Prayer during the day with Thy Kingdom Come
May 10 - 20
DISCOVERING A PATTERN FOR PRAYER
During Thy Kingdom Come, you are invited to discover new habits and ways of praying to God, that those whom you know might come to know Jesus.
From the earliest days of the Church, people have gathered together to praise God and to pray for salvation through his Son. Prayer During the Day is a form of worship and prayer which can be used by individuals or in groups, at any time of the day, as a structure for praise and petition. It is drawn from Common Worship, one of the worship resources of the Church of England. You are welcome to use it in any way you like, or change it so that it suits your needs.
Whether you are new to ‘structured’ prayer or an old hand, you are invited to try Prayer During the Day for the period between Ascension and Pentecost. We hope you may find in it a spiritual rhythm which will nourish your heart and keep prayer on your lips, enabling you to become part of a global wave of prayer.
HOW TO USE PRAYER DURING THE DAY
- You can read what follows out loud, or to yourself.
- You can pray by yourself or in a group. When in a group, everyone can say the words in bold type. You can choose to say or sing the psalms and songs together or to choose someone to speak and others to listen.
- You can choose your own psalms, songs, and readings, or use the ones given.
- There is a passage of Scripture for each day of Thy Kingdom Come. You may wish to use each on the day for which it is listed, or you might use other readings.
- In the Prayers, you can pray out loud or silently whether by yourself or in a group, and you can pray in your own words or use the ones suggested.
Preparation
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86.4
Praise
Blessed are you, the God of our ancestors,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed is your holy and glorious name,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you, in your holy and glorious temple,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you who look into the depths,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you, enthroned on the cherubim,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you in the heights of heaven,
worthy to be praised and exalted for ever.
The Song of the Three 29-34
The Word of God
[Listen to the words of the Bible, in a psalm and a short reading. What do these passages make you think about? Which words, images, and ideas strike you? How do they make you feel? ]
Psalm 47
O sing praises to God, sing praises.
1 Clap your hands together, all you peoples;
O sing to God with shouts of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared;
he is the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued the peoples under us
and the nations under our feet.
4 He has chosen our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.
5 God has gone up with a merry noise,
the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.
6 O sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with all your skill.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God has taken his seat upon his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the peoples are gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
10 For the powers of the earth belong to God
and he is very highly exalted.
O sing praises to God, sing praises.
As Christ was raised by your glory, O Father,
so may we be raised to new life
and rejoice to be called your children,
both now and for ever.
(or)
Sunday Psalm 104.26-32
Monday Psalm 21.1-7
Tuesday Psalm 29
Wednesday Psalm 46
Thursday Psalm 84
Friday Psalm 93
Saturday Psalm 98
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Short readings
[There is a reading for each day of Thy Kingdom Come, but you can feel free to choose your own. ]
Ascension Day or on any day after Ascension
Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Hebrews 9.24
Friday after Ascension
As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to human beings, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Hebrews 2.8b-10
Saturday after Ascension
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8.38,39
Sunday after Ascension
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive.
John 7.37-39a
Monday
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40.28-end
Tuesday
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
I Corinthians 12.4-7
Wednesday
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
Joel 2.28,29
Thursday
Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
Luke 11.9-13
Friday
In Christ every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes’. For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment.
2 Corinthians 1.20-22
Saturday
The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3.17,18
The Day of Pentecost
Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
John 20.21,22
Response
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,
and let the one who believes in me drink.
John 7
Prayers
[You can use these ‘prompts’ to guide your own prayers, especially if praying by yourself, or you can plan some other prayers. A form especially appropriate for Thy Kingdom Come is given in full below]
Prayers may include these concerns:
- God’s royal priesthood, that it may be empowered by the Spirit
- Those who wait on God, that they may find renewal
- All people, that they may acknowledge the kingdom of the ascended Christ
- The earth, for productivity and for fruitful harvests
- All who are struggling with broken relationships
God of our salvation,
hope of all the ends of the earth,
we pray:
Thy kingdom come.
That the world may know Jesus Christ
as the Prince of Peace,
we pray:
Thy kingdom come.
That we may be bold to speak the word of God
while you stretch out your hand to save,
we pray:
Thy kingdom come.
That the Church may be generous in giving,
faithful in serving, bold in proclaiming,
we pray:
Thy kingdom come.
That the day may come when every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
we pray:
Thy kingdom come.
The Prayer for Thy Kingdom Come, or another prayer, may be said
[This prayer will be used in all public Thy Kingdom Come events, and you are encouraged to pray it in personal and group prayer as well]
Almighty God,
your ascended Son has sent us into the world
to preach the good news of your kingdom:
inspire us with your Spirit
and fill our hearts with the fire of your love,
that all who hear your Word
may be drawn to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is said.
[Use the version of the Lord’s Prayer most familiar to you, in the language of your choice.]
The Conclusion
May the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts and minds. Amen.
View Prayer During the Day for the period between Ascension Day and Pentecost online:
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/texts/daily2/day/ascensiontopentecost.aspx
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