I would suspect that the Thanksgiving holiday might be the national favorite because it has a spiritual component that is not grounded in any specific denomination. Everyone understands the concept of giving thanks and the holiday provides us with a non-denominational God to whom we give thanks. It is for this reason that many towns have an Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service. Our town of Wayne is no exception and this year our own Annual Wayne Clergy Fellowship Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held at the United M:ethodist Church at 99 Parish Drive on Tuesday evening, November 20 at 7:00 PM. I sincerely hope that many of you will be able to join us for this deeply spiritual and festive service.
Thanksgiving has evolved from simply giving thanks for the food we eat to a much deeper appreciation of God’s generosity to us. We are deeply blessed, as Americans, with a wonderful country to live in and great traditions of democracy and freedom, which are the foundations of our nation. As you gather with your family and friends, I would hope that every parish family does not forget to pray before you enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Please make it an inclusive and deeply heartfelt prayer — perhaps asking the children to add their own special intentions and, of course, do not forget to remember those who are too far away to join family and friends, especially our troops at sea or in foreign lands. If you need a further suggestion, try and include some words of Jesus or even perhaps one of the many parables, which deal with Jesus caring for the poor.
I hope you will take the suggestions for prayer seriously. So many times grace before meals can be rather “canned” and “spoken” for the sake of being proper. Let your prayer be spontaneous and from your heart…
Let your prayer rise from your Thanksgiving table to the throne of the Almighty that our God may lovingly hold your family in the palm of His hand.