A THANKSGIVING PRAYER
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a truly “feel good” holiday. It is the day I always celebrate humanity. Of course, some houses celebrate Thanksgiving with a little more “humanity” present than other houses. But, unlike Christmas with its emphasis on “gifts,” Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate “people.” And, “God.”
Thanksgiving is a day unlike any other day of the year. Special tablecloths and decorations. A new outfit to wear. The fine china comes out of the china cabinet, along with the crystal glasses. Special platters (like the one that holds two dozen deviled eggs, for example) and oversized bowls come down from their year-long hibernation on the pantry shelves. The cookbooks come out, and the resulting once-a-year feast is a culinary and physical accomplishment unmatched the rest of the year. (IF I don’t burn the gravy this year.)
So, as I do my menu planning and preparations this year, I think about a Thanksgiving prayer to be said before the meal. It is a special day. Special people in our lives, will be eating my “special” (reads “once-a-year”) creations. I want a “special” prayer to be said before we eat. Not a prayer that we say every day - a prayer just for Thanksgiving.
Our Thanksgiving guests are always an eclectic group. This year is no exception. My guests will include, among others, my husband’s devoutly Catholic cousins, my Buddhist ex-sister-in-law, my evangelical Southern Baptist cousin flying in from Georgia, my agnostic neighbors and dear friends, and a Unitarian thrown in the stew for spice. WHOSE PRAYER DO WE USE??? (And, who is going to say the prayer?)
Past holidays have included my husband’s standard prayer of : “Rub a dub dub. Thanks for the grub. YEAAAAA , God!!!” A brief pause. Then, “Let’s eat!!” Cute. But, not this Thanksgiving.
The Catholic cousin is always ready and willing to say the standard Catholic prayer of BlessusOLordandthesethygiftswhichweareabouttoreceivefromthybountythough-Christour
Lord. (this sentence is read as one word) (breathe) Amen.” Nice. But, it is always the same. The Catholics don’t do “improv.”
I would like to ask my Southern Baptist cousin to say the prayer this year. The Baptists do “personalized” prayers, and are great with improvisation (for example, praying for a safe journey home for the guest they just met five minutes ago.) But, our family has a lot of things to be thankful for this year, and I am just afraid the food will get cold before my cousin finishes listing them all.
I need an “extraordinary” prayer for an “extraordinary” day.
I thank God every day in my prayers for all the blessings in my life. I would like to thank God on just one day for, well................. just being God.
How do you thank God for just being HIMSELF??
And then, it came. An e-mail arrived from a good friend, Dr. Chris Ayers, a North Carolina minister. The e-mail had nothing to do with Thanksgiving; it was written in a totally different context. But, buried in the middle of this e-mail was Psalm 100 (Verses 1-5). As I read through this Psalm, I thought “THIS IS IT!!” “THIS IS MY THANKSGIVING PRAYER!” A prayer to thank God, for just being who HE is.
And so, on this Thanksgiving, this will be our Thanksgiving prayer.
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Psalm 100
100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness: come into his presence with singing.
100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are
his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Amen.
(a VERY short pause, before:)
“Let’s Eat!”
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Wishing everyone a Thanksgiving of love and laughter.
Rosalie Mann
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