“He (Jesus) is able once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7 v 25 NLT) Adoration, Conversation, Salvation, Consecration, Four words summarising prayer. Prayer is where we learn we belong to You, The holy Three, the Trinity, And develop an incessant, insistent urge To seek the holiness which delights You. Prayer maintains and extends a heavenly kingdom. Here on earth in our very midst, as set up by Jesus. “He is the kind of high priest we need because He is holy and blameless, unstained by sin.” (Hebrews 7 v 26 NLT) Our holiness happens because prayer connects us with the Lord Jesus, By means of the Spirit of His holiness, Taking us to stand before the throne of mercy, Admiration, Contrition, Redemption, Veneration, Four more words summarising prayer. Because prayer invites the Lord Jesus To be active within and amongst us, Securing by the Holy Spirit, our happiness and holiness. All to the great glory of the Lord God Almighty. “And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.” (Colossians 3 v 2 NLT) “...the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you an assurance of sharing His glory.” (Colossians 1 v 27 NLT) Please pray because “Now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the One who meditates for us a better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Hebrews 8 v 6 NLT) 22.01.21 Sue O’Donnell

“ ‘My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (1 Samuel 2 v 1) Jesus is King, all praises sing! Mysteriously born amidst poverty, Yet He is royalty. An incredible gift from the Lord God Almighty, Our Father of love and mercy giving us Jesus. In our longing for life’s truth and meaning Which will ever be God’s holy purpose, Our Lord God generously gifts us the Lord Jesus, His Son. The Christ about to be born to us, Is the Light of the world bright shining with love, God’s over us. “ ‘No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God’.” (1 Samuel 2 v 2) Jesus comes to us that we keep a close watch on our life. His way is our way of life pleasing to our Father, Because we emulate the Lord Jesus’ likeness. Above all else the Lord God wishes for our holiness, That we love Him with a pure heart and mind. This is what the Lord God seeks for us above all else to find. In offering thanks for God’s goodness towards us, We are called to totally love Him in Jesus, our happiness. He, who gave Himself totally out of nothing but love for us. “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house, they will still be praising You.” (Psalm 84 v 4) “Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for He is good, for His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118 v 1 TNJB) Lord, dearest Father, now is the expectant, hopeful season of Advent, preparing to meet You in the Lord Jesus. “Blessed is the (wo)man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84 v 5) Let our faith go from strength to strength as we prepare for Christmas. Let us acknowledge how far we fall short of Your expectancy of us, of the life You designed for us. There is only one way we can be made truly righteous and “No good thing will You withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the (wo)man who trusts in You.” (based on Psalm 84 v 11, 12) Your love Lord God, reaches down to us. I have today had first hand experience of You hearing our prayer and mercifully answering us, thank You. “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me,” (Psalm 86 v 7) undoubtedly. The world’s sorrow will be ended only if we all turn to Jesus as the Saviour, our Deliverer, the Divine Healer, the Good Shepherd, the way to access Your grace and favour, freeing us from all fear. Jesus is Light in our darkness, because You come to us through Him making us a temple for the living God. How amazing. To know we are the cherished family of a kingly dynasty is to have faith. We live by faith in what has been promised, not in what we see happening currently. This is exciting and rewarding, thank You. “Let the music sound for our God, let it sound, let the music sound for our King, let it sound.” (Psalm 47 v 6) There is so much cause for rejoicing in faith. Currently we look forward to Christmas and to the Lord Jesus coming at the end of time to wrap up human history. This will be the King coming to claim us, the One who says “ ‘I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I have learned from My Father’.” (John 15 v 5 TNJB) “ ‘You did not choose Me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask Him in My name’.” (Cont) I ask for non-believers to be touched by the Holy Spirit and that they have a personal revelation of the Lord Jesus, the King of Glory. “For He is King of the whole world; learn the music, let it sound for God! God reigns over the nations, seated on His holy throne.” (Psalm 47 v 