Thanksgiving Prayer
I got a very interesting animated Thanksgiving email card. For you non-computer types, e-mail cards are sort of like a cartoon that plays on your computer. The card I received today begins with a Pilgrim's hat tipped on its side. Blades of grass fly out of the hat and form a basket. A potato comes out and multiplies before all the potatoes settle into the basket. Pretty soon, other fruits and vegetables, grains and the like, all one by one, fly out of the hat and multiply before they settle into the basket. Whatever comes out of the basket multiplies in mid-air before they all find a resting place in the basket. And I can't help but wonder how similar our lives are to this email card. Allow me to explain.
There are many of us who firmly believe that all that we have, and all that we are, come to us as a gift from God. And as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we ponder on the amazing fact, that as our blessings leave God's hand, so to speak, they multiply as they settle into the basket we call "life." So as we celebrate together, I leave you with a version of a Thanksgiving Prayer I received:
"Gracious God, we thank you for blessings that come to us clearly marked: sumptuous foods, good health, clear minds, deliverance from danger, and the unspeakable gift of your salvation. We thank you, also, for blessings that come to us disguised: temporary setbacks that work a more enduring good, and unwelcome burdens that make us stronger."
"We pray also for our needs -- insofar as we can distinguish our needs from our wants: We want friends -- we need deliverance from the pride that puts others off. We want peace -- we need patience for that which makes peace. We want love -- we need fidelity, the only context in which authentic love can flourish."
"Finally, O God, give us the faith that comes from the hearing of your words, and the commitment to service that is born and nourished in communion with you, and with one another. All this we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."
