Many will gather with family and friends; other will spend the day alone. Either way, it is good to keep perspective, to remember our place in the grand scheme. Perhaps this table prayer can help…
God who created the world and invited us to be caretakers:
We give you thanks for all that is, for seas and sky, for forests and mountains, for shooting stars and white water rapids, for cities and open spaces.
You have created habitat for all, and provided all that we need to thrive.
In our arrogance and ignorance, we have made a mess. The seas are rising, the ice caps are melting, the rainforests are disappearing, the sky is falling, and capitalism continues its assault on the world's water supply.
Yet we dare still ask your blessing.
Bless us, O God. Bless us with imagination, with clarity, with devotion to creation. Bless us with righteous indignation, with energy, with desire for a better world.
Make our bodies strong, fill our minds with your visions, and pour your spirit into our spirits.
On this day of national thanksgiving, remind us that we share the earth even with creatures we cannot see, creatures vitally important to the balance you once established.
Teach us to care about that which we cannot see.
The food before us was prepared by workers least likely to enjoy a day off — those who labor in fields and processing plants, in slaughterhouses and retail outlets, in prep kitchens and dish rooms.
Teach us to care about those we may not know.
Our consumption comes at a cost. We repent for the lives of animals raised in misery, slaughtered in terror. Free us to free them from the misery and terror.
Teach us to live lives in honor of others.
And as we gather with family or friends, keep us mindful of those for whom "place" is elusive. Open our hearts to those shunned by family, those without home or welcome, without country.
Teach us hospitality.
As our nation celebrates, we know our Native American neighbors grieve the land, lives and cultures we have stolen. On their National Day of Mourning, help us see our destructive ways and turn to a way of life.
Teach us to repent.
Fill us, O God, with humility and grace, that we may be caring neighbors around the world, partners in creating the kind of world that is possible.
Bless us, O God. Bless this meal. Make us your people again. Amen.