-
.
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

 Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.






For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.


 For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

 Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

A few years ago now, after retiring from full-time ministry, we moved from Fredericton, New Brunswick to Welland, Ontario, to be closer to family.  We certainly miss our many friends back east, but what a delight it is to watch Emily & Charlotte, MacKenzie & Cameron, and Maya & Joni, our great nieces and nephews, grow up and also to watch their Mums & Dads, who we remember as being little children also, raise these wonderful happy children.

 This wonderfully thoughtful hymn, For The Beauty of the Earth, written by Folliott S. Peirpoint almost a hundred years ago, captures everything that I find important to my spiritual health.   It is my deep belief that God, Creator of all, takes delight in us, and is divinely pleased when we take the time to notice and appreciate God's wonderful creation that is all around us and then express our joyful gratitude and thanksgiving to God for His countless blessings.

Peirpoint's hymn reminds us of the common blessings of life that many of us take for granted, the beauties of nature, our parents, family, friends, and church.  As we sing our hymn of gratitude and praise we acknowledge God, the giver of every good and perfect gift.

We give you thanks and praise, O Lord,
for all that you do for us.  We thank you
for the splendour of the whole creation,
for the beauty of this world, for the wonder
of life, and for the mystery of love.

 We thank you for the blessing of family and friends,
and for your loving care that surround us on every side.

 We thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ; 
for the truth of his word and the example of his life.

 Grant us the gift of your Holy Spirit, 
that we may know Christ and make him known.
In Jesus' most holy name we pray.  Amen.
The Rev'd Canon John Cathcart - aka - the running rev!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
I remember sitting in the Old Testament Biblical Studies class, and under the guidance and wisdom of O/T professor Marion Taylor, the topic of the day was the Book of Ruth.   It only shows up in the Revised Common Lectionary once every three years and seldom is it used as a starting point for sermons.  The Book of Ruth is, without a doubt, the greatest short story in the Old Testament, as it lays out life lessons around life’s challenges, about grappling with death and loss, and embracing life’s “new normal”.    Let us take a look as to how the story of Ruth opens, (it is only four chapters in length), and then perhaps the life lessons will become clearer for us. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.  So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.  The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were M...
Read more
-
Image
************************************** When tears are falling and minds are sad,  When life seems robbed of the bliss it had, When hearts seem empty, bereft and lone,  When treasured gifts are no longer known, It is then, it is then that Christ will draw near,  And lovingly and tenderly dry each tear. He knows the anguish, the grief, the pain,  He understands the tears than rain, The hearts deep hunger, the loneliness,  The loss, emptiness, and when depressed, It i then, it is then, that Christ will draw near,  And lovingly, tenderly, wipe each tear. Anonymous Almighty and All-loving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we pray to you through Christ the Healer for those who suffer from the Coronavirus Covid-19 across  the world. We pray too for all who reach out to those who mourn the loss of  each and every person who has died as a result of contracting the disease. Give wisdom to policymakers, skill to healthcare prof...
Read more
-
Image
Hi, hi, hi, beautiful Sunday! This is my my my beautiful day! When God said, said, said, said that He loved me Oh my, my, my its a beautiful day! Buttercups bright eyed and bold, hold their chalices of gold to catch the sunshine and the dew. ~Julia Caroline Dorr ~ To saunter is to walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort.  To be surrounded by  the beauty and presence of the Creator. Nature is the art of God. Dante Alighieri
Read more