7) “The Leaders of the nations rally to the people of the God of Abraham,” (v 9) our God, the Lord God, a Trinity of love and mercy. “The shields of the earth belong to God, who is exalted on high.” (Cont) So let us pray with rejoicing, proclaiming our King, the incredible gift born to us at Christmas, to remain with us as Saviour forever. The blessings of this grace cannot be overstated. The faithful love we will know forever is found now in our Saviour Brother, born to be King amongst us. “In His presence are splendour and majesty, in His sanctuary power and beauty. Give to Yahweh, families of the nations, give to Yahweh glory and power, give to Yahweh the glory due His name!” (Psalm 96 v 7 TNJB) “Bring an offering and enter His courts, adore Yahweh in the splendour of His holiness.” (v 9) Holy Spirit, Lord, please show to each of us what this offering should be. What are we to put into the service of Christ the King? I know we must bring ourselves entirely focused upon Jesus as Lord, Master, Saviour, the living hope of our Father’s covenanted promise, and for this I offer heartfelt thanks. We are to say that we have a King coming from the royal line of David as foretold by prophecy and born to Mary, as an angel predicted. Let not our pride nor any false ideas of independence prevent this. Let us not fall into the trap of thinking the incarnation is a kind of fairy tale consigned to history. No, let us be moved by You, Holy Spirit of inspiration, developing our understanding as to Jesus. “Let the countryside exult,” the whole world, the believers in every nation, “At Yahweh’s approach, for He is coming.” (Psalm 96 v 12, 13 TNJB) Dearest Father, thank You for coming to us in Your Son. We hear the Holy Spirit, we hear You. We see the Lord Jesus at work, we see You. We pray for help and healing, for the undoing of our faults and failings, and we receive Your mercy. All because Your beloved Son lived, died and rose again for us! We have a living hope who is “Coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with saving justice, and the nations with His constancy” (Psalm 96 v 13 TNJB) that loving, forgiving mercy You promise us, Father God. “The Word of God became a Man so that you might learn from a Man how to become a god,” Saint Clement of Alexandria tells us. We are to live a life of total holiness, as modelled and described to us by the Lord Jesus, so as to pay You the highest honour and respect, Lord God, Eternal Father. May we spend these weeks of Advent really preparing as best we can to receive our Saviour. We are told an essential fact to understand and heed fully. “The hour is coming – indeed is already here – when the worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; that is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks.” (John 4 v 23 TNJB) Now we know! “God is spirit and those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth,” (v 24) This is exactly what You have made possible for us to do, Father of compassion. You have gifted us Your holy Son and Your Holy Spirit that we can be made holy and thereby fully belong to the family of the Trinity. This is our hope, our aim, our goal, our focus. For this we must now prepare. Please help us to spend the days of Advent wisely, not so busy about worldly preparations for festivity, that we overlook the very point about Christmas. The Word became flesh and came to live amongst us, how truly bewildering yet joyous! The Lord Jesus, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, to be “Believed in throughout the world,” (1 Timothy 3 v 19 TNJB) dying on the † for our salvation, rising again to convince us of truth. Our Saviour Brother then “Taken up in glory,” (Cont) ascending to resume His rightful place in heaven, yet still here amongst us, by the Holy Spirit. What an astonishing plan, far, far beyond the mind of man. Lord God, loving Father, Your plan is stranger than fiction, yet it is true. Let us then “Sing for joy to God our strength, shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.” (Psalm 85 v 1 TNJB) We are a Christmas people. We are an Easter people. We are a Pentecostal people. “Strike up the music, beat the tambourine,” (v 2) and let all voices sing an anthem of joyous praise, loudly acclaiming our salvation. “Joy and happiness in You to all who seek You. Let them ceaselessly cry, ‘God is great’, who love Your saving power.” (Psalm 70 v 6 TNJB) But we are “Poor and needy” lacking in spiritual strength unless we call on the Holy Spirit and focus on Jesus. “God, come quickly ...Yahweh, my Helper, my Saviour, do not delay!” (Psalm 70 v 5 TNJB) We need, all of us need, a first hand, personal knowledge of Jesus to gain His friendship. Let all of us who know we have a Saviour, because we have seen Him lovingly, closely involved with us, pray with rejoicing, proclaiming that You as a Trinity are to be magnified. We live under the authority of the King of Glory. Amen. 03.12.20 Sue O’Donnell

