Yes, it is almost Thanksgiving weekend. Yes, we are still living in a pandemic and there are other troubling circumstances swirling around. Yes, we have reason to give thanks to our God this Thanksgiving and every day! I am reminded of the Bible account of 10 men who were suffering with the disease of leprosy. Jesus was passing through and they called out to Him for help. Jesus sent them to go show themselves to the priests (who were responsible to verify that someone was clear of leprosy). As they went, they were cleansed of leprosy. Yet only one turned around and came back to thank Jesus: 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him… (Luke 17:11-17) When our daughters were quite young, we had a Vacation Bible School at our church and I remember that they learned about this Bible story and learned a song to go along with it. I remember the words to that song, all these years later: “Ten men came to Jesus. Ten men. Ten men. They said will You heal us? Ten men. Ten men. 1,2,3,4,5. 6,7,8,9,10. Jesus touched their lives and made them well again. They all got excited. They all ran away. Only one turned around and came back to say, Thank You. Thank You Jesus. Thank You. Thank You.” And then the song concluded with these words, “Never walk away. Always stop and say, ‘Thank You for the blessings that You give each day.’” This is what our prayer this week will focus on. Even in the midst of difficult and disappointing circumstances, we still have blessings from God to recognize each day and for which to thank Him. Please plan to join us for our Prayer Together tomorrow Wednesday October 7th at 1 pm.
Praying God’s blessing for you and your family over this Thanksgiving and every day, Pastor Lola
Our Generous God, we do not have to think long to see that You do bring blessings to our lives each day. We do not want to get so busy with our lives that we do not pause to give you thanks for all Your blessings. When we have prayed and You have answered our prayers, we want to turn around and come back to thank You and give You praise. Thank you God for what happens inside us when we thank you! Our faith grows deeper and we learn to trust You more. Thank You that when we are giving You thanks, others can overhear and be inspired to trust You and to discover Your blessings for them as well. Throughout this pandemic, we have been praying for protection from the Covid virus. Thank you for answering this prayer and keeping us safe. Thank You for continuing to give strength to frontline healthcare workers and other essential workers who are placing themselves at risk to provide care and what is needed. Thank You God that we have been able to return to worshipping You inside our church this past Sunday. Thank You that many others have returned to their places of worship as well. Thank You for the determination You provide as this pandemic stretches on and we do no know for how much longer. Thank You for the love of family and friends and for where these bonds have been fortified over this time. Thank You for sunrises that signal the gift of a new day and sunsets that signal another day of life that You have accompanied us through. Thank you God that when we get weary of all the strain that we are under, You sustain us. Thank You now for our personal prayers for which we have seen answers. Thank you for yet unanswered prayers that we keep bringing to you and anticipating that You will have answers for us. Thank You for moving our hearts to notice and care about people around us. Thank you that we can share with others and help to meet needs. Thank You God that You have shown Your eternal love for us and our world through Your Son Jesus. Thank You that Jesus never fails us. Thank You for renewed energy for each new day and the challenges each day brings. Thank You God that You do know us completely and every thought we have is known to You. Even when other people may not fully understand us, You do. Thank You for the surprising ways that You answer our prayers and inspire us not to give up, but to keep on praying. Thank You that You are carrying on Your plans for us and for our world. Thank You for discovering wherever we turn that we are not alone because You are always with us. Thank You for Your wisdom in designing gratitude as a way to grow closer with You. Thank You God of love and mercy for all the blessings that You give each day. We are praying that as we and others we know turn to You with thanks that You will keep on pouring out Your carefully considered blessings. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. AMEN.