Monday 10 January th

Pause to Reflect: What would it be like for me to hear God say

‘You are my beloved daughter/son; with you I am well pleased?”
Let us pray:

Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon

Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as
your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of
water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 Today we will be reflecting on the importance
of water in our lives and pray for those
who do not have this privilege.

Response: Let all who have nothing, come to the water.

1. Millions of people around the
world face water shortages.
Many millions of children die every
year from water-borne diseases.
Response
2. "We need to free women and girls
from the daily chore of hauling water, often
over great distances. We must involve them
in decision-making on water management.
We need to make sanitation a priority. This
is where progress is lagging most." (Kofi
Annan) Response

3. There are 1.1 billion people or 18%

of the world's population who lack access
to safe drinking water. About 2.6 billion
people or 42% of the total lack access to
basic sanitation. Response
4. At any one time, half the world's
hospital beds are occupied by patients
suffering from water-borne diseases.
Response
Prayer:

Leader: Source of all Being,

Who brought water from the stone,
Giver of life,
In whom all things live and move and have their being,
All: Give us the miracle of gratitude,
for how our lives are sustained in your care.
Give us the miracle of courage and creativity
to find new habits for ourselves, our country, and our
world,
in sharing your resources.
AMEN
 Today we continue our reflection on the
importance of water in our lives and pray for
those who do not have this privilege.

Response: And let all who work too hard, let them come to the water.
1. For a family of six, collecting enough water for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene
may mean hauling heavy water containers from a distant source for an average of three
hours a day. Most often this is the work of women and girls.
Response
2. Twenty years of oil industry activity have left 30,000 people in Ecuador's northeast
Amazon region with no clean water. The issue is now in the courts.
Response
3. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) predicts water scarcity for half of the world's
population in ten years. At the same time, the United States government has removed
water as a human right from the statements of the last several global water conferences.
Response
Prayer:
Leader: God of life, help us to remember,
that, for some, the earth is parched.
We lift to you
those for whom clean water is
not a basic right but a luxury,
We cry out, O God,
against conflict and violence
that leaves crops to wither
and drives families from their homes
to lands where fresh, clean water is only a dream.
All: In this season of new life,
may we heed your call
to hunger and thirst
for righteousness —
and may your justice and righteousness
roll down as an ever-flowing stream.
(This prayer taken from the MCC website)
What does baptism mean for Christians today?

Baptism is the Christian

religious practice with the
use of water as an
evidence of a new born
Christian. There are a few
types of Christian Baptism
such as submersion,
immersion, pouring or
sprinkling. The baptism is
an act of God’s salvation
and given new birth
through water and spirit.

"Blessings be with you today
Think of someone you
would like to prayer for
today. Maybe they are
recently baptised, maybe
they are not. Perhaps you may contentment be your reward
want to pray that more
people will come to know
Christ as their Lord and
therefore be baptised.
Maybe you want to
remember your own
baptism. In the silent of
your heart think of this
person.
Prayer:
and every day to come …
Through caring acts
may your life be lit with love
Through kindness
With gentleness
may you journey well
With truth and beauty
may you follow a path
That wherever you go
whatever you do
today’s grace and joy
abides with you!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer - Susan Helene Kramer
 In the Roman Catholic Christian tradition,
Baptism is the first sacrament,
a ceremony of welcome in the Christian Community.

Pause for thought – as we begin a New Year, are there people you need to welcome
into your life, whether for the first time, or by forgiving them and starting anew?
 Prayer:

Creator, open our hearts

to peace and healing between all people.
Creator, open our hearts
to provide and protect for all children of the earth.
Creator, open our hearts
to respect for the earth, and all the gifts of the earth.
Creator, open our hearts
to end exclusion, violence, and fear among all.
Thank-you for the gifts of this day and every day.

Native American - Micmac - Alycia Longriver - 1995