“I shall sing a new song to my God. Lord, You are great, You are glorious, wonderfully strong, unconquerable. May Your whole creation serve You! For You spoke and things came into being, You sent Your breath and they were put together, and no one can resist Your voice.” (Judith 16 v 13,14 TNJB) For now is the appointed time, The time of marvellous works belonging to the Lord Jesus, He who came to save and sanctify us. We will have a Brother who is a promised Saviour! Jesus is holy and life is immeasurably changed. Transformed from its worldly norm for the better, All due to the risen Lord Jesus ever being with us. “ ‘Because this is the time of My favour I have heard you. Because this is the day of salvation I have helped you’.” (2 Corinthians 6 v 2) What a graced privilege to be gifted this marvellous month of rescue, Our healing from the brokenness caused by sin, Begins in the loving forgiveness won for us. The †of the Lord Jesus stands for a profound eternal process. Restitution made for sinfulness, healing is offered us. We are justified as a people of hope. The scope of our life has been totally altered. Our access to heaven is appointed in the Lord Jesus. “ ‘My Father loves Me because I am ready to die for the sheep, only then to be restored to life’.” (John 10 v 17 The Truth) “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalm to Him. Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face evermore! Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.” (Psalm 105 v 1-5) Let us pray to offer our praise for the marvellous works of redemption. Our salvation is won by the One who is the living Word of God, the fulfilment of His promise. And what did our Father promise to us? “ ‘I know what I am planning for you. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.” (Jeremiah 29 v 11 NIV) Praise be for the security of our future as made known to us by our Saviour Brother. “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near,” (Psalm 75 v 1) near to us in the risen Lord Jesus. Amen. 16.12.20 Sue O’Donnell

“Look to Jesus and love Him, that is all.” (Mother Agnes of Jesus) Blessings abound, newly found In the holiness of Jesus. The Word of God come to us. He is full of grace In His life of duty. Here we find beauty unalloyed. Let our praises be employed. We are under the guiding care Of a covenanted love, our dignity, Our new identity in Christ Jesus. In Him is daily opportunity To offer our talents in His service. The perfect love of Jesus is our worship. For He does all things well As is our Father’s pleasure, our treasure. Jesus is the Word of Life Wiping clean our sinfulness. For His way for which we pray, Is perfect in shape and outcome, Meaning we are not far from home. Faith and prayer are our safe passage, As we listen to and learn from Jesus. Jesus, the Christ, the living and abiding Word. May the Spirit make us receptive. Thank You that He makes us introspective, That we be disciplined willingly, meaningfully. Our productivity has to be accomplished in Christ Jesus, The love of God evident in and amongst us. The Lord Jesus at the helm, the Spirit guides us Over the choppy seas of life’s stormy waters. We need help always and will receive this In Christ Jesus, the King of Glory, The principal Person in our faith’s story. He prays for us, interceding mercifully, lovingly, Asking to safeguard and guide us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is love’s strength, truth, wisdom and power. Christ Jesus’ crucifixion is our eternal salvation. Out of love’s confident expectancy, we call upon Him in the Trinity, For our forgiveness is freely, graciously gifted, how joyous! “Above all, make Christ to be found in us, that we may dethrone ourselves in our hearts and make Him King.” (Bishop Bloemfontein) “So that He may be in me, and I in Him, today and forever.” (Bishop Bloemfontein) Dearest Father, let us ever love, honour, admire and adore You, through our allegiance to Christ Jesus as the Word of life and King of Glory as taught us by the Spirit of faith. Let us thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy shown to us at the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, gaining forgiveness for all our sinfulness. Let us rejoice with praise for being able to work alongside Jesus, offering love as His name as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Let us thank You for Jesus’ sovereign authority over all things, including those matters which pertain to life, death, mercy, forgiveness, heaven and hell. Let us extol and esteem You for our fresh start won for us by Christ Jesus once our sins are repented of and forgiven. Let us esteem Your mercy and share