Call to Worship
we have gathered to worship the Living God
to direct our gratitude to the source of all life and goodness
to open our hearts to the good gifts that enfold our days
to direct our attention to the steadfast love of God
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
Let us give thanks to the creator and sustainer of all things
Amen
A Song of Gratitude
Come Thou Fount
come thou fount of every blessing
tune my heart to sing thy grace
streams of mercy, never ceasing
call for songs of loudest praise
teach me some melodious sonnet
sung by flaming tongues above
praise the mount, i’m fixed upon it
mount of thy redeeming love
here I raise my Ebenezer
hither by thy help i’ve come
and I hope by thy good pleasure
safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
wandering from the fold of god
he to rescue me from danger
interposed his precious blood
o to grace how great a debtor
daily i’m constrained to be
let thy goodness like a fetter
bind my wandering heart to thee
prone to wander, lord I feel it
prone to leave the god I love
here’s my heart, lord, take and seal it
seal it for thy courts above
Scripture Reading
Selection from Psalm 118
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in mortals.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes.
The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
A reading from Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Prayer of Gratitude
Eternal One, we bring you thanks
and proclaim that your steadfast love endures forever
we ask that you would open our hearts
to perceive the myriad gifts that enfold our lives
the marvelous and the mundane
And as we do so, that you might form our hearts in gratitude
that we might reflect your generosity in our ordinary lives
Amen
Reflection
The following are prompts to reflect on the gifts that enfold our lives. Take time to linger on each of these. If you think of a direction not represented below, by all means: blaze that trail. Try to hold a single point of gratitude in your mind for at least 15 seconds in each.
—Take a few deep breaths. Notice the way your chest expands as your lungs fill with air. Recall our creation story, how the gift of breath is the beginning of life for humanity.
—Call to mind something beautiful. Thank God that it crossed your path.
—Call to mind something that brings you joy
—Call to mind a time you faced something that seemed insurmountable, but you ultimately survived.
—Take an inventory of the mundane miracles that surround us—running water, electricity, air conditioning, medication, etc.
—Consider the people who have been gifts to you—friends, family, strangers, perhaps; anyone who has offered you care or brightened your life.
Lord, for these gifts, we give you thanks
Prayer
Eternal God, compassionate and merciful
we give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness
to us and to all people
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
But above all for your boundless love
In the redemption of the world by our Savior Jesus Christ;
For the means of grace and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us that due sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful,
And that we might praise you, not only with our lips but in our lives
By giving ourselves to your service
And by walking before you in holiness and righteousness
All our days;
Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer
To whom, with you and the holy Spirit, be all honor and glory
Now and forever