A SONG OF THANKSGIVING

I give you thanks, O Lord and King;

I praise you as my God and Saviour.

I give you thanks,

For you have helped me and protected me.

You have rescued me from death,

from dangerous lies and slander.

You helped me when no one else would;

in your great mercy you saved me

from the many troubles I have known:

from the glaring hatred of my enemies,

who wanted to put an end to my life;

from suffocation in oppressive smoke

rising from fires that I did not light;

from death itself;

from vicious slander reported to the king.

I was once brought face to face with death;

enemies surrounded me everywhere.

I looked for someone to help me,

but there was no one there.

But the, O Lord, I remembered how merciful you are

and what you have done in times past.

I remembered that you rescue those who rely on you,

That you save them from their enemies.

Then from here on earth I prayed to you

to rescue me from death.

I prayed, “O Lord, you are my father;

do not abandon me to my troubles

when I am helpless against arrogant enemies.

I will always praise you

and sing hymns of thanksgiving.”

You answered my prayer,

and saved me from the threat of destruction.

and so I thank you and praise you.

O Lord, I praise you!

(Sirach 51:1 -12)

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

VISITORS FROM THE EAST

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judaea, during the time when Herod was king.  Soon afterwards, some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews?  We saw His star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship Him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.  He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

“In the town of Bethlehem in Judaea,” they answered.  “For this is what the prophet wrote :

‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’”

So Herod called the visitors from the east to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions : “Go and make a careful search for the child, and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the east.  When they saw it, how happy there were, what joy was theirs!  It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him.  They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to Him.

Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

(Matthew 2:1-12)

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

A BENEDICTION

Now, then, give praise to the God of the universe, who has done great things everywhere, who brings us up from the time we are born, and deals with us mercifully.  May He give us happiness and allow us to have peace in Israel for ever.  May He continue His Mercy to us and rescue us in our time of need.

....May God bless everyone who gives attention to these teachings.  Whoever takes them to heart will become wise.  Whoever lives by them will be strong enough for any occasion, because he will be walking in the light of the Lord.

(Sirach 50:22-24,28-29)

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