Thanksgiving from Scripture: Psalm 65
[Congregational response (in bold) is from the hymn "We Praise You, O God" Cory. It can be spoken or sung by the congregation using the tune KREMSER. The leader's text is taken from Psalm 65 NRSVUE]
Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed.
We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring,
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
We lay it before you, we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing.
By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
We worship you, God of our fathers and mothers;
through life's storm and tempest our guide you have been.
You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
When perils o'er take us, you never forsake us.
And with your help, O Lord, our battles we win.
You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
With voices united our praises we offer;
our songs of thanksgiving to you we now raise.
You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
Your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us.
To you, our great Redeemer, fore'er be praise!
—Submitted by First Reformed Church, Saddle Brook, New Jersey (Reformed Church in America)
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession: Sunday/Morning Prayer
Mighty God of mercy, we thank you
for the resurrection dawn
bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.
Especially we thank you
—for the beauty of your creation, [silence]
—for the new creation in Christ,
—for and all gifts of healing and forgiveness, [silence]
—for the sustaining love of family and friends, [silence]
—for the fellowship of faith in your church. [silence]
Merciful God of might, renew this weary world,
heal the hurts of all your children,
and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.
Especially we pray
—for those who govern nations of the world, [silence]
—for the people of countries where there is strife or warfare, [silence]
—for all who work for peace and international harmony, [silence]
—for the church of Jesus Christ in every land, [silence]
[Prayer may conclude in silence, with additional prayers for intercession and/or with the Lord's Prayer]
—From Book of Common Worship © 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press. Used by permission.
Prayers of Thanksgiving after the Offering
All things come from you, O God,
and with gratitude we return to you what is
yours.
You created all that is, and with love formed us
in your image.
When our love failed, your love remained
steadfast.
You gave your only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our
Savior.
All that we are, and all that we have, is a trust
from you.
And so, in gratitude for all your gifts,
we offer you ourselves, and all that we have,
in union with Christ's offering for us.
By your Holy Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
—Hoyt L. Hickman, in The United Methodist Book of Worship. © 1992, The United Methodist Publishing House.
Thanksgiving for Water
[Children gather at the front in a large semicircle and are divided into four groups The worship leader reads the prayer while the various groups express the prayer through movement (see the downloadable resource following the article)]
All: Father in heaven,
we thank and praise you
for your goodness.
[All movement is done deliberately.]
Group 1: We thank you for water that
refreshes as it rains down on
the earth after it has been
warmed by the sun.
[Downward movement of arms in a circle in front of the body]
Group 4: We thank you for water
that rushes over rocks and
down mountainsides;
as it cleanses us of the impurities of our own deeds.
[Flowing movement as though water]
Group 2: We thank you, Father, for water
that quenches our thirst;
that makes us ready to
speak your word fresh each day.
[Upward movement beginning at chin]
Group 3: We thank you for water,
that gives new life to
the hidden seed
to the giant oak,
and to the rivers of our earth.
[Bowing movement from waist]
—From Signs, Songs and Stories, Virginia Sloyan, ed. © 1974 by the Liturgical Conference, Inc., Washington, D.C Used by permission.
