“A Thanksgiving Prayer in Time of Pandemic.” Copyright © Diana Macalintal, 2020. Used with permission.

Happy Thanksgiving to Our Family & Friends

We are Thankful for You

A Thanksgiving Prayer in Time of Pandemic

On this Thanksgiving Day like no other, even now, O God, your name is worthy to be praised. 
For in your mercy and kindness no thought of ours is left unguarded,
no tear unheeded, and no joy unnoticed.

For the blessings we have known and for those we have yet to recognize, 
to you we give our grateful thanks.

For life that reminds us how fragile we are and also how strong we can be: 
We thank you, O God.

For sheltering that urges us to rediscover what truly matters: 
We thank you, O God.

For communication that allows us to connect in ways new and old: 
We thank you, O God.

And for mindfulness that shows us how much we rely on one another: 
We thank you, O God.

Watch over your family, Lord, gathered here and at tables separated by miles,
and bless those who work tirelessly to keep us all safe. 

Though we may be kept apart on this day that calls us together,
we know your Spirit draws us close.

Lord, we ask you to ease the pain of empty chairs that bring to mind our beloved dead.
Let our grieving find its rest in your Son, Jesus, in whose Resurrection is our hope.

Grant your Spirit to be present here that this meal may become a foretaste of your heavenly table

where every tear shall be wiped away, every hunger fed,
and no distance can separate us from your love in Christ, from whom all good things come.
Amen.