A particularly warm welcome to
St Cuthbert Church and Home Prayer Group,
whether at Home or in Church.
Our prayers this month are for
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
Thankfulness and praise of God is a central plank. As Christians, we thank God for the meaning of Christmas, Easter, Ascension then for our food for Harvest time. So too we thank God for baptisms, weddings and funerals, for His wonderful creation, the wonder of human beings, for everything.
St Paul is strident in his words to the Church in Ephesus concerning the need to thank and praise God.
19 When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. 20 Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.
We give thanks and praise as we shall today through our prayers, and also through the Bible poetry and through song. There are so many song examples - Martin Rinharts' hymn, Now thank we all our God, Pierpoints’ For the Beauty of the Earth, or Jonathan Oatman’s Count your Blessings.
.We have everything to thank God for. May our prayers today add to our individual and heartfelt gratitude to the one who was prepared to let His one dear Son die to redeem us and rise from death itself so that we can enjoy the certain promise of everlasting life.
Shall we commence our prayer time together with the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Our Father who art in heaven ,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy 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.
And 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.
.Praising our God - Psalm 100 from the King James Bible
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. AMEN
A prayer of Gratitude from the Reverend Charles John Vaughan
Give us, O Lord God , a deep sense of thy Holiness; how thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity and cannot overlook or pass by that which is evil. Give us no less O Lord, a deep sense of thy wonderful love towards us; how thou would not let us alone in our ruin, but didst come after us, in the Person of thy Son Jesus Christ to bring us back to our true home with Thee. Quicken in us. O Lord. The spirit of gratitude, of loyalty, of service, that we may seek in all things to please Him who humbled Himself for us , even to the death on the cross, by dying unto sin and living unto righteousness; through the same Jesu Christ our Lord. Amen .
A Prayer of thankfulness from Rt Reverend Timothy Dudley- Smith. (Wrote the Hymn Tell out my Soul}
Forgive me Lord for a mind,
That turns so readily to weigh our troubles,
So seldom to count my blessings,
Teach me the practice of recollection,
The habit of thankfulness,
The art of praise.
And may I deal as generously with others
As you deal with me
For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
A Prayer of thankfulness at the end of a day from Rt Reverend George Appleton.
Glory be to Thee, my God, for all the blessings of the past day. For thy presence ever with me, for the love of family and friends , for every kindness shown me by others, for the satisfaction of my work and for the knowledge that I am held safe in thy hand whatever happens. I lift my heart in love and gratitude to thee, dear Father, praising thee that thou hast made me thy child through Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Prayer of thankfulness from Saint Richard of Chichester
Thanks be to thee my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits thou hast won for me,
For all the pain and insults thou hast borne for me .
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly,
day by day. Amen.
Two Prayers thanking God for His wonderful creation.
The Canticle of the Creatures from St. Francis of Assisi
All praise be yours, My Lord, through all that you have made. And first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day.... How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendour! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars; In the heavens you have made them, bright and precious and fair. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air.... All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and pure. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night.... All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother, who feeds us...and produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.... Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, and serve him with great humility.
An Anglican prayer thanking God for our Creation
Creator God In bright light and dull darkness In the energy of each day and the rest that comes with night We remember the goodness of God In the heavens high above our heads In waters that run deep around the world We remember the goodness of God In solid land and flowing seas In vivid flowers and fruit laden-trees We remember the goodness of God In the rising and setting of the sun and the cycles of the seasons In the patterns of the shining stars We remember the goodness of God In oceans teeming with fish In skies filled with birds We remember the goodness of God In a world filled with animal life And in ourselves as human beings We remember the goodness of God And God looked and saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very, 2 very good. Amen In rest and reflection, in wonder and worship We remember the goodness of God.
A prayer of Divine Praise from John Kingsnorth.
Blessed be God who made men and women to share His love, and the planet earth to be their home.
Blessed is Jesus who emptied himself to become our brother, who died and who rose again and who lives for ever.
Blessed the Spirit in His ever coming to the People of God, to fashion within them the life of their Lord.
Blessed is Mary the mother of Jesus and of His people, model of all who are saved by His grace.
Blessed the Saints the heroes of faith who fought and endured, who mirrored the myriad faces of God..
Blessed the Church spanning all ages and embracing all nations, the city of hope in a world of despair.
Blessed my brother of differing speech and differing race, one with me in the household of faith.
Blessed the End when the Kingdom shall come, and the Bride in her glory be joined to her Lord.
Psalm 150 - A psalm of praise to God.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
A General Thanksgiving from the Book of Common Prayer 1662.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
.
Our own silent prayer
Shall we say the Grace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
Thank you for being with us whether at home or in Church and so contributing to our prayers for Praise and Thanksgiving.’.
Roger.
Our next Church and Home prayer group meeting is usualluy held on the first Wednesday of each month and will be advertised on our website and in our church magazine.
We would very warmly welcome your support.
After the prayer meeting in church, there is a short Holy Communion service which begins at 10.30am and lasts about half an hour. There is no pressure to stay, but you would be most welcome! There is also the added bonus of coffee and fellowship in a local cafe after the Holy Communion service!
