Christian Reflection and Prayer

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST IS COMING !

Scripture:

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Psalm 25:1-10

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Luke 21:25-36

The Christmas and Advent seasons uphold
so many precious realities presently endangered:
birth, children, family, the earth itself. In
celebrating Christmas and Advent, keep
their message for today in mind.

Prayer:

Adult:
O Jesus Christ,
Emmanuel, come and dwell with us.
Desire of all nations;
Gift to every generation,
Come, make your home with us.

Child:
All nations, everybody,
is waiting for you,
Indians and Esquimos
are waiting for you,
People in New York
are waiting for you.
People in Beijing
are waiting for you.
Jesus, come to us.

"O Lord, I am calling to you. Please
hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
Accept my prayer as incense offered
to you, and my upraised hands as an
evening offering." Psalm 141:1-2 NLT

The Second Thanksgiving

"The year was 1623. The Pilgrims had
been in the New World for two and half
years. The first Thanksgiving of 1621
was only a memory by this time because
this summer's drought was jeopardizing
everything. Not even the Indians could
remember anything like it. The settlers
had planted more corn than before, but
without any rainfall, there would be no
harvest. Daily they had prayed that God
would send rain, but he hadn't answered.
As the psalmist did in Psalm 141:1, they
were begging God to hurry.

Finally, the settlers set aside an entire
day for prayer and worship. As they went
for worship, the "heavens were as clear
and the drought as like to continue as
it ever was," yet when they left the meeting,
"the weather was overcast, the clouds
gathered on all sides." For the next 14 days
there were "moderate showers of rain,"
according to Edward Winslow, one of the
Pilgrims.

The Indians watched and were amazed at
how the God of the new settlers had
answered their prayers, and that year,
after the harvest, a second Thanksgiving
was celebrated with the Indians joining in
as well.

"Hurry up, Lord," we often prod, wondering
why the Almighty doesn't seem to be in as
much of a rush as we are. Sometimes we
need to set our watches to his clock.

from The One Year® Book of Psalms with
devotionals by William J. Petersen and
Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for
November 22

Scripture:

Psalm 136:26
"O give thanks to the God of
heaven, for his steadfast love
endures forever."

"Enter into his gates with
thanksgiving, and into his
courts with praise; be thankful
unto him,and bless his name.
For the Lord is good..."
[Psalm 100:4, 5a]


Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing; thou
hast loosed my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness,
that my soul may praise thee
and not be silent. O Lord my
God, I will give thanks to thee
for ever." from Psalm 30

Do not get tired of doing
what is good.
Don't get discouraged and give up,
For we will reap a harvest of
blessing at the appropriate time.
- Galatians 6:9

Reflection:

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by
statute, once a year; to the
honest man it comes as
frequently as the heart of
gratitude will allow."
Edward Sandford Martin

"If the only prayer you said in
your whole life was, "thank you,
" that would suffice."
Meister Eckhart

Prayer:

Dear Lord; I beg but one boon more:
Peace in the hearts of all men living,
peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.

A M E N !    HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING