‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer in lockdown
Ascension Day, 21st May – Pentecost Sunday 31st May
The sixth Thy Kingdom Come prayer season will run from Ascension Day, Thursday 21 May, to Pentecost Sunday, 31 May, inclusive. While unplanned, the lockdown context in which this year’s prayer takes place echoes the ‘upper room’ context in which Jesus’ followers prayed in the pause between his ascension to heaven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Now, as then, God’s people are genuinely asking the Lord to reveal his purpose, presence and power in the face of uncertainty of how they would fulfil his command to continue his mission on earth.
Ascension Day 21st May Ecumenical Launch Event
Join us to hear 40 mins of worship including reflections and prayer, bringing together leaders and members of different denominations across the Diocese of Lichfield and the West Midlands. The service can be watched here, on our Facebook Group and on YouTube:
Night Prayer
Join us each night between Ascension and Pentecost as we focus on praying for family, friends and neighbours for Night Prayer led by members of the Bishop's Staff team on Facebook - in our group or on our page.
Occasionally, leaders have provided additional resoruces which are available here:
- Friday 22 May - liturgy from Archdeacon Julian Francis
What is Thy Kingdom Come?
Every single day hundreds of millions say the prayer Jesus put on our lips, praying ‘Thy Kingdom Come’. In the past few years, the focus of our prayers between Ascension and Pentecost has been for the coming of the God’s Kingdom that the church will be equipped to fulfil its mission and that family members, neighbours, friends and work colleagues will come to faith in Christ.
It started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England, and has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer. It is a gift to us of a rhythm of daily prayer and Bible readings. Recognising our need of the Holy Spirit to inspire and equip us to share the Good News of Jesus, we pray ‘Come Holy Spirit’.
More than ever, Thy Kingdom Come offers the opportunity to engage in concerted prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom.
While gathered prayer meetings will not be possible in May 2020, free resources are available, summarised in 5 ways to be involved, at https://www.thykingdomcome.global, including ideas for virtual prayer. And there will be more on the way, including the TKC app and podcasts by The Rt Revd Tom Wright. (see more details below)
So discover more and get involved https://www.thykingdomcome.global
An introductory video by Revd Canon Chris Russell, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advisor on Evangelism and Witness, can be viewed here.
Thy Kingdom Come resources and prayer opportunities |
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Making use of the Thy Kingdom Come daily Prayer Journal to guide your private prayers This is suitable for youth and adults. (downloadable free-of-charge) |
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Using the Thy Kingdom Come Prayer Adventure Map to engage children in prayer with an app to come! |
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Using the specially-prepared The Kingdom Come Common Worship morning, daytime, evening and/or night prayer resources provided by the Church of England. You may already have a copy of this from last year. 2020 uses the readings at the back of the booklet for Year A and enables a regular pattern of reading Scripture and prayer. https://www.thykingdomcome.global/sites/default/files/2019-03/CW%20Daily%20Prayer%20for%20Thy%20Kingdom%20Come_0.pdf |
| Prayer and care Reaching out to the people for whom you are praying with simple gifts and/or practical support (ideas and resources here).
Praying with a few friends at a regular, set time each day, connecting via Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp, or similar. The joint prayer time can be short and simple, but should focus on praying for people to come to faith in Christ. In league with friends from one (or more) local church, organising a day-long, week-long, or Ascension to Pentecost long period of continuous prayer. This would require establishing a simple system by which people would commit to pray for specific 30-minute or hour-long sessions during the day/night, leading to a non-stop prayer endeavour during the chosen period. |
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And sign in to light up the world. Those planning to take part in Thy Kingdom Come in any way are asked to sign up https://www.thykingdomcome.global/lightuptheworld in order to join others in lighting up the world in prayer. Take part in the call to pray with the worldwide body of Christ, Thy Kingdom Come. |
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More details, links and resources can be found at the Thy Kingdom Come website, with 5 ways to get involved summarised at thykingdomcome.global/stories/5-ways-your-church-can-be-involved-years-thy-kingdom-come. And there will be more on the way, including the TKC app and podcasts by The Rt. Revd Tom Wright. |
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