Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving from
the Diocese of Bath and Wells website.
Breadmaker Supreme
Take 3 kilos of flour says the
recipe …
We thank you, Lord, for flour:
flour made from wheat or other
grain,
grown in the mystery of the earth,
ripened in the warmth of the sun;
ripened, then cut down at the
hearvest by the farmer’s skill,
ground by the miller,
sold by the shop assistant,
placed in the bowl…
we thank you, Lord, for flour.
We thank you, Lord, for salt:
Jesus told us we were to be salt of
the earth,
and we must never lose our flavour.
The salt, which adds flavour to our
food,
is also antiseptic to our wounds,
reminding us of the challenge to our
faith
and the healing power of Jesus …
We thank you, Lord, for salt.
We thank you, Lord, for yeast:
that small yet living organism
that enables the bread to rise,
that reminds us of the fact that
even small works done in Jesus’ name
can enable the kingdom to grow …
we thank you, Lord, for yeast.
We thank you, Lord, for water:
water, without which none of us
could live,
water, which forms the other
elements of our bread into dough,
which, having risen, and been formed
and drawn into shape by human
hands, is baked to give us the staff
of life;
water, which cleanses and renews us,
refreshes and revives us,
the water of baptism, which commits
us to our faith …
we thank you, Lord, for water…
We thank you, Lord, for bread:
Bread, the basis of the food we eat,
bread for toast, for sandwiches, for
bread and jam,
bread for bread pudding and bread
for buns –
and bread that is broken and shared
in communion with one another,
in remembrance –
remembrance of that night when Jesus
sat with his friends at supper,
and broke the bread and gave it to
them,
saying, “This is my body broken for
you.”
We thank
you, Lord, for bread.
