Here’s
a Thanksgiving prayer of confession and intercession from Carol Penner’s wonderful Leading in Worship site.
Prayer of Confession and Intercession
for Thanksgiving
for Thanksgiving
For
what we are about to receive,
may
the Lord make us truly thankful.
We
pray today for all who are too jealous to be thankful,
who complain, “Why do they get everything?”
and who are always comparing themselves with those who
have more.
We
pray for all who have forgotten how to say thank you;
who have gotten used to saying, “I earned this,”
and who truly feel they have only themselves to
thank.
We
pray for all who are too busy to be thankful;
who asked themselves this morning, “Do I have time
to go to church?”
and who even in worship are thinking about their
to-do lists.
We
pray for all who are grudgingly thankful;
who say, “I guess this will have to do,”
while believing that God has given them a raw deal.
We
pray for all who are too tired to be thankful,
who sigh, “I just want to get through this day,”
and who have no energy to open their eyes to the
blessings around them.
We
pray for all who are not thankful enough to be generous,
who bargain with God, “I’ll be unselfish when you
give me more,”
or who are free with money, but are stingy in
spending time with others.
We
pray for all who are barely thankful;
who say the words, but don’t feel grateful in their
hearts
who go through the motions, but think,
“I don’t know how to be really thankful.”
Today
we pray a simple prayer.
For
what we have received, Lord,
make
us truly thankful. Amen.
~
written by Carol Penner, and posted on Leading
in Worship. http://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/
