A Prayer on Thanksgiving Day

Here’s a thoughtful prayer reflection on thanksgiving from Rev. Carol Penner, a pastor in Edmonton, Alberta. It comes from her Leading in Worship website.

Thanksgiving Revolution

God, on this Thanksgiving we know enough to give thanks. Our prayers often begin, “Thank You God for…” and then we make a list. The list is longer today because it’s Thanksgiving. 

But what if thankfulness has nothing to do with lists? What if thankfulness is more like the difference between night and day, the difference between being shut in and being free, the difference between holding on and reaching out? What if thankfulness is not something to be grasped, not something that can be simply said, not some thing at all?

What if thankfulness is transformation? A Copernican revolution of the heart, a re-centering, from ourselves to Your Son. A blossoming, from bud to flower, all the way to the ripe red apple. A movement from life to death, and beyond the grave to resurrection. What if Thanksgiving is Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter all rolled into one.

When we are tempted to simply list our thanks, or give our thanks, show us the wider horizon, where we are the extravagant gesture, pressed down, shaken together, running over-- thankful people made in Your image.