Thursday, October 7
Thought and Prayer of the Day
Thanksgiving edition
by Mother Jennifer
Dear Friends,
This coming weekend the wider world will be taking a moment to do what we Christians are called to do each and every week — to give thanks and praise for the good gifts that we have received.
Thanksgiving is an invitation to look around ourselves and to name the things we may take for granted most days: For the roof over our head, for the food on our tables, for family and friends, for health, and for the beauty of creation.
Though there may not be presents to unwrap on this particular feast day, we are invited to see the world through the prism that all that we have and all that we need is provided for us as a gift from God. This is echoed throughout our scriptures and when we truly take the time to acknowledge this, we are brought into a closer relationship with God.
Yet Thanksgiving also brings us into a closer relationship with one another and our natural world, too.
There is something unique and awe-inspiring in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Although we may not all share the same faith in God, on this day our entire nation, people from every faith (and none) are also invited and encouraged to look around and give thanks for the blessings in their lives. In doing so there is an acknowledgement that we are all connected. We are connected to each other in community and through the land which we share.
What would the world look like if we held on to this notion of gratitude more often? As Christians, let this be our goal. In the words of Anglican priest poet George Herbert’s hymn “King of Glory, King of Peace”:
Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee;
in my heart, though not in heaven, I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort to enrol thee:
even eternity’s too short to extol thee.
Happy Thanksgiving! I give thanks for all of you!
Jennifer +
Prayer:
Loving and gracious God,
your blessings are countless
and your love is never-ending.
As we celebrate this Thanksgiving,
we pray that you will open our hearts
to you and to one another,
that we may share the gifts you have given us
in loving service to all people.
Lord, our God,
you have done wondrous things on earth;
guide us as we care for and protect the earth,
our island home.
Grant us joy of heart,
and may peace dwell with us.
We pray in your Holy Name. Amen.
