Thursday, November 23, 2017

Praising God and Giving Thanks! A slight detour tonight!





Good Evening Dear Family!

 Happy Thanksgiving to you all and a belated one if you happen to live in Canada!  We should make every day a day of thanksgiving.  The former United Nations Secretary General  Dag Hammarskjold show us this by some of his quotes and one by Meister Eckhart. Let us begin there tonight!
Dag Hammarskjold

Dag Hammarskjold

Meister Eckhart

Tonight we are going  to change things up a bit and keep it simple and heartfelt. We will return to #PovertyAwarenessWeek tomorrow. We are going to spend time tonight in praise and thanksgiving. Our yearly reminder not to take things we have for granted and remember  that God provides all that we have on loan. 

Let us begin our meditation time with  the Gospel about the 10 lepers to center us on being thankful. One question to ponder is the leper who was a Samaritan, a model for the Parable of the Good Samaritan?  These are our two scriptural meditations for Thanksgiving and Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday. 

Luke 17:11-19New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus[a] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers[b]approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’[c] feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 10:25-37New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[b] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
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Light of the World Phos hilaron
Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Psalm 134 Ecce nunc
Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *
you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *
the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion

God we come before you this night and always and Light a candles,make vigil, a vigil of gratitude and thanksgiving. 


Image result for thanksgiving candles


Now let us listen these  hymns if you would like to sing along you may do so:We Gather Together and also We Plow the Fields and Scatter

David

'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.
Alice Walker

Henry Jacobsen

145 Exaltabo te, Deus

1 I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.

4 One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.

5 I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty *
and all your marvelous works.

6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.

7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.

11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;

12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, *
and you give them their food in due season.

17 You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.

19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.

20 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.

21 The Lord preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.
22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.

Joel 2:21-27


21 Do not fear, O soil;
   be glad and rejoice,
   for the Lord has done great things! 
22 Do not fear, you animals of the field,
   for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
   the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 

23 O children of Zion, be glad
   and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain* for your vindication,
   he has poured down for you abundant rain,
   the early and the later rain, as before. 
24 The threshing-floors shall be full of grain,
   the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 

25 I will repay you for the years
   that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
   my great army, which I sent against you. 

26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
   and praise the name of the Lord your God,
   who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
   and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again
   be put to shame. 



Thomas Merton

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

12 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters,* to respect those who labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved,* to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets,* 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound* and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

William Arthur Ward

100 Jubilate Deo

1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

2 Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

4 For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Philippians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice* in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.* 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

8 Finally, beloved,* whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about* these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.


Rejoice in the Lord Alway -Purcell

God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.
Izaak Walton

John 6:25-35

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ 32Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which* comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
William Shakespeare


Gracious God we come to you this night with many things on our hearts and minds. Lift our spirits as we reflect upon our celebration of Thanksgiving and the end of the Church Year looking forward into the season of Advent. May we see each of these as times of joyful expectation.

Gracious God we pray for our family throughout the world and that peace may prevail everywhere and in our own country.

Gracious God  we pray for  understanding between all peoples and that we begin to not be afraid of race, creed, color, gender, or sexual orientation.

Gracious God we offer our prayers and thanksgivings to you  remembering especially____________

Gracious God we pray for the least of these that they may find safe shelter, warm meals, and protective clothing. We pray that we may see you in them as we serve and love them without fear and judgement.

Gracious God we pray for all who travel and that the weather will be in their favor.

Gracious God may we always be thankful and have an attitude of gratitude.

We pray these prayers and offer them in the Name of your Only Son who taught us the true meaning of thanksgiving by instituting the Holy Eucharist which means Holy Thanksgiving. Amen.


These sets of prayers may be added.



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God help us to know and feel that we are yours and belong to you and are each other's keeper. Help us to recognize this sooner rather than later.

God we pray this night for all of our family members who don't have a sense of belonging and that we keep an eye on them so that they don't fall through the cracks and resort to joining negative and dangerous groups just to try to fit in.

God we pray that  as we who grieve may establish new normals that feed our souls, give us warmth, and that will soothe our tender hearts.

God we pray for peace in this world that  compassion, acceptance, love and mercy may enfold each of  our family members in a blanket of unity.

God we pray for our family members who are lost, lonely, alone, and feel invisible that we may bring them in and love them as you love them and as you love us.

God we pray that we may learn and educate ourselves on the history of holidays and that we may be sensitive to all indigenous peoples and seek to be forgiven of the wrongs we have committed.

God we pray and give thanks to you for our many blessings 
especially__________________


Dearest God-

I'm thankful for You Lord and your wonderful and wonder-filled creation.

I'm thankful for opportunities to prayer walk and talk to you in the sweet and comforting breeze.

I'm thankful for my family all over the world and in cyberspace.

I'm thankful for the gifts both known and unknown that you continue to have me unwrap.

I'm thankful for this country and my ancestors who came to this country yearning to be free to believe.

I'm thankful for your love, comfort, and redeeming grace that sustains me day after day and in the night watches.

I'm thankful for my family who I'm knit together by blood.

I'm thankful for the many loved ones who now reside in the heavenly places.

I'm thankful for ______________________________

I pray  for all those who are alone, the widowed, divorced, and outcast.

I pray for those who have chronic pain and illness this day. I pray that they could enjoy some of the holiday.

I pray for_________________________________

I pray and give thanks for our faith communities and all religious leaders.

We pray for those who have to work this day. We pray that they may have time for rest and play.

Lord we lift these Thanksgivings and petitions to you this day and send them to you with love and compassion in our hearts. Amen.




God we pray these  prayers from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

For the Poor and the Neglected

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Oppressed

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth;
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the
fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those
who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of
your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and
the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.

A General Thanksgiving

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast
obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,
through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life
again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and
make him known; and through him, at all times and in all
places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

For the Diversity of Races and Cultures
O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you
for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and
show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until
our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all
your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God we lift up these our prayers in the name of Jesus the Christ our brother, friend, healer, redeemer and reconciler and role model of how we should live, move, and just be. May we be living examples of spreading the Good News and Shining God's Light to the world with compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy. Amen. 

God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy.
William Law


Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21

The Wisdom of God
the Love of God
and the Grace of God
strengthen you
to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,
in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
(source: Celtic

May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. Genesis 31:49



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Good Night Dear Family I am grateful to you and especially our new readers! We have been celebrating many new milestones today. I will share them with you tomorrow. I love you and give thanks to God for you always.


With baskets full of love, blessings, gratitude, and thankfulness,


Sara


Resources:
Book of Common Prayer
Satucket Lectionary
Enriching Our Worship
YouTube
Quote Sites for Quotes
Walk With Me On Our Journey


Prayer walking pix from yesterday and today!




































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