CANADA PRAYS: An initiative of Anglican Fellowship of Prayer and Society of St John the Evangelist to help us all enter more deeply into the richness of prayer. For more information, please visit anglicanprayer.org
This week: THANKSGIVING
Q. For what do we offer thanksgiving?
A. Thanksgiving is offered to God for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and for whatever draws us closer to God. [1]
Brother Luke Ditewig, of SSJE, invites us to “notice divine love in the ordinary stuff of life, in words and actions, your very breath and the stars above. God is with us and within us. God is still saving, refreshing and blessing us here. It says instead of complaining, give thanks for all heavenly food on the hard road that leads to life.”[2]
Often, we will live in a theology of scarcity, painfully aware of what we think we don’t have. The prayer of thanksgiving encourages us to live in the reality of a theology of abundance. While our earthly lives may not be perfect, so many of us are fortunate to have our basic needs met – and even more.
Prayers of thanksgiving allow us the beautiful opportunity to recognise the gifts of this life, the promise of redemption for the next life, and the assurance of being drawn ever closer to the source of all life and love. These prayers encourage us to celebrate the joy that we know today, and to share our gratitude with the source of that joy.
Canada Prays #prayersof #thanksgiving: God of grace, I give thanks…
Some thoughts on thanksgiving, from Scott:
[1] “An Outline of the Faith commonly called the Catechism” in The Book of Common Prayer, According to the use of The Episcopal Church, 2007. p.857. Available at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/downloads/book_of_common_prayer.pdf
[2] http://ssje.org/ssje/2012/06/26/food-on-the-road-br-luke-ditewig/
