Thanksgiving Day
Blessed be the Lord our God, who feeds the whole world with goodness, grace and mercy; whose loving kindness endures forever. Through your gracious love, we enjoy the bounty of this Thanksgiving Day. Nourish and sustain us with the food we eat and with the gift of your presence. Amen.**
We offer our thanks to you, O God, for all we have received, though undeserving. For the investment of time, talent, and even the lives of those who have gone before us and made free nations great. We have benefited from all the past efforts of men and women who have sacrificed so that we may enjoy freedom and prosperity. We are especially grateful for families who love us and friends who stand by us through good and bad times. We confess our failure to say a quiet "thank you" for the basic pleasures of food, shelter, and clothing. Help us to face the future with courage, that we might have the strength to meet any challenges. We do not pray for easy lives, but for the assurance to face life confidently, through the eyes of faith, holding fast to hope. We do not ask to receive much, but only to share the resources we have with those whose need is greater than our own. Turn hearts cold with indifference into ones warmed by compassion. Accept our gratitude for all your mercies to us which are fresh every day. In your holy name we pray. Amen.**
Heavenly Father, as Thanksgiving arrives, we think of the Pilgrims who sailed across a stormy ocean long ago, in search of religious freedom and a new opportunity for life. Early on they learned that faith in you, combined with hard work, is an unbeatable recipe for contentment. They were supreme realists. Centuries later, we are still pilgrims. Often forgetting the formula of faith and hard work, we wonder why life so often disappoints us. At our Thanksgiving feast, may we take a long, loving look at our lives, all stuffed with blessings, and then remember the source of all that is good. Make our holiday a time of true thanksgiving for all we have, and may we offer both a prayer and a hand to those who have less. In your holy name we pray. Amen.**
Our Father, we thank you for this food and for the beauty of the country in which we now live and serve. We thank you for our heritage as Americans, and the strong feelings we have about our country and freedom. Strengthen us with this food that we might live in honor to you and our country. As we depart this table, send us out grateful that you have called us into an unfinished world, to share a hand with you in its completion. Amen.**
Almighty God, we thank you and praise you for your great goodness to us. We are grateful for life in all its fullness and variety; for beauty and strength and stability in the created world around us; for light and color, and the rhythm of the seasons. We stand in awe of your created works; the mountains towering toward heaven; the canopy of stars, each marking and reflecting the touch of your hand. And yet with all of this grandeur, you have seen fit to gift each of us in special ways. We lift our hearts in gratitude to you when we remember how intimate is your constant and abiding care for each of us. You have showered us with blessings of love. For our families and friends, and for all the human relationships that enrich our lives, we praise you. For the daily gifts of home and food and work, and for those who bring us joy, we thank you. And now, most merciful Father, we pray that you will receive and sanctify our offering of worship: our gifts and our lives. We give you praise from grateful hearts. Amen.**
Almighty God, we give you thanks for the goodness and loving kindness you have shown toward us. For the blessings you have given in the past and for the promise of your continued faithfulness, we thank you. For the blessings of life, we give you praise. More importantly, Lord, we thank you for the redemption you provided us in your word. We are prone to forget the source of our blessings. Help us, Lord, today to remember, and in remembering, to show forth our praise and thanksgiving not only with our lips, but with our lives. In your name we pray. Amen.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come; our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.” We thank you, Lord, for a warm dry place to sleep, for abundant good food to take way our hunger, for friends whose presence helps to ease the boredom of waiting. We thank you, Lord, for the gift of life itself, and for the meaning and purpose that our faith in you brings to our lives. Give us now your peace. In your strong and powerful name we pray. Amen.
