Giving. Thanks.

Sunday is our Thanksgiving and Giving service, an annual opportunity to look at all God's blessings in our lives and then to give back to God out of the generosity with which he blesses us.

Photo by Katt Yukawa on Unsplash

We call this service Thanksgiving and Giving, but the truth is that the two should be so closely linked in our hearts that the one word - Thanksgiving - should say it all. When we look at all the many ways in which God blesses us, how can we fail to want to give thanks - and then to give back to God whatever we can?

Everything we have, everything we are, is a gift from God. the fact that we woke up this morning is a gift from God. Yesterday also - a gift from God. Everything we see as we look around us - the room in which we opened our eyes this morning, what we see as we look around us now, the autumn trees, sunshine and rain outside the window - all a gift from God. The people we love, the people who have shown us love, places where we have felt safe and happy, the food on our table, the communities - including, I hope, our church - where we know we belong. All of them gifts from God.

And once we recognise that, once we understand that everything which gives us happiness is a gift from God, then we inevitably feel a deep desire to give back to God, the creator and provider. Gratitude becomes part of who we are and our first response to God is always the same - thanksgiving. Thanks - and giving.

The proper response to the overwhelming generosity of God is to give ourselves back to God. To be part of God's kingdom here on earth and to show the love of God to others. Giving ourselves fully, daily, in service to God.

What does that look like for you? When you give thanks to God for God's great goodness to you, what does your heart prompt you to give back?

Giving back to God can look like many things. It can look like voluntary service to God, giving up your time to help others, in your community and in the church. It can look like more time in prayer and Bible study, taking your faith seriously and trying to draw closer to God. It can look like sharing deeply from the blessings of your life - giving generously to church and charity, sharing your prosperity, maybe giving up some of the costly pleasures of modern life in order to give to God's work.

In church on Sunday we will reflect on the blessings in our lives. We may feel moved to share some of the ways in which God has blessed us, has brought us through hardship into joy. We may want to make a commitment to regular prayer, to regular volunteering and service. And I hope we will also feel called to give money and to give it generously, so that our church can continue to share the love of God with one another and with the people of our community.

Giving. Thanks. Thanksgiving.

Amen

Notices

Fr Gideon’s licensing Fr Gideon will be formally licensed into St Aldhelm’s tomorrow, Monday, at a service at 10am. All welcome.

All Saints On Saturday we will mark All Saints with a choral Eucharist service, with a visiting choir. 5pm, all welcome.

All Souls Next Sunday we mark All Souls and will read out names of people dear to us who have died. Please email Tom our administrator today

with names to be read out admin@aldhelms.org.uk

Christmas Bazaar Plans are already underway for our annual Christmas Bazaar. This year we will be combining it with an event celebrating the completion of our spire and roof repairs. Put the date in your diary – it’s going to be a great day.

Dates for the diary

Saturday 1 Nov          5pm Choral Mass for All Saints

Sunday 2 Nov            10am Mass for All Souls (with incense)

Sunday 9 Nov            Remembrance Sunday

Sunday 16 Nov           Safeguarding Sunday

Sunday 23 Nov          Christ the King (with incense)

Saturday 6 Dec          Christmas Bazaar and spire celebration, followed by

5pm Vigil Mass

Sunday 21 Dec           10am service followed by lunch,

3pm Carol Service

Christmas Eve           11pm Midnight Mass (with incense)

Christmas Day            10 am All-age Eucharist