this, forgiving as we are forgiven. Let us admit our inadequacy to You, whilst claiming how we make good progress in faith’s practices, through Spirit led submission to all You ask of us and we pray about. Let us pray appreciatively, because we are increasingly learning to trust in and depend upon our relationship with You, as won for us by the King of Glory, He who is the Prince of Peace and the world’s Saviour. Let us exalt You, Lord of our good progress, our righteousness, our growing holiness, our hope for our blessed future. Let us venerate You, Lord God, Father Deliverer and Protector, for this new life You gift us in Christ Jesus, Your living and abiding Word, available to us by means of the Spirit of holiness. “Save us, God our God, gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, and may gory in praising You. Blessed be God, from all eternity and for ever! Let all the people say, ‘Amen’.” (Psalm 106 v 47, 48) 06.02.21 Sue O’Donnell

“We, too, with our own eyes see only bread and wine, but we must see further and firmly believe ...” (St Francis of Assisi “The Admonitions” The Eucharist: Timeless tenderness; Loving kindness; Steadfast faithfulness; Pure sweetness; Complete togetherness; Mercy’s giftedness. “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits towards me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 116 v 12, 13) Unsurpassed peacefulness; Inner quietness; Renewed hopefulness; Promised forgiveness; Shared holiness; Graced goodness. Who would not want this? This is Jesus’ presence, God with us, a revelation Given by the Holy Spirit. Love’s highest dedication. Coming from the Trinity. By means of Mary’s Baby. “...that this is His most holy Body and Blood, living and true.” (St Francis of Assisi “The Admonitions”) My Eucharist; My Jesus; My purpose; My holiness; My goodness; My Christmas. “ ‘He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end’.” (Luke 1 v 32, 33) Love’s purpose; How tremendous; How wondrous; How marvellous; How miraculous; How mysterious! “Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3 v 16) “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23 v 6) “Gracious love is Your way LORD, and righteous; yes, You our God are merciful. You preserve the humble. I was brought low in spirit and You saved me” (based on Psalm 116 v 5, 6) although this was entirely undeserved. “Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.” (v 7) Advent is the expectant season of hope, hope of a Saviour about to be born to us. “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before You LORD, in the land of the living.” (based on v 8, 9) I cannot thank You sufficiently for the gift of faith, my belief in the Lord Jesus, a Brother born to us as Saviour, making us Your family. “O LORD, truly I am Your servant,...You have loosed my bonds” (v 16) enabling me to escape from satan’s bondage. I so value the help and supportive guidance of the Holy Spirit, thank You. “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (v 17) although the only sacrifice request is that of time, and this I give willingly, so I am not sure it is a sacrifice at all. “I will call upon Your name, LORD” (v 17) Your high and holy name with which I delight to call You ‘Abba’ ‘Father, my Father’. What an honour is bestowed upon us. Oh that all peoples would hear our Lord, our Saviour, our promise of an eternal blessing, addressing us saying “ ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’.” (Revelation 3 v 20) Oh that they would open the door to this wondrous, life enhancing, peace giving, hope uplifting, joyous love, the love about to be born to us at Christmas. May the Holy Spirit help us with this, please. For the Lord Jesus has to be born into our hearts for us to know the meaning of Christmas, of all of life, and to be led to worship. To know the unsurpassed joy of union with Jesus’ divine heart of love in the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, no joy is greater upon earth. “You prepare a table before me.” (Psalm 23 v 5) and I rejoice. We worship You, dearest Father, through our family status, as won for us by the godly life and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. “By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation.” (Psalm 65 v 5) This psalm then says “You who are the confidence of all the earth and the far off seas.” (v 5) If only this could be so, Christmas would be a most joyously full worldwide celebration. Again, I pray for non-believers, especially for those families and friends known to me. Come, Holy Spirit, breathe Your love upon them in a tangible way that will cause them to pray in response to the Lord Jesus. Without the knowledge and experience of our Saviour Brother’s all loving friendship extended towards us continuously, especially in the sacramental mystery