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Call to Worship (Psalm 100)
L: Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
P: Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
L: 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.
P: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
L: For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Come let us worship our Lord!
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You may also consider the following Psalms for a call to worship: Psalms 33, 45, 65, 66, 67, 92, 111, 136, 126

A Thanksgiving Prayer

For the haunting rhythm of our universe,
we thank you, Creator and Lord.
For the still-reaching reachers of our world,
we thank you, Creator and Lord.

For giving us a history and a destiny,
we thank you, Redeemer and Lord.
For becoming yourself, a man among men,
we thank you, Redeemer and Lord.

For drawing us into the mystery of life and love,
we thank you, Spirit and Lord.
For touching us with stars and blades of grass,
we thank you, Spirit and Lord.
Amen.

A SIMPLE PRAYER OF THANKFULNESS 
by Keren Michael Stein

What is my prayer of thankfulness?

I thank You, Lord . . .

For having a warm place to stay.
For having enough food to eat.
For having an abundance of clothing.
For giving me friends.
For giving me kind words to say.
For peace in the knowledge I belong to you.
For loving me unconditionally.
For your patience with me.
For the assurance that I'm going to heaven.
For the courage to not look at things as they are, but instead to look at things from God's perspective.
For your assurance that I can give all my cares and burdens to you.
For always being there to hear my prayers.
For answering some I haven't even said yet.
For making my cup to runneth over with joy when there's absolutely no natural reason for it.

Thank you, Lord.  Amen.

 

A Litany of Thanksgiving:

Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts so freely bestowed upon us; for the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea, We thank you, O God. For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ, We thank you, O God. For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends, We thank you, O God. For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, We thank you, O God. For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and  play, We thank you, O God. For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity, We thank you, O God. For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice, We thank you, O God. For the communion of saints, in all times and places, We thank you, O God. Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord: To Christ be praise and glory, with you, O God, and the Holy Spirit now and forever.  Amen.

 

A Child's Thanksgiving Prayer

(may be prayed by the entire congregation)

On Thanksgiving Day,
I thank God for my family and my sister.
I thank God for the rain and the sun.
I thank God for my Teddy Bear.
I thank God for my teachers and for my friends.
I thank you, God, for life and love.

On Thanksgiving Day,
I pray to God for all the poor people
who are hungry today because
they have no food, no home, no family
and no friends. They are all alone.
Only God remembers the poor.

On Thanksgiving Day,
I pray for the children who are hungry,
who have no parents, and no loving church.
I pray that God will spend Thanksgiving with them.
Please God visit me and love me;
I am not poor, but I love you too.

Closing Prayer (in unison):

How good it is to join in prayers of thanksgiving and songs of praise!  You have been good to us, gracious God!  For sunshine and rain, for the labors of all who harvest the grain, we pour out our gratitude.  You have dealt wondrously with us so that we have more than we need.  Dwell with us now that we may not only be inspired to share but also prompted to work for a more just world in which all your children have enough to eat and reasons for joy.  Amen.