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Thanksgiving is a national holiday, but it's also a religious celebration that transcends many faiths.
When the Pilgrims celebrated a good harvest in 1621, they found inspiration in Leviticus 23:33, which describes the Festival of Sukkot or The Feast of Tabernacles.
(The biblical holiday is still celebrated today in many Jewish households.)
Thanksgiving was made a national holiday in 1863 by a presidential proclamation in the midst of the Civil War. In his proclamation, President Lincoln asked the country to pray as one. The nation still prospered, he said, despite the ravages of the war: expanding its borders, growing in population and preserving peace with other nations.
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things," Lincoln wrote. "They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."
Today, the prayer offered before the Thanksgiving meal is typically the only religious connection to the holiday's roots.
So, don't skip it.
If you find yourself at a loss for words before God and the turkey this year, perhaps you can find inspiration from the prayers of five faith leaders in our area.
Happy Thanksgiving.
The Rev. Melvin Allen, pastor of New Mickle Baptist Church in Camden, suggested this prayer:
"Heavenly Father, we give you praise and thanks for your mercy and grace.
"We thank you for gathering us together around this table of blessings.
"We thank you for keeping us, your children, another day.
"We know it is because of your never-ending mercy and infinite grace we can share in this, your provision.
"We thank you for your marvelous love that has provided for us in every way.
"May this table nourish our bodies as you strengthen our spirits. Thank you, Lord, on this Thanksgiving Day. Amen."
The Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, bishop of the Diocese of Camden, offered this prayer for the dinner table:
"We give thanks for the gift of our families and friends and pray for those who have gone before us, whose memories we cherish;
"We give thanks for those who find themselves away from home this year, including our armed forces, and pray that they may return safely home;
"We give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and pray that we use these freedoms to build a more just and peaceful society;
"We give thanks for the gift of life and pray that our society will promote the value of life and those things which elevate human dignity;
"We give thanks for the bounty of our land and pray for all those who are homeless and hungry, those in our own land and those around the world;
"We give thanks to our Father who loves us, provides for us and knows our every need, and pray that the Spirit's love will shine forth in us as we serve one another in Christ's name.
"Amen."
Rabbi Richard A. Levine of Adath Emanu-El in Mount Laurel provided this prayer:
"O Eternal and Guiding Spirit:
"The ancient psalmist challenged us, "Give thanks to God." Too often in life we find ourselves turning to You only when we have need, real or imagined. Too often, amidst the harried nature of modern life, we fail to take note of the numerous blessings that are ours. Too few of us begin each day with expressions of thanks for the very gift of life itself. If we would only take the time, it is clear we have much for which to be thankful.
"There are the unique abilities and talents with which we are blessed. There are the gifts of wisdom, understanding and compassion. There are the ethical teachings that have been handed down to us as well as the gifts of nature that add both sustenance and beauty to our lives. There is the gift of freedom that is ours to uphold and advance. There is the very miracle of life itself.
"As we gather together on this Thanksgiving Day, surrounded by loved ones and friends, let us pause for a moment to express our gratitude and to commit ourselves to seek to fulfill the best of the potential within us. May we strive, through both deeds and words, for greater love and thankfulness within our families, our communities, our nation and all society. May we never be too busy to pause and say "thanks" to each other and to You for all our blessings. Blessed are You, O God, the source of these gifts and more.
"Amen."
The Rev. John Quay, teaching pastor at Joy Community Fellowship in Pitman, wrote this prayer:
"Father, our Creator and Provider, we pause to say, `Thank you.'
"Thank you for this wonderful food before us and the loving family and friends near us.
"You have richly and generously provided all of our needs - thank you. Lord, we thank you most of all for the most costly, loving and eternal gift you have given, the life of your Son.
"Father, we humbly acknowledge that we have done wrong, hurt others and that our good deeds are way insufficient to atone for our wrongs. But we rejoice that you provided a way that the penalty of our sin could be paid. As your Word says, Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.
"He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.
"You have also said that it is by grace we can be saved, through faith - and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
"So, Lord, we thank you for the grace you have shown us and place our faith in you and in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave his life for us.
"May we experience your love and power, working in us, through us, and around us.
"Strengthen our faith in you. Grant that our love for you and others would continuously increase, and that this love would be coupled with wisdom and knowledge of your will for our lives, that we would discern what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of our Lord's return.
"Today, we pray for a spirit of peace and mercy among us. Renew and strengthen friendships. May old injuries be forgiven and damaged relationships be forged anew. May your presence and Spirit be upon us and may your blessing be upon all who are present and upon our loved ones who could not be here.
"We thank you for the peace and prosperity we have in our country and ask that you continue to protect and provide for our nation.
"Please give wisdom and understanding to our leaders and direct their decisions. On many days, we are prone to take your blessings for granted. But today we say, `Thank you' and `We love you.'
"We pray in the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Lord of lords. Amen."
The Rev. Melanie Morel Sullivan, pastor of Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill, said a wise man once noted "If the only prayer you say in your whole life is `thank you,' that would suffice." She offered the following prayer:
"Gathered around this table in a circle of love, let us take time to offer our grateful thanks:
"We give thanks this day for the loved ones here present and for those who are separated from us - those lost to us in death, those distant from us in miles, those parted from us in conflict.
"May we strengthen our ties and keep our memories bright;
"And may we find the strength and courage to mend our broken relationships.
"We give thanks this day for this food spread before us, for the earth, sun, rain, wind, and turn of the seasons that helped it to grow, and for the human work that brought it to this table.
"We recall that not all enjoy this bounty and pledge to work to end hunger and want for all people.
"We give thanks this day for this shelter, this home, for all that went into building it, and all that goes into maintaining it.
"We remember that not all families are this protected and promise to work so that none go homeless.
"We give thanks this day for all that makes our lives rich and whole and good.
"Let us each say one thing we are grateful for today."
(Family members share around the table.)
"For all of these, and for so many blessings we cannot name, we give thanks this day, and every day. Amen."
-- COMPILED BY KIM MULFORD
