The Great Thanksgiving (A Prayer)

from Paul Rayner's Confluence blog :)

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

It is indeed right,
for You made us,
and before us, You made the world we inhabit,
and before the world, You made the eternal home in which, through Christ, we have a place.

All that is spectacular, all that is plain have their origin in You;
all that is lovely, all who are loving point to You as their fulfillment.
And grateful as we are for the world we know and the universe beyond our ken,
we particularly praise You, whom eternity cannot contain, for coming to earth and entering time in Jesus.

For His life which informs our living,
for His compassion which changes our hearts,
for His clear speaking which contradicts our harmless generalities,
for His disturbing presence,
His innocent suffering,
His fearless dying,
His rising to life breathing forgiveness,
we praise You and worship Him.

Here too gratitude rises, for the promise of the Holy Spirit, who even yet, even now, confronts us with Your claims and attracts us to Your goodness.