Here’s a
prayer of thanksgiving from the River East Mennonite Brethren Church in
Winnipeg, Manitoba. It would be suitable
for use at a Thanksgiving Day service or at the start of a new year.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Lord, You
have blessed us as a church over the past year.
Through
good times and difficult times
we have
felt Your hand of grace, forgiveness and healing.
Today, as a
congregation,
we want to
publicly express our gratitude to You.
We thank
You for the leaders among us—
for the
many in our church who offer their time, energy and abilities to lead us—
both paid
staff and volunteers, seen and unseen.
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks.
We thank
You for the children of our congregation.
Each time a
baby cries or shouts,
we are
reminded of how much You love them.
We also
thank You for the young people among us,
for the
energy and passion they bring to us.
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks.
We thank
You for many opportunities we have had to serve You,
to
demonstrate our love for You to our co-workers,
our
neighbors, our families and friends.
We thank
You for the many among us who make possible
the
ministries of [church programs].
We also
thank You for the many who reach out to others
in informal
ways each week.
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks.
We thank
You that even when sickness and accidents make our future uncertain,
You are
with us,
strengthening,
healing and encouraging.
We thank
You that we can be part of the healing process
as we help
care for one another.
We
especially thank You for the healing experienced by [names]
and for all
the others who have felt Your healing and sustaining touch
this past
year.
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks.
We thank
You for friendship.
We thank
You for the many times we have enjoyed each other’s company
over meals,
in times of recreation and service, and in smaller groups.
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks.
Indeed,
Lord, You have blessed us.
We have
been blessed materially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
As we look
back over this past year, we realize that we have much to be grateful for.
We humbly
receive the gifts You have given us,
knowing
that You are the giver of all good things.
And so
together we say:
For these blessings, Lord, we give
You thanks. Amen.
~ as used
at the River East Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