of the Eucharist, there would be no Christmas. The truth born to us in Jesus the Christ, He who is “The same yesterday, are today, and forever,” (Hebrews 13 v 8) this is the firm foundation to our faith that we all need to cling to. For the love of the Lord Jesus makes such a profound difference to everyday life. For as He liberates us from a sinful life, a life which leads to death, we are truly free, joyously free. The joy of Christmas is an everyday and everlasting joy. For Your gift to us, Father God, that love gift which is made ours by Jesus, though the efforts of the Holy Spirit, this is a most joyous, realistic hope. Jesus comes to us as the Light of the world, the Word made flesh to dwell among us. How utterly wondrous this is! May the sense of awe never escape us. It can not be conjured up, we need the Holy Spirit. It is as we open to the Spirit’s impact and influence we hear what the Lord Jesus says to us: “ ‘I tell you the truth, (s)he who believes in who I AM, already has eternal life’.” (John 6 v 47 The Truth) Truth cannot lie. “ ‘I, I AM the Bread of Life...Here now is the Bread that has come from heaven itself. If a (wo)man eats of this Bread, (s)he will never die’.” (v 48, 49, 50) At Christmas we are gifted the possibility of an eternal joy in the company of the Holy Trinity. Let us rejoice to be made holy, to become the Lord Jesus’ good works, making progress in the pursuit of holiness. “ ‘This Bread is My body, which I will give for the salvation of all mankind’.” (v 51) What an incredible, absolutely most wondrous blessing, dearest Father. “Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live.” (Psalm 63 v 3, 4) and that will be forever. A forever Saviour is born to us as at Christmas and in every Holy Eucharist whereby our Saviour will enter our heart. “My soul shall be satisfied” (v 5), my soul being the real one. My real me needs Your power of holy love. This is what is gifted us at Christmas and beyond forever, by our Saviour, through the Holy Spirit. “My mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” (v 5 cont) Oh the magic of Christmas that is not magic because it is real! Your love for us as a Trinity, this is at the heart of Christmas and love changes everything, always for the better. “In this is love, not that we loved You, Lord God, but that You loved us and sent Your Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (based on 1 John 4 v 10) Your love is most merciful. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, our Saviour, the bright Light of holy love shining over a world darkened by sin. Thank You that we receive the Holy Spirit to help eradicate all sin. Christmas is a season of incredible blessing. The Holy Eucharist is a celebration of incredible blessing. To think we become the brothers and sisters of a King, not just of the royal house of David, but the King of Glory. This King is Your Word made flesh, come to feed us on holy truth, through the Holy Spirit of faith, of prayer, of worship. We should be the happiest people on earth! Thank You for Christmas, the special, historical time of our Saviour born to live amongst us forever. Although crucified for our forgiveness, death had no power over One so holy. Life is stronger than death. You are our Eternal Father because we have a forever Saviour and You send forth Your Spirit, we are re- created “And You renew the face of the earth.” (Psalm 104 v 30) “May Your glory Lord God, endure forever” (based on v 31) through us living to give You of our best efforts because the Lord Jesus lives within us. “May You rejoice in Your works” (Cont) and we will rejoice to celebrate Christmas. Love is born amongst us and such hope we are given. Praise ever be! Amen. 16.12.20 Sue O’Donnell

“Grace, mercy and peace be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” (2 John 1 v 3) All worked By the Holy Spirit, Who gifts us The gratitude Well expressed In prayer of: Admiration, Adoration, Veneration, Leading us to Consecration With devotion To the Almighty, The Lord God, A Trinity. This is life Lived fully. “As members of the same Body, we are to be devoted to one another, loving each other as members of the same family. This involves honouring others above ourselves and always being eager to serve the Lord by doing whatever He asks of us, and doing it with all our hearts.” (Romans 12 v 10, 11 The Truth) This is Exactly how Life is meant To be. We were formed To be One family Of appreciation, Offering dedication Without ending. For loving mercy Graciously gifted, At the †, In the Eucharist, Lifts up Our Spirits. This does merit Warmest praise. “In the light of this wonderful mercy God has shown us, I strongly encourage you, as My brothers (and sisters) to give your bodies to God in living sacrifice; do what is holy and pleasing to Him.” (Romans 