Our power is shut off, and suddenly we become thankful for electricity. Our garbage is not picked up, and suddenly we become thankful for the garbage collector. The toilet doesn't flush, and suddenly we become thankful for plumbers. Our roof leaks, and suddenly we become thankful for carpenters. A good friend dies, and suddenly we discover how much he meant to us. Why is it, Lord, that we take for granted the uncounted blessings of life until they are removed from us? We take for granted, the mind you have given us, the beauty of the earth around us, the rain and soil combining to produce our foods, the love of family and friends surrounding us. Today we thank you, for being patient with us, for not forgetting us when we forget you, for loving and forgiving us, for music and singing, for rest and leisure, for those who understand us, for laughter and joy, for being with us now. Most of all we thank you for not withholding the blessings of life from us even though we take them for granted. Bless us and our families as we celebrate this, our national day of Thanksgiving. Bless this food for our nourishment and renew us for service to you and our fellowman. Amen.
Gracious Master and our Lord, it is once again that we set the sails of the Mayflower reaffirming religious tolerance, seeking peace and prosperity, and giving thanks for thy most bountiful blessings. We pray that thou will blow the winds of purity and clean our ship of sin and evil. We pray that thou will send the navigational winds and continue to chart us in a godly direction. As our ship becomes old and tattered, we pray that thou will salvage but a small part, that it will serve to remind us of that first voyage and first Thanksgiving where the Pilgrims gathered their harvest, prepared, ate, and gave thanks unto thee for bringing them safe to shore and sustaining them over the long winter. Dear Father, bring us again to shore, bring us from the mountain of selfish abundance to the valley of sharing with the less fortunate; bring us from the great seas of arrogance to the small ponds of humility; and most of all, bring us from the ocean of uncertainty to safe shores in thy arms. Hear our prayer, dear Lord, and grant us thy peace. Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before you as the Creator of the Universe, the giver and sustainer of life, to thank you for your bountiful blessings upon us. We thank you for your presence in the history of our nation. Your presence is evident from the time of our pilgrim forefathers to your abiding presence in our everyday life. Make us aware that all that we are and that all we possess is truly a product of your grace. We thank you for a time of Thanksgiving; a time when a nation stops, the wheels of industry grind to a stop, the tables of commerce close in a period of thanks. We pray that this spirit may be with us throughout the year. We humbly pray that your blessings will continue to be upon this nation and its people. Amen.
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who has given us good land for our heritage and blessed us with freedom, we humbly beseech thee to bless us this day of Thanksgiving with honor, courage, wisdom, and duty. Grant us the grace to reaffirm our moral and spiritual values. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance and all evil. Bless our God-fearing President, our civilian and military authorities, and members of the United States Armed Forces. Bless our churches and remember us who have gathered here in thy Name to bless thee, praise thee and thank thee. For thou art blessed who feeds us and gives life to our flesh; who fills our hearts with joy and happiness, and enables us to do good for others in thy Name. Amen.
I thank you, O God, for a country that allows, even encourages us, to pray, to give thanks, and to share our spiritual needs in public fashion. In such moments the sacrifices of the past make sense and the mystical fellowship of free people continues to gel and take hold. I ask, O God, that the sacrifices we now make, however limited, may add to the tradition evidenced and honored today. So often, O Lord, the love and service to our fellow man which we intend is much greater than the love we actually give. Help us, O Lord, by selfless deeds to make up the difference. Give us a good night. Amen.
Ever-present and ever-giving, God, who has given us the gift of life and its attendant blessings, as we enter this week of Thanksgiving grant us one more gift - the gift of a grateful heart. Forgive us for taking life for granted and for complaining about what we lack instead of rejoicing over what we have. May our worship today enhance our gratitude! Amen.13 (J. B.)
We come to you, O God, as thankful people! We are mindful in this Thanksgiving season of our blessings, not just our difficulties; of our successes, not just our failures; of our assets, not just our liabilities; of our strengths, not just our weaknesses; of our joys, not just our sorrows. Grant us, we pray, the attitude of gratitude - not only in these coming days, but every day that life is ours. Amen.13 (J. B.)
