Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. I did not grow up with this celebration but have embraced it with enthusiasm. We have so much to be grateful for even when life seems difficult. Here is the thanksgiving prayer we will be using today as part of our celebration
A Thanksgiving Liturgy
God we gather in thankfulness for the many blessings in our lives,
We praise you for your generous goodness which is new every day,
To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving.
God to you who created the earth and the heavens,
To you who are always merciful and forgiving,
To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving.
God to you who call us into relationship with yourself,
To you who give us the gift of family and friends,
To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving.
(Pause to remind yourself of all you have to be thankful for)
For the universe immense and unknown
For the earth on which we live
For humankind made in your image
Thanks and praise to God our creator
For entering human history as one of us
For your life poured out in sacrifice for us
For dying that we might live
Thanks and praise to Christ our redeemer
For the comfort of your indwelling presence
For the wisdom of your guidance and direction
For drawing us together as one family
Thanks and praise to the Holy Spirit our enabler
Through your will we are made whole,
Through your love we are renewed in body, mind and spirit
Through you we become one community from every tribe and nation.
Thanks and praise to Father, Son and Spirit through all eternity.
Psalm 92: 1-8 (NLT)
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
6 you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
He is the Lord our God.
His justice is seen throughout the land.
8 He always stands by his covenant—
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Luke 22:14 - 20 (NLT)
When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray together now in the words Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen
Pause to offer up prayers of praise and thanksgiving
Gracious and generous God we give you thanks
For the gift of life for we are made in your image,
We pray for all your loved ones in whom your divine image is still hidden and distorted
We pray for your mercy and compassion to rest upon them
God in your mercy be with all those you love
Caring and providing God we give you thanks
For our homes that shelter and protect us,
We think of those without shelter and water and protection today
We pray for your provision to be poured out upon them
God in your mercy be with all those you love
Abundant and giving God we give you thanks
For our food that nourishes and strengthens us,
We thing of those without food and nourishment today
We pray that you will feed them with the bread of life
God in your mercy be with all those you love
Loving and compassionate God we give you thanks
For our friends and family who love and comfort us in times of need
We think of those who are alone and feel abandoned today
God comfort and surround them that they may sense your presence
God in your mercy be with all those you love
Gracious and generous God
We remember all the gifts you have given us,
We remember how lavishly you have provided,
We remember how lovingly you have cared,
We remember especially that greatest gift of all,
Jesus Christ our Saviour,
And we give you thanks.
Amen
Its All Saints Day and Tom and I are back home in Seattle . In spite of the cold drippy weather it is a delight to be here. There is nothing quite like coming home to evoke warm fuzzy emotions of joy and satisfaction. The sighting of familiar faces at the airport, the enthusiastic greeting of our golden retriever Bonnie, and that first glimpse of house and garden all overwhelm us with contentment. This is the place our hearts have longed for during our long drawn out journey. This we know is where we belong. It sights, sounds and smells are all part of something we feel incomplete when away from, no matter how enjoyable the experiences in other places might be.
No wonder we often view our entry into the kingdom of God as a joyous homecoming feast, an event that seems very appropriate to think about on this All Saints’ Day. Our coming home to God’s kingdom is the ultimate homecoming, what Richard Foster describes as a “coming home to the heart of God.” It is a fulfillment of the deepest longings of our souls, that sometimes heart wrenching craving for a closer and more intimate relationship with God which makes everything else fade into insignificance. This is the place where our spirits truly belong.
Coming home to the kingdom of God is about more than reaching a destination however. It is indeed an incredible welcoming feast when we sit down at table with all those who have gone before us, not just our loved ones and our ancestors, not even just the saints of old, but also those that God has brought in from the highways and byways - the poor, the disabled and the marginalized.
Chris Lawrence, one of the people we were with in England this last week once held a banquet feast in his neighbourhood at which the police officers and the city council members served table for the homeless, the drug addicts and the welfare single parent families. I suspect that this is something of what the kingdom banquet feast will look like and heading those that wait at table will be Jesus, coming to all of us as a servant, filling our plates with the choicest of food and our glasses with the finest of wines. What an incredible homecoming that will be - something that all of us should indeed long for in the depths of our being.
So what images come to mind when you think of homecoming? And in particular what comes to mind when you think of the homecoming banquet of God?
Here is one of my favourite All Saints scriptures to help you reflect. (Hebrews 11:32 - 12:2)
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[a] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.Hebrews 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Come into a place of solitude
Come into a garden of prayer
Come feast on a slience of plenty
For God await us there
Come to where your heart is calling
Come into God's place of quiet
Leave your worries and distractions
Come walk in the garden of life
Last night we facilitated a meeting at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. It was great to reconnect to friends we have not seen for a long time as well as to meet many new people who I am sure will become friends in the future.
I particularly enjoyed seeing worship leader Andy Flannagan again. We met him last year at Black Stump in Australia where he shared his very moving song Bring Heaven to Earth which you can download for free here. He started our worship with a 5 minute silence - a time to shut down our minds, refocus our thoughts on God and renew our spirits after the busyness of the day. It was so refreshing and inspired me to write the prayer above.
