Giving Thanks

"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

As a church we could not survive without the ongoing support of our members, and so in a very difficult financial climate, where many people are struggling to makes ends meet, I want to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your ongoing commitment of time and money, without which the church could not function.

I have come to realise that I need to be more thankful – to God and to others. Thankfulness is a wonderful thing, giving thanks not only feels good it also helps us, and it lets others know that we care for them and appreciate them – just think about the occasions people have thanked you for something you have done. The more thankful we are, the more there is to be thankful for. A person cannot be complaining and thankful at the same time.

As Christians we have more reason to be thankful than anyone else, and it is good to express this thankfulness in our worship, our words and through the lives we lead. When we express our thankfulness to others and to God, it helps bring us closer to one another and to God.

As a church we have much to be thankful for. 2010 marks St Martin’s golden jubilee year, and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life of St Martin’s, and especially to give thanks to God for all that he has done through our church during the last half century. Please give some thought as to some of the things we could do over the course of 2010 to mark this special anniversary and especially to say ‘thank you’ to God who has blessed us in so many ways.

Thank You, God, For Everything

Thank you, God, for everything,
The big things and the small.
For "every good gift comes from God"...
The giver of them all.
And all too often we accept, without any thanks or praise,
The gifts God sends as blessings, each day in many ways.
And so we offer up a prayer...
To thank you, God, for giving us a lot more than our share.

First, thank you for the little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted
But don't mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy, the thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us in the time of sudden need.
Oh, make us more aware, dear God, of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never-dreamed-of places.

Then, thank you for the "Miracles"
We are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness of our many gifts from Thee,
And help us to remember that the Key of Life and Living
Is to make each prayer a Prayer of Thanks
And every day Thanksgiving
--Helen Steiner Rice