Creating, ever-faithful, ever-giving, and ever-loving God, we gladly and gratefully gather to speak and sing your praise. On this Thanksgiving Sunday we are mindful of all that you have given us. We confess, however, that too often ours is only silent gratitude, which is of no use to you or to others. Thus we pray that we will be inspired anew intentionally and concretely to reflect and express our gratitude in what we say and in what we do, as did Jesus, the Christ, in whose spirit we pray. Amen.13 (J. B.)
Ever-giving and generous God, who loves us not because of our merits but just because we are; we pause in your presence, overwhelmed by our blessings. Life itself, family, friends, food, home, church, community, the marvels and beauty of creation, and other gifts too numerous to mention fill our lives to overflowing. Keep us, we pray, from ever taking for granted what we enjoy. And may we always remember that we are the caregivers and caretakers, not the owners, of all that seems to be ours. In gratitude and humility we pray. Amen.13 (J. B.)
Ever-loving God of grace and God of glory, who empowers us for the living of our days, we gather in this place dedicated to your worship and service as we enter this week of Thanksgiving. We are grateful for this special season that reminds us of blessings that we sometimes take for granted. Thus, today accept our gratitude for gifts of: thinking, hugs, acceptance, nature, kindness, salvation, goals, identity, vocation, ideals, nation, guidance.
Forgive us for sometimes forgetting or using unwisely these gifts that are ours. And may we be motivated to express our gratitude for your innumerable gifts by seeking to live as you would have us live - by loving you with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. We pray in the spirit of another of your gifts to us, Jesus, the Christ, in whom we have seen the way, the truth, and the life. Amen.13 (J. B.)
Our Heavenly Father on this Thanksgiving Day, we pray that we may not be numb to the many blessings for which we ought to be thankful. Give us your gift of contentment, that we may not always waste our time desiring more, but learn to use, enjoy and be thankful for what we have. Bless us in all that is right and correct us in all that is wrong. Give life to our thankful and good intentions, lest they be stillborn. May our hearts now truly reflect thankfulness for the meal we are about to eat, the appetite which enables us to enjoy it, but most of all for you, the Provider of both. Amen.
O Lord, make this hour a time in which we are graced with your presence. Let our fears be replaced by our hope in the future things to come; so that we may be witnesses of your promises. Make this moment a time in which a family gathers to support each other. Bless all here gathered and this bounty we receive to the nourishment of our bodies. Amen.
Our Father who art in heaven, we give you thanks for this holiday season and especially for this Thanksgiving Day. A day which is meaningful to us as a nation because of our heritage, and a day which is equally meaningful to us as individuals because of the closeness it brings to our families and because of the memories of good times spent with those that we love in days gone by. Help us to be grateful for the freedom that we so often take for granted. Keep us mindful that thousands upon thousands of servicemen and women gave their lives that we might be free. Help us to be grateful for our families and our friends and our loved ones. Keep us mindful of how precious those relationships are and of how quickly they can be changed because of the suddenness of death or the length of separation caused by our jobs. Help us to be grateful for this fine Thanksgiving Dinner that has been prepared for us. Keep us mindful that many thousands of people in our world are starving to death at this very hour. Bless the ones who have worked so hard preparing this very special meal for us to enjoy. Help us to take the time to say “Thank you” to them for their work and their concern for us on this special day. Most of all help us to be grateful for your steadfast love for us regardless of how rebellious we become. We ask these blessings in Your holy name. Amen.
Our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we give thanks to you this day for the bounteous gifts which you have bestowed on our country. We are thankful for all the blessings of riches, of strength, of freedom. But most of all we are thankful for the Christian Heritage and foundation that we have from our fathers, those men and women who sought a new land where all could be free to worship you. Thank you Lord for all that you have given us and will continue to grant us in your loving mercy. We come to you in the name of your Son and our Savior. Amen.
O Lord, make this hour a time in which we are graced with your presence. Let our fears be replaced by our hope in the future things to come; so that we may be witness of your promises. Make this moment a time in which a family gathers to support each other. Bless all here gathered and this bounty we are to receive to the nourishment of our bodies. Amen.
