Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
And also with you.
People of God, lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the One who cradles our hearts in loving hands.
People of
God, let us give thanks to the God who sets a Table for us.
We praise the Lord our God who welcomes us with open arms.
How lonely
was chaos, Gardener of the Universe,
until you
spoke a Word, and your Spirit created:
leaves
that burnish gold and red in autumn,
snow
that drifts lazily in winter skies,
frozen
brooks that burst in spring,
ponds
splashing with children in summer.
You planted
the seeds of joy in our ancestors
hoping they
would pass them onto us,
but
they walked sin’s lonely streets
and
drank the bitter tears death offered.
Though the
prophets came
to remind us
of your great faithfulness,
we
continued to feast on the
wormwood
and gall offered by the world.
But you would not forget us,
and so sent
Jesus to bring us home to you.
Therefore we
join our voices,
as we sing
of your mercies
made fresh
in every moment
Holy,
holy, holy God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
You alone are holy, heart Speaker,
and we are
blessed through Jesus, life’s Promise.
When we
would wander the lonely streets of the world,
he
would take us by the hand,
to
lead us into your joy.
When others would pass on
bitterness
and hate to us,
he
fills us with the gifts
of
hope and love.
Splashing
in sin's puddles,
he washed our feet
and dried them with his love,
leading us into the
kingdom.
Daughters of despair, sons of sadness,
orphans of woe -
he gathers us all up
in his arms of mercy
wiping out death,
and sits us down
at the family
Table.
As we remember his grace and love,
as we dare not forget his sacrifice for us,
we sing of that mystery we call faith:
When
we eat this bread and drink this cup,
We proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,
Until you come in glory.
Holy Spirit,
as we offer the gifts
of the bread and the cup
for your blessing,
so we present ourselves:
our accomplishments, our failings,
our hopes, our realities.
Make us weak,
so we might rely
on your strength.
As we have heard the Word,
may we listen
to the cries of the
poor.
As we are family
with those sitting beside us today,
may we love our sisters and brothers
in every corner of
creation.
As you hold out
the bread and the cup to us,
may we reach out to enemies
to clasp hands as
friends.
God in Community, Holy in One,
all honor and glory are yours,
as we sing our praises through all eternity:
Amen
(c) Thom M. Shuman
