Best Loved Prayers and Words of Wisdom. Martin Manser

strife where wit and reason fail. This is the book untainted by any error; but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth.

       Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)

      Bless our meal

       Martin Luther was a German monk and church reformer. Scripture was extremely important to him and his ideas were central to the Protestant Reformation.

      Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest,

       And may our meal by you be blest. Amen.

       Attributed to Martin Luther (1483–1546)

      Blessed are they ...

       The passage in Matthew’s Gospel known as the Beatitudes is part of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus declares the blessings that come on those who live according to the distinctive principles of the kingdom of God.

      ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of

       heaven.

      Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

       Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

      Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for

       they will be filled.

      Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

      Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

      Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children

       of God.

      Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

       for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

      Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you

       and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’

       Matthew 5:3–12, NRSV

      A blessing

       This blessing prayer, one of the best-known prayers and a particular favourite for christenings and other church services, is often known as the Aaronic blessing. It is based on the blessing that God gave to Moses for Aaron and the other priests to use to proclaim God’s blessing to the Israelites.

      The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face

       to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

       Numbers 6:24–26, NRSV

      Blessing and honour

      Lancelot Andrewes was an English clergyman and scholar who served as Bishop of Chichester during the reign of James I. He oversaw the translation of the King James Version of the Bible.

      Blessing and honour, thanksgiving and praise

       More than we can utter, More than we can conceive, Be unto you , O most holy and glorious Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, By all angels, all people, all creatures For ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

       Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626)

      The blessings of home and children

       The psalmist reminds us that we need to ensure that God is involved in all that we do, or what we do will be fruitless. He also proclaims the benefits of having children.

      Unless the LORD builds the house,

       those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.

      Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD,

       the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

       Psalm 127, NRSV

      Bound in this bundle of life

       Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian, best known for trying to relate the Christian faith to the reality of twentieth-century politics. He contributed to modern thinking on the theory of the just war.

      O God, who hast bound us together in this bundle of life,

       give us grace to understand how our lives depend upon the courage, the industry, the honesty and the integrity of our fellow-men; that we may be mindful of their needs, grateful for their faithfulness, and faithful in our responsibilities to them; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

       Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971)

      The bright morning star

       George Fox was born in seventeenth-century Puritan England and became the founder of the Quakers. Although sometimes viewed as a fiery public figure, his letters reveal him as a loving pastor calling people to a confident and full Christian life.

      All dear Friends everywhere, who have no helper but the

       Lord, who is your strength and your life, let your cries and prayers be to him, who with his eternal power has kept your heads above all waters and storms. Let none go out of their habitations in the stormy time of the night, those whose habitation is the Lord, the Seed, Christ Jesus.

      In this Seed you will see the bright and morning Star appear

       which will expel the night of darkness, by which morning Star you will come to the everlasting Day which was before night was.

      So, everyone feel this bright morning Star in your hearts,

       there to expel the darkness.

       George Fox (1624–1691)

      Canticle of the Sun

       Francis of Assisi began preaching in 1208 and received papal approval for the founding of his religious order in the following year. The last three years of his life were spent in solitude and prayer. He wrote a number of well-known prayers and poems, including the Canticle of the Sun.

      Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord! All praise is yours, all

       glory, all honour And all blessing. To you alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy To pronounce your name. All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made, And first my lord Brother Sun, Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him. How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendour! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. All praise be yours my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods, By which you cherish all that you have made. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, So useful, lowly, precious and pure. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, Through whom you brighten up the night. How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength. All praise be yours my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces Various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs. All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon. For love of you; through those who endure Sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, By you, Most High, they will be crowned. All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death, From whose embrace no mortal can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those She finds doing your will! The second death can do no harm to them. Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, And serve him with great humility.