Did you have a Good Summer?
As many of us return to work or school and catch-up with friends, this is a frequent enquiry. Whether you had a ‘staycation’ at home, a trip to the country or a holiday abroad, I guess that many of us can look back on the summer with fond memories.
Of course, with the arrival of September our minds swiftly turn to our autumnal ‘to do’ list, however, it is worth pausing for a moment and giving thanks for what we have enjoyed. The prayer of General Thanksgiving, derived from the Book of Common Prayer, is useful for many occasions but I would particularly commend it to you as you flick through your holiday snaps and recount your summer adventures:
“Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants do give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And give us, we pray, such a sense of all your mercies that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Revd. Nick Davies, currently Vicar of Tewksbury Abbey
(written in 2009)
