SCOTLAND vs POVERTY Prayer. Let hope arise. Following Jesus where the need is greatest. A spoken prayer for Ethiopia for use in services/groups

Transcription

1 SCOTLAND vs POVERTY Prayer Let hope arise A spoken prayer for Ethiopia for use in services/groups In stillness, we come to you Gracious God. You are the fountain of hope and the author of change, you alone bring refreshing and cleansing. Only you, our God, can speak words of life, dignity and hope. Pause When our heads are down with despair and our backs are bent with heavy burdens, you Lord Jesus draw near. You lift our heads that we may see you, and lighten our burdens that we can walk tall knowing we are loved by you. We reflect upon your transforming love. Short time of silence Lord you were served, encouraged and worshipped by women and you blessed children. You gave status and hope to those who were marginalised and deemed insignificant. We pray for the women and children of Ethiopia. Enable them to find the courage to fulfil their potential. We pray for your grace to bring opportunities in all sectors of society for women to build a future of hope, love and mercy. We picture a young Ethiopian woman for years hungry and hopeless, her future one to be faced with frustration and sorrow. Time to reflect But in your love, with the encouragement of others and with opportunities, she can become a woman of smiles not tears, hope not despair. Hers could be a life of dream not nightmare. Lord we pray for greater opportunities for the children of Ethiopia to learn. More schools, teachers, books and access to education for all. We long for the next generation to have more opportunities than this generation. God you alone can bring real transformation: transform lives in Ethiopia we pray. Lord move your hand in blessing over that land. In Jesus name, Amen PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 1

2 SCOTLAND vs POVERTY Prayer PrayerPod ideas Use these ideas from 24-7 Prayer Scotland as part of a service or event, and/or to create a temporary prayer room in your church building. PRAYERPOD NO.1 COFFEE BEANS Instructions: fill a large bowl with coffee beans; print out the coffee beans ( next page ) resource sheet as big as you can, and place/stick it near the bowl of beans. PRAYERPOD NO.2 LEARNING TO GIVE THANKS Instructions: gather some easy puzzle books/school spelling and maths worksheets and cut pages/sections out (photocopying if needs be); print out the learning to give thanks resource sheet as big as you can, and place/stick it near the pile of pages; don t forget to put out some pens or pencils so people can fill in the answers. PRAYERPOD NO.3 READ ALL ABOUT IT Instructions: print out the read all about it resource sheet as big as you can, and place/stick it up; then, add a blank piece of paper together with an ink pad and some wet wipes (for wiping messy fingers!) PRAYERPOD NO. 4 LET HOPE ARISE Instructions: print out the Let hope arise resource sheet as big as you can, and place/stick it up. PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 2

3 Coffee beans Did you know, Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee? Take a handful of coffee beans, let them run through your fingers. Pick up one coffee bean hold it, smell it. Look at how small it is. Women in poor communities in Ethiopia are joining self-help groups and finding ways of saving tiny amounts of money together. Eventually, these tiny amounts add up, enabling group-members to start small businesses and begin to overcome poverty. Reflect on how small things can lead to big change. Take a bean and put it in your purse or pocket. Every time you see or feel it, say a prayer for self-help groups in Ethiopia. Photo: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 3

4 Learning to give thanks Take a puzzle or activity and fill in the answers. Then, spend a few moments reflecting on the fact that you were able to do that as a result of education. Around the world, children still struggle to go to school. For example, in Ethiopia only five per cent of girls in rural areas go to secondary school. Spend a few moments praising and thanking God for the gift of education. On the back of your puzzle or activity sheet, write a prayer for the children in Ethiopia and around the world for whom school is a luxury out of reach. Photo: Cally Spittle/Tearfund PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 4

5 Read all about it READ THIS Ei vim agam placerat. Qui nibh justo ipsum eu. Ea eam aliquam contentiones, mundi insolens vel cu, nec assum legere dissentias at. Mea ubique lucilius probatus cu. Usu ut option urbanitas, mazim mnesarchum eu per. Mel ignota tritani an. Cum munere labores evertitur an, partem qualisque at eos. Est ei affert adipiscing delicatissimi, vis an clita fabulas. (Dissentias +: -%) NOW, READ THIS And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19) When you tried to read the first passage and couldn t, how did it make you feel? Spend some time reflecting on what you were missing out on by not being able to read the text. In Ethiopia, six in every 10 women are unable to read. Some can only sign their name using a fingerprint. Pray for girls, women and entire communities to be empowered, so they can access education and all the opportunities and blessings that come with it. To signify your prayer, add your fingerprint to the sheet of paper. PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 5

6 Let hope arise A REFLECTIVE PRAYER FOR ETHIOPIA Written by Fred Drummond, Director of the Evangelical Alliance in Scotland In stillness, we come to you Gracious God. You are the fountain of hope and the author of change, you alone bring refreshing and cleansing. Only you, our God, can speak words of life, dignity and hope. Pause for reflection When our heads are down with despair and our backs are bent with heavy burdens, you Lord Jesus draw near. You lift our heads that we may see you, and lighten our burdens that we can walk tall knowing we are loved by you. We reflect upon your transforming love. Pause for reflection Lord you were served, encouraged and worshipped by women and you blessed children. You gave status and hope to those who were marginalised and deemed insignificant. We pray for the women and children of Ethiopia. Enable them to find the courage to fulfil their potential. We pray for your grace to bring opportunities in all sectors of society for women to build a future of hope, love and mercy. We picture a young Ethiopian woman for years hungry and hopeless, her future one to be faced with frustration and sorrow. Pause for reflection But in your love, with the encouragement of others and with opportunities, she can become a woman of smiles not tears, hope not despair. Hers could be a life of dream not nightmare. Lord we pray for greater opportunities for the children of Ethiopia to learn. More schools, teachers, books and access to education for all. We long for the next generation to have more opportunities than this generation. God you alone can bring real transformation: transform lives in Ethiopia we pray. Lord move your hand in blessing over that land. In Jesus name, Amen PRAYER RESOURCES: Page 6