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Invitation to Worship
Come, let us sing to Adonai, let us thank the God of all Creation!
We make the Sign of the Cross over our lips as we begin.
O Holy ONE + open my lips,
~And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
We sing thanks and praise to your Name;
~ for your love endures for ever!
THANKSGIVING HYMN
All may sing or alternate the verses of any THANKSGIVING Hymn .
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God’s most gentle hand;
God sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Refrain
All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank our God, Yes, thank our God For this great love!
For Love is the Creator of all things near and far;
Love paints the wayside flower, Love lights the evening star;
The winds and waves are guided, the birds by Love are fed;
And then to all things living, Love gives their daily bread.
Refrain
We thank You, then, O Abba, for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all your Love imparts,
And so with praise we give you our humble thankful hearts.
Refrain
Text: Matthias Claudius, tr. Jane Cambell, alt.
PSALMODY
Antiphon
Let me sing the praises of my Love
let all creatures bless the holy Name
Psalm 144/145
I will give you glory, O Sovereign God!
I will bless your Name forever.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your Name forever.
Adonai is great, and worthy of praise!
Such greatness can never be measured!
Age to age proclaims your works,
recounts all your mighty deeds,
tells of your splendor and glory
and all of your wonderful works.
They reveal your awesome power,
and tell of your marvelous deeds.
They recall your abundant goodness,
joyfully sing and ring out your justice!
Adonai is kind and full of compassion,
patient, abounding in love.
How good is Adonai to all
Compassionate to every creature.
All your creatures shall thank you, Adonai,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
Let them make known to all
your might and your glorious reign.
Your dominion lasts forever
your rule for all generations.
The eyes of all creatures look to you
and you give them their food in due season.
You open wide your hand
to feed all living things.
Most just in all your ways
most loving in every deed.
You are near to all who call
who cry out from their hearts.
You grant them their desires,
hear their cry and save them.
You protect and keep alive
All who strive to love.
Glory to the One and to the Word
And to the Breath of Love
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
Let me sing the praises of my Love
let all creatures bless the holy Name.
READING SIRACH 50: 22-24
And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to God’s will!
May Adonai grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you;
May God’s goodness toward us endure in Israel
to deliver us and set us free.
Silent Prayer
Responsory
R. We give thanks to God our Abba, * Who has delivered us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the reign of Jesus the beloved Son. V. Every good gift, every perfect gift comes from above, comes from the Abba of Lights. *Who has delivered us from the domain of darkness and brought us into the reign of Jesus the beloved Son. V. Glory to the Abba and the Word, and the Breath of Love.
Canticle of Zachary– Luke 1:68-79
Antiphon
One of the lepers saw that he was cured,
so he returned and praising God with all his voice,
he threw himself at the feet of Jesus. And this one was a Samaritan.
Blessed + be Adonai, the God of Israel,
Who visits this people to set us free
Raising for us a sign of salvation
In the house and family of David.
God promised throughout past ages
In words of holy prophets
To save us from our enemies,
And from the control of our oppressors.
Adonai favored our ancestors
And remembered the sacred covenant.
The pledge to Abraham and Sarah
Is now renewed for us;
That freed from the grip of our foes
We might worship without fear
And be both just and holy
For the rest of our days.
And you, child, called “prophet of the Most High,”
Will go ahead to prepare the way,
By teaching this people of salvation
Through forgiveness of their sins.
For the loving compassion of the Holy One
As the Rising Sun will shine upon us
To illumine the darkness and dispel death’s shadow
To Guide our feet on the way of peace.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
One of the lepers saw that he was cured,
so he returned and praising God with all his voice,
he threw himself at the feet of Jesus. And this one was a Samaritan.
Intercessory Prayer
For the healing waters of creation, which bring pleasure and health, purity and life, ~ We thank you.
For the richness of Mother Earth, who brings forth fruits and flowers, a pleasure to taste and a joy to behold,~ We thank you.
For the soaring birds of the air, the crawling creatures on the Earth, the gliding fishes in the seas, for all creatures great and small with whom we share this precious web of life, ~ We thank you.
For the invigorating sunlight of day, the deepening mystery of night, the wonder of the stars, and the call of the unknown in the universe, ~ We thank you.
From heedless misuse and dishonoring of the wonders of your hand, ~ O God, deliver us.
From squandering resources, abusing our companion species, and polluting the habitat we all share,~ O God, deliver us.
From the folly of imagining ourselves the center of creation,~ O God, deliver us.
For the courage and wisdom to confess how little we have cared for your gifts, ~ Strengthen us, O Spirit.
For the conviction that you have called us to love and restore the Earth,
~ Strengthen us, O Spirit.
For repentance and the determination to begin our proper role in creation anew,
~ Strengthen us, O Spirit.
Prayer of Jesus
Translation prepared for the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer
Eternal Spirit, Earth-Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name shall echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the earth! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.
Amen.
Closing Prayer & Blessing
Creating and Sustaining God, as we celebrate this Thanksgiving Day, we praise and thank you for the wonder and beauty of all the creatures that You have made, for each one of them reveals something of Your inexpressible love. Awaken in us such a sense of wonder and delight that we receive with gratitude the gifts that Mother Earth provides to supply our needs, generously share these gifts with all your creatures, and lovingly care for our common home—all to the honor and glory of your Holy Name. Amen.
May the God of the Cosmos + bless us with gratitude, wonder and awe . Amen.
Let us bless Adonai! ~Thanks be to God.