Some Worship Resources
Thanksgiving Sunday

HYMNS
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
For the Beauty of the Earth
Now Thank We All Our God
Thank You, Lord
All Creatures of Our God
For the Fruits of This Creation
Mountains Are All Aglow
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
We Gather Together
What Gift Can We Bring

GREETING
L: Give thanks to the Lord, because God is good,
and God’s love is eternal. Let the people of
God say,
P: "God’s love is eternal."
L: Let the priests of God say,
P: "God’s love is eternal."
L: Let all who worship God say,
P: "God’s love is eternal." (based on Psalm 118:1-4)

OPENING PRAYER
LEADER: Thank you, Creator of the universe, for the people
gathered around us today. We give you thanks for the
the things of the earth that give us the means of
life.
PEOPLE: Thank you for the plants, animals, and birds that we
use as food and medicine.
LEADER: Thank you for the natural world, in which we find
the means to be clothed and housed.
PEOPLE: Thank you, Lord, for the ability to use these gifts
of the natural world.
LEADER: Help us to see our place among these gifts, not to
squander them or think of them as means for slefish
gain.
PEOPLE: May we respect the life of all you have made. May
our spirits be strengthened by using only what we
need, and may we use our strength to help those who
need us. Amen.

A PRAYER OF THANKS FOR AFTER THE OFFERING
O Lord our God, the author and giver of all good things,
we thank you for all your mercies,
and for your loving care over all your creatures.
We bless you for the gift of life, for your protection round about us,
for your guiding hand upon us,
and for the tokens of your love within us.
We thank you for friendship and duty,
for good hopes and precious memories, for the joys that cheer us,
and the trials that teach us to trust you.
Most of all we thank you
for the saving knowledge of your Son our Savior,
for the living presence of your Spirit, the Comforter,
for your Church, the body of Christ,
for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and all the means of
grace.
In all these things, O God,
make us wise for a right use of your benefits,
that we may render an acceptable thanksgiving unto you
all the days of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THANSKGIVING LITANY

Let us give thanks to God our father, always and for everything, saying, "We
thank you, Lord."

For the beauty and wonder of creation.
We thank you, Lord

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of
Christ, We...

For our daily food, for our homes and families and friends, We...

For minds to think and hearts to love, We...

For health, strength, and skill to work, and for leisure to rest and play,
We...

For those who are brave and courageous, patient in suffering, and faithful in
adversity, We...

For all who pursue peace, justice, and truth, We...

[Today we give thanks especially for......... We....]

For (...and) all the saints whose lives have reflected the light of Christ,
We...
(BAS, p. 128)

*******************

The Pilgrims had a custom of putting five kernels of corn on each empty plate before a dinner of thanksgiving was served. In many old Plymouth families the custom is still followed today. It is done on Thanksgiving Day, or on December 21 (the anniversary of the Plymouth landing.)

The five kernels were chosen because, prior to the first harvest, life was so hard that the daily ration was five kernels of corn per person. Before you eat your Thanksgiving meal, think of the Pilgrims and their custom; reflect on the things you have to give thanks for, and do so!

Five Kernel Prayer

Five kernels of corn on an empty plate
reminding us of our Pilgrim kin,
whose hunger was so very great
that death might have become a friend.

O great creator of the earth itself,
you who give bounteous harvest from seed,
grant that we not so much stock our shelf,
as share your abundance with those in need.

When we sit down to tables stacked
with food of every sort and name,
before mouth and stomach are packed,
may we remember from whence it came.

Amen.