O God, our most merciful Heavenly Father, who made us in your image and loved us before we knew you, we give thanks to you for the life and the spark of love you created in us. We thank you for the fierceness of anger, for it helps us to recognize and appreciate love as it overcomes anger; we thank you for those who dare to doubt because they help us grow by causing us to reevaluate our beliefs; we thank you for people with insight, for they show us the folly of our ways; then, O Lord, we thank you for the grace which makes all gifts possible - not cheap grace but grace bought by your Son’s shed blood, given for us in love. We raise this prayer of Thanksgiving in the name of the risen savior. Amen.
Lord our God, often we see holidays merely as breaks in our routine, as times to lay back and take it easy, to withdraw within ourselves and escape from the hassles of life. Lord, we do indeed need those kinds of breaks. But help us too, Lord, to catch the deeper meaning of this holiday. To sense the richness of the blessings which surround us. To rejoice in the great gift of our country and the freedoms within which we live, freedoms we have pledged our lives to protect. Help us to experience gratitude, Lord, for those around us, our families, our friends, our comrades in arms. Help us, especially, Lord, to understand your part in all of this and to give you the praise and the glory. We ask all this in your holy name. Amen.
Almighty God, you have abundantly blessed America and its people. We give you thanks for this great country and the liberty we enjoy. We give you thanks for forefathers with wisdom and a vision for freedom. We give you thanks for families and friends. May this Thanksgiving remind us of our past blessings, and may it cause us to recognize your work in our land today. Thank you for loving us and enabling us to work and produce the fruit of the land. We give thanks. Amen.
Our Lord and God, we give thanks to you this day. We give you thanks for the abundance that you have bestowed upon us. We are thankful not only for the abundance of material possessions, but also for your faithfulness in times of joy and grief, laughter and sorrow, health and sickness, assurance and doubt, peace and war, life and death. We are able to do your will and give thanks in all things, because you are with us in all circumstances. We thank you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The paraphrased prayer of David, I Chronicles 29:10: O Lord, you are the God we have known all our lives. And we pause to offer our Thanksgiving and praise. Everything in the heavens and on this earth belongs to you and all that we have is really yours. We are so privileged to live in your kingdom. We recognize that you are in control of everything and you are the Divine Commander over us all. All our riches and honor come from you alone. It is at your discretion that we have been so greatly blessed. It is from your hand that all our power and strength, all our greatness and goodness have come. Bless now this food and our fellowship together tonight. Help us always to stay in your favor, for we do honor and bless your holy name. Amen.
Our Heavenly Father, on this Thanksgiving Day, we pause to praise thy name, accept our humble thanks for all thy blessings. Help us to be aware of all that thou hast done for us through the offer of thy grace and the extension of thy provision and providence. We ask for a continuance and an enlargement of the mercies thou has already shown to us, for we acknowledge our need and dependence upon thee. Shed thy light upon all those in the armed forces who defend our freedom, preserve our heritage, and live and die for peace in our world. Comfort those who may be away from home on this day; yet, assure them not only of the presence of love from home but also from thee. Bless this day we reserve and this food we eat for the good and glory of thy wonderful and matchless name. Amen.
Almighty God, we humbly give you thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness, and all the blessings of this life. But above all, we thank you for your unspeakable gift of love in the redemption of the world through your Son, Christ Jesus - the source of hope and the means of grace. Instill in us an awareness of all your goodness, that our hearts may be overflowing with gratitude, that we might show forth our praise, not only with our lips, but also with our lives, giving ourselves to your service and walking in your sight with all holiness and righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Almighty God, our Father, we approach your throne of grace this morning with hearts full of thanks for the many ways in which we are so richly blessed. We give you thanks for our food, our clothes and our warm homes. We give you thanks for our families, our friends and our neighbors. We give you thanks for our wives, our husbands and our children. We give you thanks for our jobs, our possessions and the conveniences which we take for granted. We give you thanks for life, for health and for the good times we enjoy. We give you thanks, O Lord, for even the hard times, the difficult times and the sad times, for we know they help us grow in faith, in love, and in character. But most of all, O Lord, we give you thanks for loving us as you do with a steadfast love. We give you thanks for not leaving us alone to die in our sins but instead providing forgiveness through the gift of your only Son, the Lord Jesus, through whom we have eternal life to be thankful for. Cause us to grow in faith as each day passes. Help us to love you and to serve you, regardless of what the storms of life may shower upon us. We ask these blessing in the name of our Savior. Amen.
