“I am the Resurrection and the Life” said Jesus.
“He who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

Lord Jesus, Lord of the living and of those we count as dead
I come to your table
at Your gracious invitation

I bring with me the family of which You made me a part:
Those still in this world (name them)
And those who have died (name those you remember,
including miscarriages, abortions etc).

But I bring to Your table also the sin and ill-feeling right back to the third and fourth generation (lay your family tree, or a note of what has gone wrong before God).

As part of this family I accept my share in its wrongs
And I ask for your forgiveness to cover all our sins.
May Your Living Word in this service
be a two-edged sword to destroy any work of Satan,
to hold up to us all, Christ Crucified and Risen,
that we may all be drawn to Him.

May the Bread
declare your Body, broken for our sin
Your presence entering into us.

May the Wine
declare Your Blood, shed to make a New Covenant with us

So, through me, may Your Cleansing, Healing Life
flow into the family on earth and beyond it,
and may any still in darkness be drawn into the Light
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, AMEN

MEDITATION ON  ST. PATRICK’S  BREASTPLATE

Long ago, when St Patrick was facing the hostility and the evil power of the Druids, he did as Ephesians 6:13 ff tells us: he put on the whole armour of God. Fuller versions of this can be found in most hymn-books, for instance No.402 in the Church of Scotland Hymnary (3rd edition).

If you have reason to feel apprehensive, then make a regular practice of doing this meditation, which is based on part of St Patrick’s original. You may not get the full benefit until you can do it without looking at the printed page. If you know it well enough you can “put on the armour of God” in a matter of seconds if an emergency arises.

Sit upright, yet relaxed, with your Bible and/or cross before you. Focus your attention on Him. Say firmly and deliberately:

CHRIST BEHIND ME
CHRIST BEFORE ME
CHRIST BESIDE ME
CHRIST BENEATH ME
CHRIST ABOVE ME
CHRIST WITHIN ME

Now come back to each item.

Christ behind me
In the past.
All that has been good is in His Keeping.
I need no regrets, no mementoes.
I can let go of all that was good, knowing that it is precious to Him.
Give thanks to God for all His goodness.
All that was bad, hurtful, shameful, I consign into the depths of His Mercy.

All the hurt which I have caused, all the hurt which others have caused me,
I lay at the foot of His Cross. May the Lord have mercy on us all
(Each time you do this meditation, offer a different incident to Him).

Christ before me
He is the Way stretching before me
from where I am now,
from this actual situation I am in,
right home to our Father’s House.
He is the Way: the Way prepared.
He has gone ahead into tomorrow to make it ready.
The future is a journey Home.
Through all the dark valleys He will guide,
and He will provide times when my cup of happiness will overflow.
I face the future knowing the Way.

Christ beside me
“I am with you always”.
He is in this situation sharing it with me now.
His strong shoulder is under the burden I carry.
Every joy and every sorrow He shares with us.
He will not fail me nor forsake me.
Nothing can separate me from His Love.

If there is conflict between you and somebody else,
then add after “Christ beside me”:

Christ between us
To sever and to reconcile, to shield us
from the sin in one another,
to bless all that is good and true,
to cleanse from pride, possessiveness,
lust, to give laughter, tears, understanding and peace.

Christ beneath me
Underneath are the Everlasting Arms,
cherishing, upholding.
When I fall, it is into His arms that I fall,
and He will lift me up again.
His strength undergirds my weakness.

Christ above me
As a hen gathers her chicks,
so His Love is spread over me,
comforting me, shielding me.
I claim His protection from all attack and oppression.
Under the shadow of His wings I am safe,
and in Him will I trust.
(At evening: I will sleep in peace under the shadow of the Almighty).

Christ within me
I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.
My body is Christ’s body,
bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh.
By the Bread broken and the Wine poured out,
I know that you, Lord, are in me and I in you.
You will accomplish the work you have for me to do,
and Your Grace is sufficient for me.

Now go back to the first section, perhaps expressing each item with your body:
Christ behind me (strech your arms behind you) etc. etc.

Now take up your Bible, and/or put on your cross;

Thus armed, enfolded and led
I go forward
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AMEN.

A PRAYER FOR INNER HEALING

LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, HAVE MERCY ON US
LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, HAVE MERCY ON US
LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, GRANT US YOUR PEACE.

The first step
For personal use, first think about that phrase “Lamb of God!
The LAMB is the symbol of innocent suffering, the eternal victim.

All the hurt which people give each other, register in Him.
He said, “Whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do to me”.

That horrible network of human sin, causing suffering, is all focussed on His Cross. He draws the poison into Himself in order that His life of love may flow out again.

When somebody hurt me, He was hurt for me, and hurt over that person’s sin.

When I hurt somebody, I hurt Him and He agonised over my behaviour. When I wrong somebody, poison remains until I have brought it into the light of His Cross, for forgiveness and cleansing.

When somebody wrongs me, it will continue to poison me until I have brought into the light of His Cross and have forgiven the wrong.

The next step
See yourself at the foot of His Cross.

On your left hand are the people who have hurt you in life, right from the beginning.

On your right hand are the people whom you have hurt.

Spend some time naming them and “seeing” their faces.

Now reach out to these, your fellow-sinners.
Look up into the face of Him who suffers all and who forgives all.

Say:
LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, HAVE MERCY ON US
LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, HAVE MERCY ON US
LAMB OF GOD,
YOU TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD, GRANT US YOUR PEACE.

Now, invite them all to say the Lord’s Prayer with you

OUR FATHER ... ... ... ... ... (we are all one family)

FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE ... ... ...

DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION WITHOUT DELIVERING US FROM EVIL ... ... ... ... (we uphold each other in our sinfulness and weakness, knowing that we must confront situations which will test us at our weak points, depending on Him to deliver us).

THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER (end of a note of praise).