12 v 1 The Truth) “We also are to radiate joy because we are a people of hope.” (Romans 12 v 12 The Truth) Please pray for the Spirit of admiration to make a difference to us, enabling us to put others first, always appreciating their best qualities in life, this being God given. For surely, admiration is one way to express our appreciation to the Lord God as a Trinity, by whom we are all “...fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, (Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,) and that my soul knows very well,” (Psalm 139 v 14) for I see the difference salvation makes to our personalities. By the forgiveness won for us at the †, and the strengthening in faith, we receive directly from our Saviour Brother, the Lord Jesus, in the Eucharist, as we become kingdom builders in love and mercy, “...not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer...” (Romans 12 v 11, 12) Please make this prayer to be an expression of warm appreciation with thanksgiving in addition to your petitions and intercessions. We must offer praise to thank You, Lord God, for Your Spirit enabling us to combine our works with that of the Sacred Heart of the Lord Jesus, becoming united with His infinite merits. May whatever we do be for the glory of the Trinity and warmly appreciated. Amen. 04.10.20 Sue O’Donnell

“...the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” (1 Timothy 1 v 1 TNJB) Lord, as Saviour You save. As Redeemer, You redeem. As Love, You love. As Word, You teach. As the Way, You direct. As the Truth, You instruct. As the Life, You lead. As Healer, You heal. As Shepherd, You protect. As Light, You shine. As Bread, You nourish. As Hope, You flourish. As Forgiveness, You pardon. As Grace, You gift. As Glory, You radiate. As Protector, You protect. As Deliverer, You deliver. As Son, You obey. As Faith, You reach out. As Enlightenment, You enlighten. As Joy, You share. As Gentleness, You soothe. As Favour, You enthuse. As Peace, You affirm. As Law, You respect. As Eternity, You promise. As Eucharist, You possess. As Jesus, You bless. As God, You live. As our Forever Saviour, Our Father’s promise of a Living Hope, Incarnated by the Holy Spirit, Animated by the Holy Spirit, To be our Perfect Peace. God’s Gift of Christmas. “The fear of the LORD is glory and pride, happiness and a crown of joyfulness. The fear of the Lord gladdens the heart, giving happiness, joy and long life. For those who fear the Lord, all will end well; on their dying day they will be blessed.” (Ecclesiasticus 1 v 11, 12, 13 TNJB) “(S)he will find happiness and a crown of joy, (s)he will inherit an everlasting name.” (Ecclesiasticus 15 v 6 TNJB) Please pray to, through and with our Alpha and Omega, the Anointed One, God’s Beloved, our faith’s cornerstone ever faithful and true, for He is the Holy One, Emmanuel, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Paschal Lamb, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the King of Glory, our resurrection and eternal life, encouraging us by His Holy Spirit, “...to encourage faith...and to bring us knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness...and the hope of eternal life that was promised by God from the beginning.” (based on Titus 1 v 2 The Truth) Please pray to the One who is the High Priest leading us home to heaven by lending us the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, our Advocate who reveals the atonement the Lord Jesus won for us at the †, making Him Mediator between our Father and us. Please pray to the One we dare to call ‘Abba’ because we have been adopted as cherished children. “In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.” (Psalm 33 v 21 NLT) Please pray because we need to say “Let Your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in You alone.” (v 22) Please pray because this season of Christmas is a time of hope as “The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you...He is Your protecting shield...” (Exodus 33 v 27, 28) shielding us in Christ Jesus, who is everything to us. Amen. 04.01.21 Sue O’Donnell

“...in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 18) Beloved Lord, Adored In heaven above And earth below. God’s store of goodness Is released through His Beloved Son, We call ‘Jesus’. He comes to us In a way most miraculous. “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.” (Psalm 86 v 9) According to the zealous Spirit, At work in the Eucharist, The Spirit works with Jesus, Turning the host, A wafer of bread Into the real presence Of the Lord, Beloved Lord, Adored. “...God sent forth His Son...that we might receive the adoption as sons (daughters) ...And because you are sons (daughters), God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father’!” (Galatians 4 v 5, 6) As God’s Word To be heard, Touched, Jesus is with us. In addition for holy communion, The chalice of wine Is transformed, transubstantiated Into the blood of Jesus, As shed at the †, Entirely for our forgiveness. “For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.” (Psalm 86 v 10) Forgiveness is freeing us from all sinfulness. We adore to be fortified In our hope of renewal, Holy love the tool. Because now we live In Jesus, our Beloved Lord, Adored. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ came into the world to save sinners...” (1 Timothy 1 v 15) “Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4 v 2) Lord, I thank You, I praise You for being the One adored as light amidst our darkness, truth in our ignorance, guidance against our defiance, our full saving help and protection as by Your Spirit, You live within us. Our Father gifts You so we experience as we pray, Your way to live and Your truth to live by. Your life in us is our blessing of holiness, the fullness we seek. We are promised protection against satan. You are that protection for, ever loved and adored Lord, You are our saving help. The outcome of the †is merciful forgiveness. How glorious it is to come to You in the Holy Eucharist, to taste of Your goodness as we pursue a life of holiness through You, by Your Spirit. Only in You, adored Lord, can we say “Preserve my life, for I am holy.” (Psalm 86 v 2) Yes, You are our Saviour Brother, You have established the hope of holiness for us, but there is much to yet be done! “You are my God, save Your servant who trusts in You” (v 3) and turns to You so I can then enter the throne room of heaven and plead for mercy. “Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long,” or want to. I am sorry for the all too many times I fail to turn to You, to acknowledge Your presence amongst us – all thanks to the most marvellous miracle of all, Your gift of Yourself under the form of bread and wine. “Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul,” (v 4) and I ask to ever adore, glorify, thank and praise Your holy name as Saviour. “For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You,” (Cont) whatever form our prayer takes in our adoration. We can ask You anything that is in accord with Your holy will and You present our petition to the Father of mercy, so as to enable His blessings to flow, according to the Spirit of love. You gift us this Spirit, Your very own Spirit, our Father’s spirit, so that inspired, graced, guided by Him, You live in us, praying with us as a redeemed people. Our freedom, our adoration of You at the † of forgiveness and risen to a new life You share with us, blessing us by a share in Your holiness, this is the very fullness we seek. You take us forward in glory, the glory of Your continuous presence, the outworking of Your Spirit of faith, teaching us to pray as we have been nourished and fed in the Holy Eucharist, making our faith vibrantly alive. You are to be thanked, praised and adored, all loving, ever loving Lord of Life, Conqueror over all that is evil, Victor over death, making this not an ending which is final, but an opening to heaven. “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You O LORD, I will sing praises,” (Psalm 118 v 1) especially for Your gifting of the Spirit of wisdom and truth, ever busy safeguarding us by correcting all errors of our worldly ways. It is You Lord, adored Saviour and Brother, Redeemer and Friend, we can offer praise to our Father for His everlasting mercy. “For His mercy endures forever,” (Psalm 118 v 1) for You are our forever Saviour. “Open to us the gates of righteousness, and we will go through them and we will praise You LORD” (based on v 19) full of admiration for our salvation, adoring You as the living and abiding holy Word of our Father. “This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter,” (v 20) the praise we offer for Your real presence amongst us, the blessed and gifted most holy body and blood offered us in the celebration of holy communion. We will praise You, Lord Jesus, dearest Father and Holy Spirit Lord, for together in the closest unity of love and mercy, “You have answered us and have become our salvation.” (based on v 21) Adored Lord, You are “The stone which the builders rejected” (v 22) but we have accepted as “The chief cornerstone,” who by Your Spirit, holds the body of Christian faith, Your church, together. “This was the LORD’s doing,” (23) the faith building, life enhancing, adoration giving Spirit. “It is marvellous in our eyes” (Cont) and each day we hope to offer all our praise. Adored Lord, Jesus, our Redeemer, Your body and blood most precious, this is the highest worship we can offer up to our Father of mercies, proclaiming in faith. “This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O LORD,” (v 24, 25) for there are many who