Thanksgiving Meal Blessing

Host and/or Hostess of the Meal:  Come! Let us welcome the feast of Thanksgiving with joy and with light.   Light is the symbol of the Divine, who is with us around this table.  May the light of our gratitude burn brightly in our hearts and in our world. (candles on the table are lighted)

Guest:  In the silence of our hearts, let each of us give thanks for all the many gifts that are ours.

Guest:  Let us also be mindful of those today who are without food, family, or home.

Guest:   Let us remember all whom we love who are not now present with us here:  those who have gone before us, those in the present time, and those to be born whom we will love.

Guest:  God of all good gifts, from your holy heart has come a flood of gifts upon us.

Guest:  With uplifted hearts, we gather together to thank you with prayer and with the worship of feasting.

Guest:  We are grateful not only for the gift of life itself, but for all the gifts of friendship, love, devotion, and forgiveness that we have shared.

Guest:  May we give our thanks by lives of service, by deeds of hospitality, by kindness to strangers and by concern for one another.

Guest:  We are most grateful this feast day for the way you, our God, are visible to us in one another, in countless daily gifts, in the marvels of creation.

Together:  We bless you oh God, for the blessings of our lives; and invite you to bless our table and all of the food of this feast that we share.  Let us thank the Lord today and all days.  Amen.