Silence is a form of prayer that most of us (except my Quaker friends), know very little about and yet God so often comes to us in the quiet whisper that can only be heard in the midst of silence. I wonder how often we miss what God is wanting to say to us because our lives are always so surrounded by noise.
The garden season is winding down here in Seattle though we still need to pick our apples and pears and complete the harvest of beans, carrots, broccoli and greens that will hopefully continue for the next few months. This is a good season to start dreaming for next year.
Permaculture is a form of agriculture that really intrigues me and I hope that we can implement some of these principles as we move ahead so I was delighted to find this article written in Australia about how to start a permaculture garden. It is mainly pictures which I find makes it so easy to follow and the explanations make it sound so simple.
You don’t need much, but you do need:The basic tools:
- compost
- any ruminant manure
- lime
- cardboard (or hessian bags)
- Lucerne hay (or any acacia leaves)
- straw (seedless)
- water
- plants and seed
- shovel
- rake
- sharp knife/screwdriver (for punching hole in cardboard)
- hose/watering can
- wheelbarrow
celebration & recipesChristianityGardeningLiturgyPrayer and inspirationRhythms of lifespiritual practicesspirituality
Praying for an Abundant Harvest
[caption id="attachment_3254" align="alignnone" width="300"]
A harvest of gourds - photo by Tom Balke[/caption]
It is the time of year when people are looking for harvest prayers and prayers of thanksgiving for the abundance of the earth's provision. We are still waiting anxiously for our tomatoes to ripen but the produce of the garden is truly amazing during this harvest season.
I used this prayer last week in our team meeting and thought that it was a great one for this season. It was written by Andrew Warmback and Brian Wilinson, Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa.
Call to Worship
Come Holy Spirit
Inspire us
Come people of the earth
We will worship together
You made the earth and the gifts of your creation
We praise you God
For the smiles of your children and the beauty of your people
We praise you God
For the chance to share with others
And to celebrate your glory
We praise you God
Litany for the Planet
Grasses multiply and wild flowers proliferate
Because you God in Christ set the earth free
Vegetables colour the garden and herbs give aroma to the spiral
Because you Spirit led us into the new creation
The lion and the lamb are making friends; the worms love the lettuce
Because you Wisdom inspired new natural companions
The insects live in diverse croplands with birds sharing the spoils
Because you Lord of Love taught us to share
Every part of the creation is significant from flies to mosquitoes
Because you Creator of all, reasoned everything into being
Now teach us triune God to transcend ideology to sustainability
Because Christ you are the peace between us
Caring God,
we thank you for your gifts in creation:
for our world,
the heavens tell of your glory;
for our land, its beauty and its resources,
for the rich heritage we enjoy.
We pray:
for those who make decisions about the resources of the earth,
that we may use your gifts responsibly;
for those who work on the land and sea, and in industry,
that they may enjoy the fruits of their labours
and marvel at your creation;
for artists, scientists and visionaries,
that through their work we may see creation afresh.
Silence
We thank you for giving us life;
For all who enrich our experience.
We thank you that you have called us to celebrate your creation.
Give us reverence for life in your world.
We thank you for your redeeming love;
May your word and sacrament
Strengthen us to love as you love us.
Silence
God, Creator, bring us new life.
Jesus, Redeemer, renew us.
Holy Spirit, strengthen and guide us.
Blessing
May God who established the dance of creation,
who marvelled at the lilies of the field,
who transforms chaos to order,
lead us to transform our lives and the Church
to reflect God’s glory in creation.
A harvest of gourds - photo by Tom Balke[/caption]
It is the time of year when people are looking for harvest prayers and prayers of thanksgiving for the abundance of the earth's provision. We are still waiting anxiously for our tomatoes to ripen but the produce of the garden is truly amazing during this harvest season.
I used this prayer last week in our team meeting and thought that it was a great one for this season. It was written by Andrew Warmback and Brian Wilinson, Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa.
Call to Worship
Come Holy Spirit
Inspire us
Come people of the earth
We will worship together
You made the earth and the gifts of your creation
We praise you God
For the smiles of your children and the beauty of your people
We praise you God
For the chance to share with others
And to celebrate your glory
We praise you God
Litany for the Planet
Grasses multiply and wild flowers proliferate
Because you God in Christ set the earth free
Vegetables colour the garden and herbs give aroma to the spiral
Because you Spirit led us into the new creation
The lion and the lamb are making friends; the worms love the lettuce
Because you Wisdom inspired new natural companions
The insects live in diverse croplands with birds sharing the spoils
Because you Lord of Love taught us to share
Every part of the creation is significant from flies to mosquitoes
Because you Creator of all, reasoned everything into being
Now teach us triune God to transcend ideology to sustainability
Because Christ you are the peace between us
Caring God,
we thank you for your gifts in creation:
for our world,
the heavens tell of your glory;
for our land, its beauty and its resources,
for the rich heritage we enjoy.
We pray:
for those who make decisions about the resources of the earth,
that we may use your gifts responsibly;
for those who work on the land and sea, and in industry,
that they may enjoy the fruits of their labours
and marvel at your creation;
for artists, scientists and visionaries,
that through their work we may see creation afresh.