as yet do not know You, and this is such a sadness. We need to know You as the Word of God, loving and true to us, making Your love our focus by the Spirit, so as to be able to worship adequately, for “Blessed is (s)he who comes in the name of the LORD.” (v 26) “You are my God,” (v 28) together with the Father and the Spirit, forming a perfect family of deep love and profound mercy. “I will praise You. You are my God and I will exalt You.” (v 28) We offer You all thanks living, ever loving, adored Lord, for “You are good!” (v 29) being the image of our Father, merciful, kind and just. “His mercy endures forever” (Cont) for You agreed to become our Saviour, our Father’s love perfectly manifest. By Your active Spirit, You usher us into the way of holiness, the way You modelled for us that “Blessed are the undefiled...who keep Your testimonies, who seek You with the whole heart.” (Psalm 119 v 1, 2) May this ever happen in partaking of Your body and blood, adored Lord. You are our faith’s source, sustenance and nourishment as “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently (v 4)...we will praise You with uprightness of heart when we learn Your righteous judgments.” (based on v 7) Adored Lord, “Let us not wander from Your commandments!” (based on v 10) especially the concern for us to love God with our whole self and our neighbour in similar vein, for this demand encompasses all other godly commands. Please keep us alert to Your Spirit, to Your Leadership as the Spirit alerts us, to how we can best serve lovingly by living through You, with You in us continuously. May we be equipped and enabled to deal with any adversity, setback, upheaval caused by the enemy, for adored Lord, You are our forever Saviour Redeemer leading us forwards in faith. In any situation, when we are unsure of the way to go, please remind us to ask of the Spirit to show us, by answering the question we ask ourselves: ‘What would Jesus do?’ Adored Lord, You are our Protector and Provider through our Father. Anything worthwhile we accomplish, all that is of eternal value, will be done in You, through You, by You in us, all thanks to the Holy Eucharist fortifying us. Your life is given to love, forgive, save and renew us through Your Spirit, all to the glory of God as a Trinity. What joy there is to be found in Your friendship adored Lord, our Saviour and our Brother. “Christians ...should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty, and who invite others to a delicious banquet,” (Pope Francis evangelii gaudium 111-134) which You provide, adored Lord. O Lord, make us Your authentic, Spirit blessed, love possessed witnesses as we live in You, with You in us, Your eternal goodness proclaimed all to the glory of God. Please, please, fill our emptiness, cleanse our sinfulness, heal our sickness, forgive and redeem us, save us and sanctify us as You come to possess us in all holy wisdom and truth. May we live a life of faith Spirit led, Spirit fed, graced and blessed as You are formed in us to show what true love is, adored Lord. True love is You alive in us, all thanks and praise ever, ever be, all to the glory of God. Amen. 06.08.20 Sue O’Donnell

God, a love without compare, We can find Him everywhere. Look at the miracle of a new born child, The marvel of animals in the wild. Can you see His hand upon every flower And in happiness each passing hour? What do you sense in silent seclusion? Who do you find behind all prayerful contemplation? What about the stunning beauty of a sunrise? Or the cloud formation in endless skies? Is the grandeur of God not in the ocean’s roar? Or His abundance in a pebble strewn shore? What do you think of the vastness of space? How often do you feel God’s loving embrace? He is the Sustainer, all life’s Source, The benevolent Gifter, He is God, of course! All that is beneficial, all that is good, Invites us to see Him, so we should. God is love, He is in everything fine Offer praises then for all that is sublime. Make each day a time of admiration It is our Creator who deserves our adoration. His might, His majesty, His marvel, His splendour, Give Him honour and thanks to the Sender. He gifted visible love that very first Christmas Sending His Son, the Saviour Christ Jesus. He comes amongst us to reveal how to live, Of Himself in love, always ready to give. Also the Holy Spirit’s power, His love God will release To gift us wisdom, counsel to gain peace. For life conducted in the Spirit and Saviour. Is practise making ready for the joy of forever. Take time in His conscious presence to understand The love that lies beneath God’s every command. The voice of a loved one, a scene of supreme beauty, Yes, to acknowledge the Lord God is our daily duty. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3 v 20, 21 NLT) 17.01.21 Sue O’Donnell