We Come to Give Thanks

Leader: God, Loving Author of Creation, we gather today to give you praise and thanks. O We look upon creation, and delight in the beauty of our world, the magnificence of the many gifts that fill our lives. You created us as women and men to be partners with you in caring for your world and its people. We are sisters and brothers in one human family, made more beautiful because of the rich diversity of our gifts, hopes, and dreams. All: L  ord,wecometogivethankstoyouforourdailybreadandfortheharvestof goodthingsinourlives.Weproclaimyourgoodnessandcelebratethegreatgifts thatyouhavegivenus.

A Thanksgiving Psalm (Vienna Cobb Anderson) - Note: alternate sides read where the font changes. All: All: All: All: All: God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace, We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends which make our lives sweet. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joyful sounds that the ear may hear, for all that awaits us to fill our lives with wonderful surprises, for the future that draws us beyond ourselves. We thank you for our relationships: for families who nurture us as we become and grow, for friends who love us and accompany us, for colleagues at work who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other cultures who enrich our understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for elderly who guide us and remind us of wha to hold on to, for the yet unborn who offer us hope for the future. We thank you for this day: for one more day to live and love, grow and give, for your grace, your presence, and your promise: to be with us, to be for us, to be our God. For these and all your blessings, we give you thanks, O God.

We Come to Give Thanks

Reading: Colossians 3: 14 - 17 Be thankful with gratitude in your hearts to God. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Reflection: Blessed Are You Blessed are you If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. Blessed are you If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. Blessed are you If you woke up this morning with more health and strength than illness and weakness you are not to be one of the million people in the world who will not survive this week. Blessed are you If you have never experienced the terrors of war, imprisonment, torture, or the pangs of starvation you are better off than 500 million people in the world today. Blessed are you If you can attend a religious service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you have more freedom than three billion people in the world. Blessed are you If you can even read this you have more formal education than over a billion people in the world today who cannot read at all. Litany of Gratitude Source of Creation and Life of the Universe, we are grateful for creation in all its majesty we are grateful for the life we are lent. We pledge to lift up our voices both in praise of You and in defense of Your Creation. (Rabbi Warren G. Stone) Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things, I give thanks for the beauty You put in every one of Your creations. May all of the Children of Earth learn to see the same perfection in themselves, finding in all of Creation the living extensions of Your perfect love. (Aztec Native American) With every breath I take today, I vow to be awake; And every step I take, I vow to take with a grateful heart. As I take each step, my foot kisses the floor. I walk in gratitude to God for the gifts of the earth. (Buddhist Prayer of Blue Iris Sangha) Blessed are You, loving Father, for all your gifts to us. Blessed are You for giving us family and friends to be with us in times of joy and sorrow, to help us in times of need, and to rejoice with us in moments of celebration... (St. Theresa of Avila)

We Come to Give Thanks

Closing Prayer

Gracious God, we thank you for bringing us to another Thanksgiving Day to celebrate your goodness to us. Open our eyes to see and appreciate the many ways that you care and provide for us and our families. In grateful response to your goodness, may we be your instruments of kindness and mercy in this world, knowing that we are blessed by you so that we might provide help and create hope for others. Thank you, O God, for the wonderful things you do. We are truly grateful for all your gifts to us. AMEN.