Prayers continue this Sunday in response to the pandemic

On Trinity Sunday (30 May), following the Kirk's annual General Assembly, Christians across the country – and further afield – will join together in prayer and reflection at 7pm in response to the pandemic.

As with previous weeks during lockdown, 14 Christian churches and organisations across the country, including the Church of Scotland, have co-signed the letter calling for prayer.

Scottish Christians have been continuing to answer the call to pray at the same time each week, and the incoming Moderator, Lord Wallace, is taking part alongside them.

"We should always be mindful for the wisdom handed down to us from past generations; much of it learned the hard way, from mistakes made and consequences suffered," Lord Wallace said.

"So, too, we are grateful for the richness that comes to us from living alongside people of other traditions. In our day and generation we must surely allow our minds and hearts to be open so that we can risk getting to know them and learning from them.

"In this pandemic, our responsibility is to come together and offer our prayers for all the many diverse expressions of our Christian faith that enrich life, as we have done for many months now.

"A pattern has been set for us, lived out in Jesus Christ, made possible by the Spirit. May we follow in His way, and be guided by the one over-riding rule of love in all that we say and do."

This week's letter accompanying the prayer, which is also available in Gaelic, states:

"The vision of the Lord offered by the prophet Isaiah is one in which the presence of the living God fills the Temple and we hear resounding from every corner the cry:

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

The whole earth is full of His glory.'

"The Temple itself is shaken as the fullness of God's presence is revealed. The prophet Isaiah can do no more than acknowledge who he is before God. Yet, even as he senses his own weakness, he hears the voice of the Lord calling: ‘Whom shall I send?' In response, Isaiah says: ‘Here am I. Send me!'

"Today, in the midst of all we face, the fullness of the living God is made known to us in Creation and revealed through Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and by the Holy Spirit as our Sustainer. In our weakness, we also may hear the voice of the Lord calling: ‘Whom shall I send?' In response, we also may say: ‘Here am I. Send me!'"

We pray:

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord Almighty;
Living God, may Your presence be known to us
Even in our weakness.
May we know You as Your presence is revealed
And as Your calling is renewed.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord Almighty;
Living God, may Your presence be known to us
In all the gifts of Creation.
May we receive these gifts as a sacred trust
And treasure all that You have given to us.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord Almighty;
Living God, may Your presence be known to us
In the One whom You have sent to redeem us.
May we share in the life of Christ
And in the life of the body of Christ.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord Almighty;
Living God, may Your presence be known to us
In the One whom You have poured out upon us.
May we be renewed by the Spirit
And share in the life the Spirit gives to us.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord Almighty;
Living God, may Your presence be known to us
In our worship in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
May You receive us as we are
And accept us in our weakness.
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Signed by:

• Lord Wallace, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
• Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
• Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
• Rev. Dr David Miller, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
• Rev. Paul Whittle, Moderator, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
• Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
• Rev. Thomas R. Wilson, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
• Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
• Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Rev. Claire Fender, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
• Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
• Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
• Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)