A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING To be said by minister and people alternately O God, our heavenly Father, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: we lift up to thee the voice of our thanksgiving; we praise thee for the life which thou hast given us, and the service to which thou hast appointed us, for the knowledge of thy will, and the inspiration of thy love: We praise thee, O our God. For the work we have strength to do, for the truth we have insight to learn; for whatever good there has been in our past lives, and for the hopes which lead us on toward better things: We praise thee, O our God. For the revealing of thy presence in nature, and the tokens of thy wisdom and power, in the least as in the greatest; for every moment of nearer communion with thy spirit in all that is fair and glorious in the world: We praise thee, O our God. For thy holy word of righteousness and truth, spoken by the wise and good in every age, made manifest in noble and saintly lives: We praise thee, O our God. For home and friends, for all the comfort and gladness of our lives, for encouragements to duty, for succor in temptation, for sympathy in sorrow, for the peace that is gained through strife, and the rest that comes after toil: We praise thee, O Lord, and bless thy holy name. When our spirits fail, when our way is darkened, when we are oppressed by care, or laden with sorrow, or weighed down by sin, then, for the love which 25 bids us come to thee and lay our burden at thy feet: We praise thee, O God, our Father and our Friend. Make us ever more worthy of thy mercies, as we ourselves show mercy to our brethren. As all have received thy gifts, even so help us to minister the same, that we may be good stewards of thy manifold grace. Amen. To be said by minister and people 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 tresdaily bread. passes, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up unto the Lord. O Lord, open thou our eyes. That we may behold wondrous things out of thy law. O Lord, open thou our lips. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. Praise ye the Lord. The Lord's name be praised. RESPONSIVE READING Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 26 A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is the Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God; Who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, for he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth, his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens; be mindful of the trust which thou hast praise him in the heights. thus laid upon us, and ever be found Raise up among Praise ye him, sun and moon, praise faithful to thy cause. him, all ye stars of light; Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; us noble and upright men, to be leaders and counsellors of the people. May all who are in authority exercise Beasts and all cattle; creeping things their power as ministers of thy justice and flying fowl; Kings of the earth and all people; princes and all judges of the earth; Young men and maidens; old men and children. Let them praise the name of the and thy mercy, and may a wise and faithful spirit prevail in all our councils. Deliver us from all evil ambitions and selfish rivalries and false judgments. May every calling be fulfilled in honesty, and every talent be rightly im A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING proved. Make us so wisely to love our country, and so steadfastly to follow after all that makes for its true greatness, that we may hold a worthy place in the community of nations, and live as fellow-citizens of thy kingdom, in loyalty to thee, the sovereign Lord of all. Amen. O God, who by thy spirit dost purify the minds of men, leading them into the truth, kindling in them the grace of charity, and drawing them unto thyself in the bond of peace: we beseech thee to sanctify our hearts, that everything which beareth evil fruit may die in us, and that all which is good and holy may live, and yield the fruit of righteousness unto eternal life. So guide us through the ways of this world that no snares may entangle us, no temptations lead us astray; but that we may abide in thy truth, be comforted by thy love, and be brought in safety into thine everlasting kingdom. Amen. Pour into our hearts the spirit of unselfishness, so that, when our cup overrunneth, we may seek to share our happiness with our brethren. O thou God of love, who makest thy sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendest rain on the just and on the unjust, grant that we may become more and more thy true children, as we receive into our souls thine own spirit 27 of unwearying kindness, and show it forth unto the least of thy little ones. Amen. Let O most merciful God, whose mercies are as high as the heavens, great and many as the moments of eternity: fill our souls, we beseech thee, with great thoughts of thine unspeakable blessings, that our thankfulness may be as great as are our needs of mercy. thy loving-kindness endure forever and forever upon us; and, because we cannot praise thee according to thine excellence, take our souls, in due time, into the land of everlasting praises, that we may spend eternity in ascribing to thy name glory and honor and dominion. Amen. Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee, and dost promise that, when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt grant their requests: fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants as may be most expedient for them, granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen. Then may be sung an anthem or a hymn, to be followed by the sermon, a congregational hymn and the benediction A SERVICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE One or more of these sentences to be read by the minister The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace and joy. Romans xiv. 17. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew v. 9. Let us follow after the things which make for peace, and the things whereby we may edify one another. Romans 'xiv. 19. In this the children of God are mani fest: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1 John iii. 10. God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him. Acts x. 34, 35. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians iii. 17. When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Ezekiel xix. 27. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm lxxxv. 10. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm xxiv. 3, 4. To be said by the minister In the holy quiet of this hour, let us pray that the sense of the nearness and faithfulness of God may be quickened within us. May our hearts be filled with gratitude and praise, and our daily lives be gladdened and uplifted by the thought of our divine kinship, and let us earnestly awaken to the high privilege of those accounted worthy to be fellow workers with God, called by his spirit to bring in the reign of righteousness and peace. To be said by minister and people O Thou who keepest the steps of the upright in heart, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life: enable us by thy grace to live worthily as in thy sight. Inspire us with the spirit of devotion to thy holy will whereby we may prove faithful in that which is least as well as in that which is most. Join us in one great fellowship with those who seek to make firm and sure thy kingdom upon the earth. By the charity of our temper and thoughts may we show forth the power of the gospel of love and so live in unity and peace with all men. Amen. To be said by minister and people O God, who hast made of one blood all nations of men to dwell in the unity A SERVICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE of the spirit which is the bond of peace; amid diversities of race and calling enable us to trust thy divine plan of love, in the working out of which thou dost give to each generation its appointed share. Uphold in us, O Lord, the faith in our common brotherhood, that we may be kindly affectioned one toward another. Grant that the blessings we have received from those gone before may be transmitted to them that are to come, with no principle impaired, but strengthened and illuminated by our steadfast loyalty and good works. Make us worthy, O Lord, of all thy benefits. Revive in us and in the people of this land a spirit of devotion to the common weal, that so we may be kept from sloth and indifference, from every selfish indulgence and impurity, and from all corruption of civil government and the high citizenship committed to us. Lead us, O Lord, in thy righteousness. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those entrusted with authority, that there may be peace throughout this land, and that we may be an influence for good among the nations of the earth. Let thy peace, O Lord, rule in all our hearts. Take from us all jealousy and envy at the good of others, all unkindness from offences given or taken, all unrighteous anger and an impatient spirit. O Lord, deliver us from evil. To be said by minister and people 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 us. 29 bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up unto the Lord. O Lord, open thou our lips. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. Praise ye the Lord. The Lord's name be praised. RESPONSIVE READING The Lord our God hath prepared his throne for judgment. It is he who reigneth over all the earth. And he will judge the world in righteousness and minister judgment to the people. He will bring forth justice to the nations; he will bring forth mercy and truth. The Lord will not fail nor faint till he have set justice in the earth; until he have burst the cruel yoke asunder, and given liberty to the captive and to them that are oppressed. In righteousness and peace hath he called us, and set us as a great light among the nations. And in the need of the times that are and shall be, the Lord, the Eternal, shall be our help and that of all generations. Pray for the peace of our land; let all the people say, Peace be within thee, Peace be within thee and prosperity within thy borders. |