A Thanksgiving Blessing

In a previous post I mentioned Tthe Pilgrim's Prayer that has been recorded was prayed on the first Thanksgiving. I suggest our prayer be very similar this Thanksgiving day.

We are grateful for our bountiful and innumerable blessings. We are thankful that God has brought us to this very day, this very hour, this very minute. And we are hopeful that God's providential care will enable us to see the unbounded possibilities of the future. Amen

The Horn of Plenty

The symbol that best expresses the abundance that Thanksgiving celebrates is the cornucopia. The cornucopia is an ancient symbol used in both Greek and Roman mythology. In some myths, the goat Amalthea, whose milk fed the infant Zeus, was said to have a horn that was always filled with whatever anyone wanted to eat or drink. In other tales the Roman goddess of plenty, named "Copia", always wore or carried a horn filled with fruits and drinks. The horn of plenty was always full; its abundance could never be exhausted.

Today the cornucopia sounds the joyful noise of God's bountiful blessings, of the abundant, overflowing graciousness that God makes available in our lives. This horn also sounds a note to remind us that we must use our blessings to bless others. Adapted from "Homiletics"

Now thank we all our God. Have a blessed week. Diana

The Pilgrim's Prayer

What kind of people were the Pilgrims? Clearly, they were fervent Christians who pursued their dream of religious freedom with a dedicated zeal that never wavered.

One hundred one of them crowded into the ship known as the Mayflower and sailed from Lyden, Holland, to a land most of them had never seen. They sailed across a wild churning sea from September 16 to November 21, 1620. A year later, only half of them had survived all of the various afflictions and hardships which came to them.

Nevertheless, they were grateful. They had religious freedom. They had opportunity. They had a New World to explore, develop, inhabit and appreciate. They wanted to thank God. Thus, all who were left, gathered with their Native-American neighbors, and had a joyous celebration of Thanksgiving. It is recorded that they prayed this prayer: "Thanks be to God for the strength which he has given us and the blessing he has provided in bringing us to this hour which is laden with possibilities for the future."

What an appropriate prayer for us today also. Many Blessings, Diana

What Seekers Look for in a Church

Researchers printed a list of six things that mattered most to people seeking a church to join back in 1999. They were:
1. Church doctrine with which they were comfortable.
2. The care church members exhibited toward one another.
3. The quality of the sermons.
4. The friendliness of the members to visitors.
5. The congregation's willingness to serve the disadvantaged.
6.The quality of the programs for children. --The Barna Report

Rockport Church has what people are looking for in their church, if this list is accurate. I guess it is up to you and me to share what is going on in these walls. Have a blessed week. Diana

Greatest Financier

Welcome to my blog. I thought a little joke was in order as we talk about stewardship at worship. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?

Noah--he was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather and pick out your pumpkin at the pumpkin patch in front of the church. God's Blessings, Diana

Make New Friends but keep the Old

This past week I was on vacation with 7 of my closest friends from nursing school 43 years ago. We all live in different parts of the country but still have surprisingly much in common. Some of us are married, some are widowed and one has never married and one divorced. Some have had prosperity, some have struggled with not much money but all of us have worked in nursing in one time or another after graduating from nursing school. We all love helping people, we all have some affiliation with a church and we all care about having God in our life. What a lot of talking and laughing took place even though it rained every day we were there.

I wish for all people good Christian friends who keep us all laughing and talking and caring for others throughout life's journey. Diana

The Divine Original

I am a unique
spiritual creation,
a divine original
with my own special God-given spark,
capable of becoming
a channel for God's love
to pour forth into the world.
This is God's plan.
It is up to me to get into harmony with it. By Charles R. Fillmore

Let us work on looking for our spark given to us by God and carrying forward God's love. Have a wonderful week. Diana