Royal North Shore Hospital January 2026 Prayers
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ Matthew 11: 28-29
Pray exploring “complexity”…
An invitation in the mail for a test, reveals blood in the stool, a colonoscopy, a tumour in the bowel, chemotherapy is unsuccessful, the surgery is more complicated than expected, the wife of one year anxious, suspecting something wrong, yet the Christian surgeon is confident with the end result. Both are Christians, both have served overseas in the two-thirds world in their profession. The husband is positive about the detection, surgery, care and hopeful about recovery and return to work. I ask the woman if she finds the positivity a challenge. They both acknowledge, it is a good question. She affirms, yet explains that he is a good listener, and legitimates her feelings of sadness, anxiety and grief. Is there a scripture that you have been drawing upon. A friend gave them Matthew 11: 28-29. I suggest we read it in context. It is complex chapter which I suspect will speak into the complexity of their journey. Read and pray Matthew 11, especially verses 28-29.
Give thanks for “the waythings line up‘’…
A young Christian person with an abscess surrounding a tooth, an operation upon the oesophagus and a wound which is treated, but not expected to heal. They had lain on their bedroom floor holding the open wound of their stomach together for two days, the dog brought a bag with a muesli bar and a bottle of
water. Neighbours heard the dog, the police accidentally leant on the unlocked door. For other reasons the hospital has extra rations of her blood on hand. Lots of things have lined up to save. Over three encounters we discuss thankfulness, the difficulty of finding a church, I wonder aloud if they’re trying too hard to
recreate a previous deeply valued experience, perhaps this is a new season, could you consider something completely new, what are you hoping for in church? We explore sources of hope, I share a resource and the next time we discuss her further explorations. I’m curious what scripture is speaking to her? The story
of the friends and the paralytic. That’s a conversation for next time. Pray using Mark 2:1-12.
Pray with aperson who is “anxious and upset” …
I am asked to visit a patient who is anxious and upset. I gather you are Hindu. I am a Christian. That is alright, I meditate on many scriptures of the different faiths. What do you want me to do for you? I need courage. I have pain but they can’t work out why. Would you like me to read a story of Jesus? It is a story of a little girl and a woman. Yes. I read. That was beautiful. Is there something else I can do? Pray. I pray a simple prayer addressing Jesus that draws together her desire for courage, and that of the woman and the little girl. Read and pray, Mark 5: 21-43.
Chaplain Andrew Osborn 0497 414 388 andrew.osborn@anglicare.org.au
