Now after all that,
sisters and brothers,
we implore you and
we encourage you
in the Lord Jesus:
            that as you received from us 
     how it is necessary for you to walk (in life)
and to please God
          (as you are walking)
so overflow (even) more. 

For you know
we gave certain commands to you
– through the Lord Jesus.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

May God himself and our Father,
and our Lord Jesus
make straight our way to you all. 

But
may the Lord
make you overflowing
and abundant in love for one another, 
and for everyone else
just as we (love) you.,
so that your hearts are established
blameless 
in holiness
before God and our Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his holy ones. 

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go.
And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen

Basil of Caesarea (c.329-379)

Just now,
Timothy having come to us from you
and having announced the good news of your faith and love
and that you remembered us always with love,
longing to see us
just as we also (long to see)  you- 

because of this we have been encouraged
sisters and brothers, 
concerning you
in all our troubles and afflictions
because of your faith. 
so that we now we live
if you should stand firm in the Lord. 

For what thanksgiving can we give back to God about you,
for all the joy with which we rejoice
because of you, 
before our God,
night and day,
earnestly imploring
to see your face
and to complete the gaps in the faith of you all?

Take from us,
O God, all pride and vanity,
all boasting and self-assertion,
and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness,
the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity,
and the true power that shows itself in modesty.

Charles Kingsley

Therefore enduring (it) no longer
we thought it best to be left behind in Athens alone,

and we sent Timothy, our brother
and God’s fellow-worker
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to strengthen you
and to encourage your faith
so that no one might be shaken by these afflictions
for you yourselves know that we were destined for this. 

For when we were with you,
we told you
in advance
again and again
that we would be afflicted,

and so it has happened, as you know.

Because of this I 
– bearing it no longer –  
sent to find out about your faith,
(I was afraid) that the tempter had somehow tempted you
and our work might have been in vain.

O thou, who art the light of the minds that know thee,
the life of the souls that love thee,
and the strength of the wills that serve thee;
help us so to know thee that we may truly love thee;
so to love thee that we may fully serve thee,
whom to serve is perfect freedom.
Amen

But we, sisters and brothers, 

having been torn away from you for a short time, 
    in person not in heart, 
all the more did our best to see you in person out of a great longing. 

Because we wanted to to come to you,
        – indeed I,  Paul, once and twice-
            and Satan stopped us –
 for what is our hope,
our joy,
our crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming
– is it not you?

For you are our glory and joy.

 

God be in head and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart and in my thinking;
God be at my end and at my departing.

For you became made like,
sisters and brothers,
the churches of God who are
in Judea
in Christ Jesus 

because you suffered the same things,
– you from your own people
– and them from the Jews.

who having killed the Lord Jesus
and the prophets
and having forced us out
and are not pleasing to God
and are opposed to all people
are hindering us speaking to the Gentiles
in order that they might be saved,
so that they always complete the full measure of their sins

The wrath came upon them,  at last.

Lord God,
your feed us with the living bread from heaven.
You renew our faith
increase our hope
and strengthen our love.
Teach us to hunger for Christ
who is the true and living bread
and live by every word that comes from your mouth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And because of this we also give thanks to God constantly: 
because receiving the word of God, heard from us,
you accepted it not as human words, but as it is truly, the word of God,
which is at work in you who believe.

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

For you remember, brothers and sisters, our work and hardship.

Night and day, working not to be a burden on any of you,
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

You and God are witnesses, as to how holy, righteous, and blameless
we were
among you,
who believe.

Just as you know, we dealt with each one of you as a father deals with his own children: exhorting
and encouraging
and urging you to walk in a way worthy of God
who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

For we never came with a flattering word, 
  -as you know,
nor greedy, under a cover, 
   -as God is witness
nor seeking glory from people,
nor from you all
nor from others,
although we are able to weigh (on you) as Christ’s apostles.

But we became as little children amongst you, 
as a wet-nurse takes care of her own children.
In this way, caring so much for you
we take pleasure to share with 
not only the gospel of God
but also our own souls
because you became beloved to us.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
about our entrance to you,
that it has not been empty,
but having suffered previously
and been treated disgracefully,
as you know
in Philippi
we had courage in our God,
to speak to you
the gospel of God 
amongst much opposition.

For our appeal
is not from error nor impure motives nor from deceit
but as we have been approved by God
to be trusted with the gospel
so we have spoken
and not to please people
but God
who tests our hearts.

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba