Prayer template by Kyle Oliver for prayr.cc (CC BY 2.0)
Photo: “Thanksgiving table” [cropped] by Kevin Dooley via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

It can feel like a ton of pressure to be asked to give the Thanksgiving grace—especially if you don’t know everyone in your group especially well.

Why not crowdsource the Thanksgiving grace with this template?

Set it on the table or pass it around while everyone is milling around beforehand. Then pass it around when you’re seated and ready to pray and have everyone offer one of the petitions.

Here’s a link to a PDF worksheet, or you can copy this Google Doc to customize it for your gathering!

For this food, [especially the _____________________,] we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________’s hands who prepared it, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For _________________, which gave us so much joy this year, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For the strength to weather challenges, especially __________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For the opportunity to better understand ________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For the memory of ____________________, whom we lost [this year], we give you thanks, O God.

 

For the love of _______________________, who could not be with us, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________, with us for the first time, and the gifts of _________________ they share with us, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For people who serve and support those in need, especially ____________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For the gift of faith, and the blessings of _____________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________________________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________________________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________________________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For ___________________________________________________, we give you thanks, O God.

 

For people who are hungry today, people who work today, people who are lonely today, [and ____________________________________,] we ask your deliverance and loving presence, O God.

 

In the name of the Giver of All Good Gifts, we pray. Amen.

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Related Prayers

Both of these work pretty well as a Thanksgiving grace:

1. A General Thanksgiving
(Book of Common Prayer, Public Domain)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

9. For the Harvest
(Book of Common Prayer, Public Domain)

Most gracious God, by whose knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew: We yield thee hearty thanks and praise for the return of seed time and harvest, for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its fruits, and for all other blessings of thy merciful providence bestowed upon this nation and people. And, we beseech thee, give us a just sense of these great mercies, such as may appear in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost be all glory and honor, world without end. Amen.

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Related Media

SURJ Thanksgiving Discussion Guides

“a few ways to help support white folks in having tough conversations with other white folks”

10 Thanksgiving Prayers and Table Graces

Many choices for your Thanksgiving grace, from my pals in the CMT@VTS

You can support Creative Commons Prayer by buying our designs on Zazzle or by purchasing related media on Amazon.

“Thespis”

A Thanksgiving episode of Sports Night, one of my favorites

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