Matilda leads both Morning and Evening Prayer this week, in the season of Lent (marking the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert). Morning Prayer – Matilda’s mother reads a passage from Hebrews, Chapter 7, verse 1 to 10, because Matilda is still fast asleep. This scripture describes the importance of lineage, patronage and priesthood – Kings often doubled as priests and this passage describes Melchizedek’s priesthood following Jesus Christ, as superior to that of other priests; “‘King Melchizedek of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him’; and to him Abraham apportioned ‘one-tenth of everything’. His name, in the first place, means ‘king of righteousness’; next he is also king of Salem, that is, ‘king of peace’. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest for ever.”

We pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia and for world peace. We pray for wise decision-making and for the moral integrity of all world leaders in the face of evil – most especially this morning.