Silence
We thank you for giving us life;
For all who enrich our experience.
We thank you that you have called us to celebrate your creation.
Give us reverence for life in your world.
We thank you for your redeeming love;
May your word and sacrament
Strengthen us to love as you love us.
Silence
God, Creator, bring us new life.
Jesus, Redeemer, renew us.
Holy Spirit, strengthen and guide us.
Blessing
May God who established the dance of creation,
who marvelled at the lilies of the field,
who transforms chaos to order,
lead us to transform our lives and the Church
to reflect God’s glory in creation. 
We have 3 apple trees in our parking strip that usually produce far more apples than we can possibly eat fresh. We also love to harvest wild blackberries which grow in great profusion in the Pacific NW. This last weekend we headed up to Camano Island for that purpose and because the apples on our trees are not ready yet I pulled some out of the freezer.
Apple and blackberry crisp is a favourite of ours during the apple season. Packets of apples and blackberries can be frozen so that this can be enjoyed throughout the winter.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups Apples,Peeled & Sliced
- 2 cup Blackberries
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Granola Or Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup Butter,Melted
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350℉ . Mix in a greased 9" deep baking pan - apples, blackberries, sugar, all purpose flour. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a bowl, add melted butter and sprinkle mixture over apples & blackberries. Bake 30-45 mins. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or custard
We have 3 apple trees in our parking strip that produce far more apples than we can possibly eat fresh. We also love to harvest wild blackberries which grow in great profusion in the Pacific NW. Apple and blackberry crisp is a favourite of ours during the apple season. Packets of apples and blackberries can be frozen so that this can be enjoyed throughout the winter.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups Apples,Peeled & Sliced- 2 cup Blackberries- 1/2 cup Sugar- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour- 1 cup Wheat Flour- 1 cup Granola Or Rolled Oats- 1/2 cup Butter,Melted- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350℉ . Mix in a greased 9" deep baking pan - apples, blackberries, sugar, all purpose flour. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a bowl, add melted butter and sprinkle mixture over apples & blackberries. Bake 30-45 mins. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or custard Christianitycreation careenvironmentLiturgynaturePrayerPrayer and inspirationRhythms of lifespiritual practices
Earth Day Liturgy
One of the first posts I ever uploaded on this blog was a liturgical prayer we used before gardening days which I called Liturgical gardening. It was one of the first I wrote and is still one of my favourite liturgical prayers for this season.
Here is another prayer that I wrote a couple of years ago for our evening prayers at the Mustard Seed House. I think that both of these liturgies could easily be adapted for Earth Day Sunday this week or for Earth Day observances on Thursday next week
God who makes the crops to grow,
God who feeds the birds and beasts,
Refresh us this night and protect us from harm
God who heals our wounds and pain,
God who brings us peace and rest,
Refresh us this night and protect us from harm
Pause to reflect on what you have learned through God’s created world today.
For the music of our world,
The divine song that sings through all creation,
God our creator, we praise you.
For the beauty of all you have created,
A mirror of the wonders of heaven,
God our creator, we praise you.
For the resounding roar of thunder,
Your awesome majesty revealed,
God our creator, we praise you.
For a clouded sky splashed with sunset colors,
A glimpse of heaven’s glory,
God our creator, we praise you.
For the fragrance of a rose,
Your sweet perfume of grace,
God our creator, we praise you.
For a riotous field of wildflowers,
God’s exuberant laughter unfolded,
God our creator, we praise you.
For a snowflake, an atom, a mathematical formula,
A hint of your unimagined complexity,
God our creator, we praise you.
For the call to steward your creation,
To tend your garden and make it flourish,
God our creator, we praise you.
Scripture readings:
Psalm 148 | Isaiah 35: 1-7 | Romans 8: 19 -21 | John 15: 1-8
God, we believe all creation waits in anticipation for Christ’s return,
When your creative power will transform all of life,
And you will give birth to a resurrection world of fairness and freedom.
The difficult times of pain will be turned into songs of joy.
Scarcity will be transformed into abundance.
Greed will be replaced by generosity.
Oppression will be overcome by justice.
God we believe that when your new world of wholeness and shalom is born,
Your healing power will be unleashed in its fullness;
The blind will see and the lame leap like deer.
Righteousness and faithfulness will reign,
The voiceless will break into song and streams will flow in the desert.
All of creation will find its true purpose in Christ.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and forever. Amen.
Faithful God, creator of all times and seasons,
We so easily forget that hidden within the night’s dark embrace are the seeds of life.
Remind us loving God that when all seems dark and empty,
You are still at work strengthening our roots, healing our wounds, anchoring our lives.
Remind us generous God that when morning dawns,
It is the night’s long rest that has sustained and nurtured our souls.
Keep us faithful God through the dark journey of life,
So that when the new dawn breaks our roots may be deep and strong.
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you forever
Deep peace of the God of life to you
Deep peace of the Christ of love to you
Deep peace of the Spirit of truth to you
Deep peace of the God of Gods to you
The peace of all peace be yours this night and forevermore
Amen
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