Collect For Christmas 1 – New Year’s Day
Almighty God, who wonderfully created us in your own image and yet more wonderfully restored us through your Son Jesus Christ: grant that, as he came to share in our humanity, so we may share the life of his divinity; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Micah 6:8 What God Requires
What does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, love mercy,
and walk humbly with your God?
This year’s Scripture card is taken from Micah 6:8. You will find a .pdf of the card as an accompanying attachment, for you to print as many copies as you would like – for yourself and others.
Click the image to print it and pin it up where you will see it each day, as a remembrance of the task (simple and straightforward, but very difficult to achieve in practice) that our God requires of us.
And here are a few dictionary definitions and quotes to think about:
Justice: fairness in the way people are dealt with.
Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
Benjamin Franklin.
If one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected–those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most–and listens to their testimony.
James Baldwin
A Thought: If people think about the word ‘justice’, they would tend to consider their nation’s law or constitution as the fundamental arbiter. This is essentially humanistic, given that such law is based upon the deliberations of government or imposed by ‘dictatorship’; it is also usually extremely complicated, needing legions of learned (and expensive) lawyers to decide on ‘right’ or ‘wrong’; perhaps worse, it is open to political interpretation and corruption. There can only be one basis for legal justice to be defined. You’ll find it in Matthew 22, verses 37-40.
Mercy: the quality of being friendly, generous, considerate, kind, selfless, compassionate, and forgiving; its greatest power revealed in practice to our enemies and amongst the least of these.
“Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Mark Twain
“The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
William Shakespeare
Another thought: Some Bible translations use the word ‘kindness’ rather than the word ‘mercy’ in Micah 6:8. This isn’t necessarily wrong – but I don’t think it goes far enough. While kindness is certainly an attribute of mercy, I think ‘forgiveness’ is an even more important facet. It’s easy to be kind to someone you love – but mercy makes demands over the way we deal with those who we do not love.
Humility: the quality or condition of being humble, having a modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance.
True humility Is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
C.S. Lewis
Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble
When you’re perfect in every way
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
‘Cause I get better lookin’ each day
Willie Nelson
And yet another thought: So essentially, if you think you’re humble, you aren’t. You can only, therefore, be humble if you don’t think you are. If you’re struggling with this apparent paradox, you’re not the only one – join the queue alongside Paul of Tarsus…
And never mind worrying whether you are or aren’t. Just be it.
Praying Together 22nd February 2026
If we are to appreciate the gentleness of a lamb, we need to know its opposite. If we are to understand what safety is, we need also to experience the possibility of danger.
Praying Together 15th February 2026
Perhaps, when we pray, we need to remember it is the Jesus on the Mountain to whom we address our prayers, the one whose face shines like the sun and transfigures our faces as we radiate in His light.
Praying Together February 8th 2026
Is Jesus suggesting, not to eat and drink? And is he saying we should not wear clothes but go naked?
How unrealistic is this, and how depressing – we need to eat and drink, and we need clothing.
Praying Together February 1st 2026
Christ’s words are given to all His people in the face of the difficulties we ourselves face in life. We claim them and are assured of Blessing. And that is all we need.
Praying Together January 25th 2026
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Praying Together 18th January 2026
In prayer, we ask: Who is God calling to come and use their specific individual gifts to continue to build His Kingdom in the future?
His reply is clear.
“You”, He says.
Praying Together 11 January 2026
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Praying Together 21st December 2025
Joseph’s example is one of love, human reaction, vocation and ultimate obedience to his Creator. So we rightly celebrate both Mary and Joseph as the chosen parents of the Christ-child. But we must also remember that they were ordinary people with human emotions who lived extraordinary lives.
Praying Together December 7th 2025
By your grace we have the gift of the Scriptures. With the help your grace, may we listen deeply to what you want to say to each one of us. May we know your gifts of endurance, encouragement and hope, so that not only our lips but also our lives may be a song in praise of your mercy.
Praying Together November 30th November 2025
The significance of the Themes and Candles we light during the Advent Season.
Praying Together 23rd November 2025
We celebrate the beginning of the story in Advent – but before we do, it is equally important to celebrate the final act of Coronation. The Gospel proclaims that Jesus is King.
Praying Together 16th November 2025
In ways, the Christian Journey is like a race – a Marathon, not a sprint. The key is endurance, Jesus says. There will be mountains to climb, tears and heartache in the depths of your soul, and it will sometimes feel like it’s impossible to carry on. But the world will continue, and end only in God’s good time.