July Blog 2024

I first heard The Prayer of St Patrick with the Light Project – a place to learn and study theology and community evangelism. We would read this prayer together as a reminder of the promise that Jesus is with us. He has already gone ahead of us guiding us, He has stayed where we have been helping and interceding on our behalf. He is with us right now. No matter what we face.

At that time, the Light Project was based in Rufus Court in town above what was a men’s suit shop. As we worshipped as a community, and as we read this prayer, I remember thinking about the staff in the suit shop – it was not a thickly carpeted room, and I always imagined them wondering what on earth was going on!! But I also look back and think if this prayer is true, and Christ is really in every single mouth that speaks, and every ear that hears, the amount of blessings those suit shop staff must have received would be incredible.

It challenged me to think:

Are we speaking Jesus to everyone who speaks to us?

Are we showing Jesus to everyone who sees us?

Do people think Jesus when they think of us?

Back to the Light Project and its thin ceilings!! We were challenged to read this as a prayer for someone else, adding a name where there’s a me. I imagine we were then thrown out into the city to do some street evangelism, offering to pray for people as they walked past– not going to freak you all out and suggest that! But this prayer is something I have used when praying for people.

Think of the people in your lives, those who might know Jesus, those that don’t. And pray for them. Add their name to this prayer and see what Jesus does. And if you are feeling brave why not say this prayer over them, as a blessing in the carpark, or at the café or on the train home.

May you remember Christ with us today,

Nikki – St Mark’s Church Children and Family Outreach Worker