Yea, thou Lord of us all; thou Sovereign of the air’s ocean, the valley’s running, the cumbersome mountains; thou goodness in the taste of our souls: we praise thee for the clamorous and holy seasons; for the furrow, the stalk, the leaf, and the grain; and for the feast all gold and red and high. We praise thee for great mercy toward our sins, for constant love when we are in despair, for strength to rise again in the dark hour. We praise thee for thy peace against our wars, and for thy ways of peace that shall redeem nations, Amen.1
Thou Lord of all that is, thou Creator of the air’s ocean, thou Juggler of stars, thou whose voice murmurs its music throughout all the earth, thou high and holy One in whom we dream: surely and with exaltations we name thy name with thanksgiving, we call out to thee with praise. We give thee thanks that thou hast set the fires of the blood, taught the mind to run, breathed in us souls. And we praise thee for families whereby we learn to love, and for neighborhoods wherein we learn to trust. Surely thy goodness and mercy is ever upon us, full measure, pressed down, and running over. Surely thy bounty is upon the land, thy sceneries within our hearts, thy compassion open across the whole bent world. Amen.1
O God, our source and our hope, we give thanks for the ordinary and the extraordinary things that sustain us and make our lives rich and whole - for daily bread, and for the experience of discovering that it is a blessing; for friendships and duties, for good hopes and precious memories, for the gifts we give each other by our understanding of one another’s hopes and hurts, for the rich variety of our experience as human beings, for the family reunions that mark this season. Help us by the power of your Spirit to act from gratitude, as befits those who have received the great gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.1
Almighty God, we praise your name and glorify you, remembering your promise that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not fail. We bless you for the supports of this life, for the kindly fruits of the earth, for the food we too often receive without thanks and eat without remembering you. May gratitude be restored in us, we pray, and all our uses of this world’s bounty be touched with thanksgiving. Then we will know that what we have is not our own alone, but ours to share as it is ours to use. Amen.1
Our Father, we are especially mindful this Thanksgiving week to count and give thanks for our many blessings: for families, health, a place to work, the freedom to worship, and for the renewed hope of positive change in the world. May occasions such as this strengthen goodwill and understanding among friends and allies. As you have so richly blessed our countries Lord, may we ever seek to be a blessing in our world. We thank you for our daily bread O Lord. This we pray in your holy, just and loving name, Amen.
Father, we come to you in prayer on this Thanksgiving Eve. We thank you Lord for the bountiful gifts which we have received, for the blessings of freedom, and support of friends and families. Father, you are the One Eternal Creator from whom all blessings do flow. Grant, we beseech you, your holy presence to everyone. May all creation come to know your name and give thanks. Amen.
Let us go forth with a Thanksgiving to God in our hearts that moves us to give... food and shelter to care for those who lack...a listening ear for those who hurt...a helping hand for the weak...that the giver of every good and perfect gift may be glorified as the love He gives touches the lives of our neighbors, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.**
We Give Thanks (Recitation/Reflection on Thanksgiving)
We are Thankful for our Country (Recitation/Prayer of Thanksgiving for our country)
Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:1-11
Hymn: “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” (AFH #200)
We are Thankful for our Families (Recitation/Prayer of Thanksgiving for our families)
Scripture: Joshua 24: 1-15
Hymn: “We Praise Thee, O God” (AFH #53)
Reflection
Thanksgiving Prayer
Hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (AFH #111)