Blaenau Gwent

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

In love, O Lord, all your works have begun; by love you sustain them and in your love our life is everlasting. So let the beginning and ending of all our loving be to see you O God, for ever and ever. Amen.

God of grace and love, the future seems uncertain and dangerous, so we become distrustful and obdurate. We are willing to believe only those who agree with us, and are fearful of difference. We become angry and defensive, hurting others before they can hurt us, regardless of the consequences. In responding to the gospel of your love for us in Christ, help us to remember that, although you were announced by angels, you came to us vulnerable as a new-born child. May all that we offer in your name be filled with compassion and kindness. Amen.

Luke 17:11-19Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? (v. 17)

Matthew 13:31-35He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ (vs. 31-32)