"O Holy God" - Prayer of Thanksgiving (27 November 2016 P.M.)


O Holy God –
  • Uncontaminated by greed, envy or lust; unstained by hysterical anger, self-centered egoism, or soul-stifling insecurity; and uncontained by space, time, laws of physics, or human rationality.
  • In whom all is contained, sustained and arranged; in whom there is more goodness and truth in one “ounce” of you – so to speak – than there is in our whole being; in whom there is more love and compassion than anything we could imagine or fashion.
  • You are the beauty of holiness itself, in all radiance and purity; you are the meaning of all, seen and unseen, visible and invisible; you are the fullness of justice, rightness, gladness and peace!
And you are all of these things without us, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and you are all these things for us!!!!

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea; we thank you, Lord. For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends; we thank you, Lord. For these minds to think, hearts to love, and hands to serve; we thank you, Lord. For this health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play; we thank you, Lord. For the abundance you have richly provided for us to enjoy, and from which we can abundantly share (1 Timothy 6.17-18); 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 pursuers after truth, liberty, and justice; we thank you, Lord. For your gracious work in the lives of men, women, girls and boys; we thank you, Lord. For the communion of saints, the fellowship of the faithful who have gone before us and those who walk with us now; we thank you, Lord.

----- (Voiced our specific congregational thanksgivings here) -----


Thank you, O inexhaustible Joy, that you are this joy without us; but also that you give yourself for us and to us! Thank you that with you and in your presence is fullness of joy. Thank you that your Son Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross for us (Hebrew 12.2). Thank you that the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35.10). Thank you, O God of hope, who fills us with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope (Romans 15.13). Above all, we thank you for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord, that in him all of your promises to us are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1.20); to you be praise, glory and thanksgiving, O Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

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