Thanksgiving for the Gift of Life

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Blessed be the name of God Almighty who has created life for his pleasure and glory. Blessed be God who formed me in the womb and knew me before I came into being. Blessed be the great gift of life which I enjoy thanks to the care of my parents who brought me up by God's will.

Lord my God, author and preserver of life: I thank you for allowing me to exist, I thank you for having created me out of nothing and for making me a unique being, full of gifts that reflect your image. I am sorry Lord that I have not lived according to your desires but according to my weak sinful nature. I repent of my past life and I consecrate to you my life anew to thrive in your Presence and in the designs of your Holy Will.

Thank you Lord for the world, this wonderful stage of life which you present to us daily.
I thank you Lord for the lives of all my brothers and sisters both alive and dead. They will be my company in eternity before the vision of your Glory. Thank you Lord for the gift of innocent life which has been wasted because of our negligence, please forgive us Lord for our sins.

Thank Lord you for all the elements that accompany us and permit our existence. Thank you Lord for the air that we breath, for the blood that runs through our veins, thank you Lord for the gift of time and space. Thank you for the wonderful universe that is beyond our comprehension, for the stars, the planets and the constellations.

Thank you for our intelligence, for the gifts that you have bestowed upon every one of us. Thank you Lord because you call us your children even though we do not deserve that title.

Thank you Lord because " I am who I am because You are who you are ".

Thanksgiving Day Prayer: Psalm 107:1

Give thanks unto Lord,
for He is good, for His mercy,
endureth forever.

Thanksgiving Prayer: We Give Thanks

- Harry Jewell

Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.

Family Thanksgiving Prayer

Jesus, thank you for loving us;
And providing food, shelter, and each other.
Every moment of our lives is a gift;
And we appreciate all the time You have given us.
Thank you for all our good fortune.
Amen.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer: We Gather Together

-Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn
(A translation by Theodore Baker: 1851-1934)

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Amen

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

-Scott Wesemann

Lord, so often times, as any other day
When we sit down to our meal and pray

We hurry along and make fast the blessing
Thanks, amen.
Now please pass the dressing

We're slaves to the olfactory overload
We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold

But Lord, I'd like to take a few minute more
To really give thanks to what I'm thankful for

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure
Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place
And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

So please, heavenly Father, bless this food You've provided
And bless each and every person invited

Amen!

Happy Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise.
Your justice, love and mercy abound.
We thank you this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of your Divine Son,
we thank you Father,
through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church,
we thank you Father,
it is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to your Son,
we thank you Father,
their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us,
we thank you Father,
their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses,
we thank you Father,
together we seek you.

For the gift of children,
we thank you Father,
they are your precious gifts to us and to the world.

For the gift of our families,
loved ones and good friends,
we thank you Father,
Through them we see the reflection of your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have,
we thank you Father,
give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

For the bounty we are about to eat,
we thank you through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father all-powerful,
Your gifts of love are countless
and Your goodness infinite.
On Thanksgiving Day we come before You
with gratitude for Your kindness:
open our hearts to concern for our fellow men and women,
so that we may share Your gifts in loving service.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving - II

We Thank Thee Lord
With hearts filled with gratitude,
we thank You, Lord our God,
for gifting us with good friends.
We are grateful for all those persons in our lives
who have chosen us to be their friends
for truly this is a rich and sacred trust.

Be the sacrament of friendship,
we share our mutual journeys to you,
Sour of All Love and Life.
In sharing, we find our happiness expanded
and our sorrow lightened,
and, for this blessing, we are grateful.

We prayerfully rejoice
that Your Son, Jesus, has called each of us
from the position of servants
to the honor of being His friends.

Blessed are You, God of Unity,
for entering our lives through friendship.
Make us, we pray, worthy of such a gift
by being faithful but non-possessive,
be being loyal but honest
and by being ever grateful
for the gift of good friends.

Blessed are You, Lord
our God,who gifts us with
the joys of friendship.
Amen

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

I praise Thee, O God of our Fathers, I hymn Thee, I bless Thee, I give thanks unto thee for Thy great and tender mercy. To Thee I flee, O merciful and mighty God. Shine into my heart with the True Sun of Thy righteousness. Enlighten my mind and keep all my senses, that henceforth I may walk uprightly and keep Thy commandments, and may finally attain unto eternal life, even to Thee, Who art the source of life, and be admitted to the glorious fruition of Thy inaccessible Light. For Thou art my God, and unto Thee, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be ascribed glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

My Thanksgiving Prayer to You

By Judy N. Marquart, © November 2002

My Thanksgiving prayer
to you from me;
Is for love strong and true
that you hold within thee.

A heart that beats steady
and holds love within;
For your brothers and sisters
and all creatures by Him.

A soul that is worthy
of all of His love;
That is given to you
from the Heavens above.

Food on your table
that you thank the Lord for;
Friends to surround you
forever and more.

A house filled with love
and the light how it shines;
Showing all of its beauty
till the end of time.

Kindness towards others
for all of your days;
To be returned I pray
in many a way.

A good job to keep you
and pay all your bills;
That you spend it all wisely
and not on the frills.

A family around you
that is loving and true;
That you all stand together
for there are so few.

Children to bless you
if that is God's will;
To cherish and nourish
so your life is fulfilled.

Dreams of pure beauty
as you lay there and sleep;
Through the peaceful night
when darkness is deep.

An angel to guide you
through morning and night;
To protect you and love you
till the end of your plight.

And last but most important
your love for God will shine through;
To the Heavens above
for He's waiting for you.

Amen and God bless!

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

A Thanksgiving Day prayer, by Brian F. King

O Lord, with humble hearts we pray
Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day
And ask that at table place,
Where grateful folk say words of grace,
That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field.
We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board;
And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.