A PERSONAL PRAYER

O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help
by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen. Samuel Pugh

I am so grateful, Lord. Really, I am. OK, I know I don’t always have the right attitude, and gratitude doesn’t exude from my pores every day. And, I know I don’t always speak to you with gratitude. And for sure I don’t say thank you enough to all the people whom you use to love me in so many ways. Forgive me, God. I want to live out of that gratitude. Too often, my thoughts and actions come out of fear or anxiety or desire or a striving to be good enough to please you and my neighbors. But that isn’t what you want. What you want is my gratitude. Wake me up, God, and show me how to live out of that place. But really, God, I am grateful. I hope you know that. Thank you. Amen.

KEY VERSE FOR THE WEEK

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

QUESTIONS FOR CONVERSATION

What are gifts you have identified in the midst of difficult circumstances? What are some ways you might increase your practice of gratitude?

SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE

Friends,

This week, we are going to look at what the Scripture says about gratitude. Gratitude is the basic response to God’s grace, and as such forms the foundation of the Christian life. That is how important it is. It should be a part of what we talk about every single week.  It should be the essence of our prayer life. It should be the exhale that follows the inhale of the Holy Spirit. How many times will you say and think thank you on this very day? Looking forward to seeing you Sunday as we say thank you together.

If you are a member of St. Luke’s, and you have not turned in your Boundless commitment, I hope you will do so right away. What you decide to give will make the difference in what we are able to do in ministry in the year to come. You can complete your commitment pledge online here:https://stlukesmethodist.org/generosity

Tom Pace

PRAYER CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK

Sunday | November 22
God, we thank you for your steadfast love. We thank you for all of the blessings that you have given us—our health, our families, our work, provisions, our homes, our church, our communities, our country—the list goes on and on. We thank you for the gift of your Son. Amen.

Monday | November 23
God, thank you for the gift of a new week. Thank you for this special holiday time this week. We pray that you would be at work within us to make a difference in your world. Amen.

Tuesday | November 24
Dear God, help us to put aside our differences in our family this week. Help us to see the big picture of life, and help us to follow your priorities. Please bless us to make good memories from the time spent with our family and friends this week. Amen.

Wednesday | November 25
Thank You, O God, for every good and gracious gift you’ve given to us.  With an abundance of your love, you fill us, sustain us and provide for us in ways that are beyond our understanding—we give you our thanks and praise. Amen.

Thursday | November 26
Thanksgiving
God, we give thanks to you for your unending love. You do amazing things in our lives even when we don’t know it at the time. Please open our eyes to all of the ways that you bless us, and please open our lives to find ways to bless others. Amen.

Friday | NOVEMBER 27
God, please help us to worship you and not worldly things. Please instill in us a spirit of giving and not getting. Please give us the blessing of blessing others. Please prepare our minds and our hearts for Sunday worship. Amen.

Saturday | November 28
God, you have blessed us with an amazing community of faith. Please give us the courage and the opportunities to share it with others. Please place it upon our hearts to bring our friends and family to worship you. Amen.