Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.
‘Thanksgiving for All God’s People’
Psalm 24:1-2
1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.Psalm 100:3-5
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
We in the Northern Hemisphere are in the season of the year called Autumn, Harvest, or perhaps Thanksgiving or Fall. It is a time we celebrate God’s faithfulness when once more we can harvest crops and look forward to having food for the months ahead. In the Southern Hemisphere it is Spring and people are delighting in warmer, longer days, new growth in fields and gardens, and sowing crops for future harvests.
For many parts of the world however there will be neither sowing or harvesting. Crops have been ruined by flood, drought, fire, disease and human exploitation. YET we are all God’s people, given life by him and salvation through his son Jesus. God provides enough! He has promised that seedtime and harvest will not fail but we have to learn to share his gifts.
One of the unifying factors of Covid 19 is that just about every country has been affected by this virus either directly or indirectly. We have become more conscious of the people we depend on, not just on our own ‘bubbles’ of society but in the wider world too. We are learning to be more thankful for, and observant of the contribution people make to the smooth running and well-being of our communities.
All God’s people are precious and matter to God, and we give thanks for all the variety in God’s creation which enriches our lived so much.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for all people who have been, and are part of our lives;
for their love and generosity; for the caring and we have enjoyed
when the going has been easy, or when it has been tough,
and for the richness of the memories they have left behind.Whether it is the glory of Autumn or the joy of Spring which we celebrate,
we are all your people,
and we give you thanks for your faithfulness to all your creation. Amen.
Reflection and Prayer © 2020 Carol Jewell.
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All material within this order of worship is reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356