A Litany of Thanksgiving – Book of Common Prayer

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

(add your thanks …… )

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and
promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the
Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer (1979) p 837

 

Thankfulness – John Stott

“Give thanks in all circumstances! [1 Thessalonians 5:18]

“Thankfulness ought always to characterize the people of God, as they say to themselves: ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits’ (Ps.103:2). Indeed, ‘the Christian’s life is to be an unceasing eucharist’. Thanksgiving also belongs, side by side with rejoicing and praying, to our public worship (Cf. Eph.5:20). In it there is a place for a ‘general thanksgiving’ in which we express our gratitude both for the material blessings of the creation and above all for God’s priceless love in redeeming the world through Jesus Christ, which we celebrate at the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Communion or, as it soon became to be called in the early Church, the Eucharist (*eucharistia* meaning simply thanksgiving’)….

“We cannot of course thank God ‘for all circumstances’, including those which are evil and displeasing to him; but we can and should thank him *in all circumstances* or ‘whatever happens’ (REB).  We may not always feel like praising, praying or giving God thanks. Our circumstances may not be conducive to these things. Yet we are to do so all the same. Why? Because *this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus* (18b). This statement almost certainly belongs to all three commands which precede it. It is God’s will, as expressed and seen in Jesus Christ, whenever his people meet together for worship, and whatever their feelings and circumstances may be, that there should be rejoicing in him, praying to him and giving him thanks for his mercies.”

From: John Stott, The Message of Thessalonians: The Cross of Christ. The Bible Speaks Today, Inter-Varsity Press UK, Nottingham.

Work, gratitude, prayer – Wendell Berry

Be thankful and repay
Growth with good work and care.
Work done in gratitude,
Kindly, and well, is prayer.
You did not make yourself,
Yet you must keep yourself
By use of other lives.
No gratitude atones
For bad use or too much.

From- Wendell Berry, A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems, 1979-1997

Language of Heaven – A J Gossip

“Thanksgiving is the language of heaven, and we had better start to learn it if we are not to be mere dumb aliens there.”

From:A. J. Gossip (1873-1954), The Galilean Accent, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1926, p. 181

“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Count Your Blessings – Johnson Oatman Jr

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win Ex­cell (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: 1897)
Music: Edwin O. Excell

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/countyou.htm

Thanksgiving 2014

Several years ago I was fortunate to hear a pastor speak of how important Thanksgiving Day was for him.  He went on to say that he found it good to prepare for Thanksgiving Day by a season of thankfulness, an Advent of Thanksgiving if you will,  and for the weeks before Thanksgiving Day he helped us focus our attention on thankfulness and gratitude.

I would like to offer us the same opportunity this year by giving space here each day to think for at least a moment about thankfulness.

I will begin today with the posting of the well known hymn “Count Your Blessings” and offer each day this month a Scripture, or quotation, or hymn, or link, or thought that I hope nurtures a spirit of gratitude.

I invite you to make the journey with me.  All the posts will be tagged “Thanksgiving 2014.”

Charles

{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}