This liturgy seeks to bear in mind the unique and difficult circumstances of 2020, as well as the fact that many Thanksgiving gatherings will be virtual.
Leader: O God of all peoples -- in the United States and around the world -- we come before you today with hearts prepared to give thanks.
People: We know that we are to show gratitude in all circumstances, and this season of uncertainty is no exception.
Quiet our hearts in this moment. We have joined together – with many walls and many miles between us – to lean into the goodness of who you are, who you have been, and who you will be.
Your love endures forever.
Father, we carry in our mortal bodies the burdens of this year, and yet we remember your presence and your faithfulness. Through every news headline, with every voice crying out for justice, in every private moment laden with fear and anxiety, you have still been God, and you have still been good.
Your love endures forever.
While we honor the tradition of Thanksgiving Day and the legacy of the United States, we remember also the innocent blood that stains the pages of its history. We thank you, Lord God, that you are the great Redeemer. Only you can make us whole and only you can heal the wickedness and the wounds in our hearts and in our history.
Your love endures forever.
O great Redeemer, grant us the ability to hold the deep sorrow for all that has been lost – today and in years past – amidst the deep gratitude for all with which we have been blessed.
Even in our pain, Lord, you are sovereign. Your love endures forever.
The earth and its fullness are yours, O Lord, yet you remember us, and are mindful of our most menial moments. We come before you with gratitude for the care and attention you give to each of us, even as we too often fail to be attentive to you. For you alone, O God, are the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
Your love endures forever.
O God from whom all blessings flow, we thank you for all you have given:
For health and home,
For food and clothing,
For books and bicycles,
For gardens and smartphones,
For our leaders,
For friends,
For children,
For family,
O God from whom all blessings flow, may we thank you in all circumstances:
In pleasure and pain,
In fellowship and loneliness,
In ease and struggle,
In plenty and need,
In our uncertainty,
In our frustration,
In our fear,
In our failure,
In every season, may we hope in you and give you thanks.
Your love endures forever.
We praise you, Creator God, for you alone perform great wonders. You alone hold the depths of all wisdom and all knowledge. It was through your Wisdom that the heavens were made, and it was through the Breath of your mighty word that the earth was spread upon the waters. We rest in the security of your power and in the warmth of your light. We thank you for the sun and the moon, which give light to us as they govern the day and the night. And we thank you for your Son, the true light of the world, who rules and governs all things.
We praise you, O God, from whom all blessings flow. Your love endures forever.
Amen.
This resource is part of the series In All Circumstances – A Theology of Gratitude. Click Here to explore more resources from this series.
Zachary Wagner is the Editorial Director of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is an MSt Candidate in Theology at the University of Oxford. He graduated from the Moody Bible Institute and holds Masters degrees in Theology and Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College. Shelby Wagner is a homemaker and aspiring author. She holds a bachelors degree in Music Education from Wheaton College. Zach and Shelby live with their two children in Oxfordshire, England.
