As an ordained deacon, I am to pray the Liturgy of the Hours at Morning, Evening, and at Night, daily. The Liturgy of the Hours is made up of Psalms, biblical canticles, scripture readings, prayers of intercession, and, of course, the Lord’s Prayer. Since there isn’t a specific morning/evening prayer for Thanksgiving Day, I put together a Morning Prayer for Thanksgiving Day. Because I pray better with Inclusive Scripture, the Psalms, Canticles, and Scripture passages are from The Inclusive Bible (c) 2007 by Priests for Equality. The Rowan & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc, Lathan, Maryland, 20706, USA
THANKSGIVING MORNING PRAYER
INTRODUCTORY VERSE
O Adonai, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to God our Abba, to Jesus the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning is now and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.
HYMN
My Heart Leaps Up
by William Wordsworth
My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man; I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
PSALMODY
Antiphon 1: I praise you, Yahweh, for you are good, your love endures forever.
Psalm 104
Bless Yahweh, my soul!
Yahweh, my God, how great you are! clothed in majesty and glory,
rapped in a robe of light, waters above;
you use the clouds as your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind; you use the winds as
messengers and fiery flames as attendants.
You fixed the earth on its foundations so it can never totter,
and wrapped it with the Deep as with a robe, the waters overtopping the mountains.
At your rebuke the waters bolted, fleeing at the sound of your thunder,
cascading over the mountains, into the valleys, down to the reservoir you made for them;
you imposed boundaries they must never cross so they would never again flood the land.
You set springs gushing in ravines, running down between the mountains, supplying water for wild
animals
and attracting the thirsty wild donkeys;
the birds of the air make their nests by these waters and sing among the branches.
From your palace you water the highlands
until the ground is sated by the fruit of your work;
you make fresh grass grow for cattle and plants for us to cultivate
to get food from the soil— wine to cheer our hearts, oil to make our faces shine,
and bread to sustain our life.
The trees of Yahweh drink their fill— those cedars of Lebanon,
where birds build their nests and, on the highest branches, the stork makes its home.
for the wild goats there are the high mountains, and in the crags the rock badgers hide.
You made the moon to tell the seasons, and the sun knows when to set:
you bring darkness on, night falls, and all the forest animals come out— savage lions roaring for
their prey, claiming their food from God.
The sun rises, they retire,
going back to lie down in their lairs, and people go out to work,
to labor again until evening.
Yahweh, what variety you have created,
arranging everything so wisely!
the earth is filled with your creativity! there’s the vast expanse of the sea, teeming with
countless creatures, living things large and small,
with the ships going to and fro
and Leviathan whom you made to frolic there.
All creatures depend on you
to feed them at the proper time. Give it to them—they gather it up.
open your hand—they are well satisfied. Hide your face—they are terrified.
take away their breath—they die and return to dust. send back your breath—fresh life begins
and you renew the face of the earth.
Glory forever to Yahweh!
May you find joy in your creation!
You glance at the earth and it trembles; you touch the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to you
all my life,
I will make music for my God as long as I live.
May these reflections of mine give God as much pleasure as God gives me!
May the corrupt vanish from the earth and the violent exist no longer!
bless Yahweh, my soul! Alleluia!
Glory to God our Abba, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning is now
and will be for ever.
Antiphon 1: I praise you, Yahweh, for you are good, your love endures forever.”
Silent prayer
Antiphon 2: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O
most High.
CANTICLE – Ezechial 36:24-28
I will take you from the nations,
and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you,
and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
A new heart I will give you,
and a new spirit I will put within you;
and I will remove from your body the heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put my spirit within you,
and make you follow my statutes a
nd be careful to observe my ordinances.
Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors;
and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Glory to God our Abba, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning is now
and will be for ever.
Antiphon 2: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O
most High
Silent prayer
Antiphon 3: In everything I give you thanks my God.
Psalm 100
Acclaim Yahweh with joy, all the earth! Serve Yahweh with gladness!
Enter into God’s presence with a joyful song!
Know that Yahweh is God! Yahweh made us,
and we belong to the Creator; we are God’s people
and the sheep of God’s pasture.
Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and the courts with praise!
Give thanks to God!
Bless God’s Name! For Yahweh is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever, and God’s faithfulness
to all generations.
Glory to God our Abba, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning is now
and will be for ever.
Antiphon 3: In everything I give you thanks my God.
Silent prayer
SCRIPTURE READING – Colossians 3:12-17
Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion,
with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one
another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another—forgive in the same way God has
forgiven you. Above all else, put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect.
Let Christ’s peace reign in your hearts since, as members of one body, you have been called to that
peace. Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you.
Instruct and admonish one another wisely. Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns
and songs of the Spirit. And whatever you do, whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of
Jesus our Savior, giving thanks to God through Christ.
RESPONSORY
Praise and exalt God forever.
Praise and exalt God forever.
Let all the earth bless our God.
And exalt God forever.
Glory to God our Abba, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Praise and exalt God forever.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARY
Antiphon: It is a good thing to give thanks to you, O Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O
most High.
Blessed are you, the Most High God of Israel – for you have visited and redeemed your people.
You have raised up a mighty savior for us of the house of David,
as you promised through the mouths of your holy ones,
the prophets of ancient times: salvation from our enemies
and from the hands of all our foes.
You have shown mercy to our ancestors
by remembering the holy covenant you made with them,
the oath you swore to Abraham, granting that we,
delivered from the hands of our enemies,
might serve you without fear, in holiness and justice, in your presence all our days.
And you, my child,
will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you’ll go before our God
to prepare the way for the Promised One, Giving the people the knowledge of salvation through
forgiveness of their sins.
Such is the tender mercy of our God,
who from on high will bring the Rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to God our Abba, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning is now
and will be for ever.
Antiphon: It is a good thing to give thanks to you, O Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O
most High.
INTERCESSIONS
O God you have given us the light of another day. In return we thank you as we cry out to you:
Bless us and bring us close to you.
For the universal Church, may we embody Christ’s message of hope, love, mercy, compassion and
healing to all who are broken and overwhelmed by circumstances in their lives.
In thanksgiving for the men, women, and children of the world, who daily offer their lives and time
in service of God and humanity.
In thanksgiving for God’s goodness and grace,
which God daily bestows upon us.
In thanksgiving for friends, families, and loved ones in whom we experience God’s love,
may thy travel safely to and from their places of destination,
For all those who are ill and injured, and those who are terminally ill, and for those who love and
care for them.
For the departed who in life were baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, may the Spirit
through whom Jesus was raised from the dead, raise up their bodies into everlasting life.
Insert other needs and thanksgivings to God here.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For the Kingdom and the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Loving God,
you are the true light and creator of all that is good. At morning, noon, and evening you watch
over us and provide all which we need. May we ever live in the splendor of your presence, till that
time we take our place around the table of your heavenly feast.
We pray this through Jesus Christ, our Savior and brother, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
DISMISSAL
May God bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us into everlasting life.
Amen.
