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.
Praying with an empty chair at the table...
 |
an ache in our hearts
We might try - and even succeed -
in shielding our grief from others
- but we cannot hide from you...
So, we pray for (name your loved ones)
whose loving presence we'll miss
at this homecoming time...
Help us remember and tell again the stories
of all we shared with the one(s)
Open our hearts to joyful memories
of the times and love we knew
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 grow stronger
in our remembering those
who've now gone home to you…
Help us trust, in faith,
now have a place in your heart
and a seat at your table in heaven...
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 each of us some quiet time today,
time to share with you,
to share our memories and our losses,
our feelings, thoughts, and tears...
Even in our grief help us remember, Lord,
this is the day that you have made!
Help us find and rejoice
the peace we pray you share even now
with those who've gone before us...
We pray then, Lord, for all who know
the burdens this day brings:
we trust you'll hear and answer us
who give you thanks and praise...
Amen.
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