Grace Before Thanksgiving Day Dinner
Through your goodness we have so much
for which to give you thanks and praise…
Make us grateful for all you’ve given us;
may our desire for having more (and more)
not blind us to all we have…
Make us grateful for all who love us:
may no grudge or anger keep us distant
from family and friends,
neighbors and colleagues…
Make us grateful for those who are with us:
may no resentment isolate us
from their loving embrace…
Make us grateful for the good work we’ve done:
may our mistakes and failures
not weigh us down or blind us to your mercy…
Make us grateful for the freedom we enjoy:
may we never take it for granted…
Make us grateful for the peace we find in you:
let no other cause or victory take its place…
Make us grateful for our dreams:
let no disappointment keep us from hope…
Make us grateful for our faith in you:
let no doubt cloud our trusting in your love…
Make us grateful
for the meal we are about to share
and mindful
of any and all who have so much less…
Nourish and strengthen us
to change what keeps so many hungry
while others, like ourselves,
have much more than we’ll ever need…
Give us grateful hearts, O God,
to praise and thank you:
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health,
in plenty and in want,
in sorrow and in joy…
This is the day that you made, Lord:
let us be glad and rejoice in it
and give you thanks and praise!
Amen.
Prayer at an empty chair…
 |
Lord,
chair at our table,
an ache in our hearts
and tears on our cheeks…
We might try, we might even
succeed
in shielding our
grief from others
– but we cannot hide our hearts from
you…
So, today we pray for (name
your loved ones)
whose loving presence
we miss
on this homecoming day…
Help us remember
tell again the stories
of all we
shared with the very ones
so much…
Open our hearts to our
joyful memories
of the times and love
we knew and shared
with those who’ve
gone before us…
And with your gentle touch, Lord,
smooth and mend any ragged, broken edges
still in need of your merciful healing…
May the bonds you
forged among us
to you…
Help us trust in
faith
have a place now in your
heart
and in heaven, a seat at your
table…
Deepen and strengthen
our hope
that one day we’ll see
them once again
and enjoy their
company and love…
Teach us, Lord, to
lean on those around us
for the help and
support we need
when our spirits flag
and fail us…
Open our hearts and
souls, Lord,
to the warmth of your
presence,
within us and among
us…
Be with us to console
us and,
just as you embrace
the ones we miss:
hold us, too, along
with them,
in your everlasting
arms…
Give us moments of
quiet prayer today
time to share with
you our lonely tears of loss
In all things, Lord, help us recall
today‘s the day that you have made!
Amen.
