Lord, we thank you for your Grace and Mercy, today and everyday.

So we pray in confidence in Jesus name, forgive us our sins. Amen.