Grace at the Dinner Table: Connecting Food and Faith on Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Prayer Offering Submit a Thanksgiving Prayer to be included in the NCC Thanksgiving Prayer Book! This November, as we bow our heads for Thanksgiving grace, we have the opportunity to consider our relationship with food, wit the people who grow our food, and our Christian faith. The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program invites you to submit your best written prayer to be included in a downloadable Thanksgiving collection. Click here to download resources that explore the relationship between food, faith and farming. This year on Thanksgiving, families across America will come together to give thanks to God for the many blessings received throughout the year. Traditionally, this holiday has focused on the fall harvest. After a season of planting, growing and harvesting, Americans would prepare a feast and express their gratitude to God for what the Earth provided. Today, however, many of us visit our local grocery store and don't take the time to consider how the food got on the shelves. Because of this, we underappreciate farmers and the act of farming. Too often our gratitude focuses on material things and we forget to be thankful for healthy air, soil, and water that is neccesary for our food to grow, the farmers who work the land and harvest the crops, and God for providing the bounty that we have come to expect. This contest is an opportunity to restore relationships with the land and with the farmers. Guidelines for Writing: 1) Your Thanksgiving Prayer offering should make the connection between the food we eat and the act of growing it. 2) Don't shy away from making your prayer personal; if you want your prayer to address local issues and concerns, please add them. 3) People give prayers and blessings in many different ways; there is no such thing as 'one correct type' of prayer. Please send in what is most authentic to you as a person and to your faith tradition. How to Submit: To submit your prayer offering, please send an email to info@nccecojustice.org with the words 'Prayer Offering' in the subject line. We will be collecting submissions between Sept. 1-Dec. 15, 2007. You may write your prayer offering in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving or in the weeks following Thanksgiving after you've had time to reflect on the holiday and what it means for farmers, food production and consumers. History of the Thanksgiving Prayer Even though the Thanksgiving holiday makes many of us think of early pilgrims, the idea of thanksgiving is actually rooted in ancient Judaism. The early pilgrims likely looked to the Bible to find means to give thanks to God for their survival. In it, they found the celebrated Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), also known as the Feast of Ingathering. The Israelites having been delivered from the desert of Sinai, celebrated their harvest with this feast and is still the most joyous of all Jewish feasts today (Leviticus 23). The idea of giving thanks is also prominent in the New Testament. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, for example, says, “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” All early celebrations had one common theme -- God. Thanksgiving was directed toward God, their Creator, Protector, and Provider. They believed that all good things ultimately came from Him as they do today. Other verses that include thanks can be read in Psalm 100:4, Psalm 105:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:57. Famous Thanksgiving Prayers Click here to read some famous Thanksgiving Prayers for examples. Free Resources about Thanksgiving and Farming Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden Click here to download Our Daily Bread About Our Daily Bread Rural poverty and hunger. Artificially high land prices. Industrial agriculture. Childhood obesity. Unfair treatment of minority farmers. Dangerous working conditions for farm workers. These things probably aren't the first things that come to mind when you consider your commitment to Eco-Justice - to delivering justice for God's creation and people. This year's Earth Day Sunday resource goes beyond the traditional boundaries of Eco-Justice to address all of these issues, because in the incredibly complex world of U.S. farm and food policy, none of these things can be separated from clean air and water, diverse ecosystems, soil erosion, global warming, and preservation of wildlife habitat. God's creation and God's people can be devastated by poor farming practices, but through mindful choices about how we produce and consume our food the creation and our communities can also be made whole. It all comes down to who does the farming and how. In this, as in many other Eco-Justice concerns, the health and well-being of God's Earth is inextricably linked to the health and well-being of human communities. At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving About At the Lord's Table In order to assist congregations in raising issues of food and faith, we have developed At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving, a worship resource complete with a guide for study, liturgies, sermon starters and ideas for youth. At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving is designed to teach communities how to eat mindfully– mindful of the farmers and rural communities, the rich soil and clean water, and God’s plentiful provision- without which our tables would be empty. Doing so instills thanksgiving and calls us to right relationship with all of creation. Explore and celebrate the blessing of every bite with this guide for study, worship, and action. Download this resource for FREE through the Eco-Justice Network.       A Thanksgiving Day Prayer by Samuel F. Pugh "O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer, And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency; bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help; By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen." Psalm 111 Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures for ever. He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy, they are established for ever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it. His praise endures for ever! Thanksgiving - Ralph Waldo Emerson For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. The Canticle of the Creatures --St. Francis of Assissi Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings. To you alone, Most High, do they belong; no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name. We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures, especially for Brother Sun, who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, of You Most High, he bears your likeness. We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair. We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air, fair and stormy, all weather's moods, by which You cherish all that You have made. We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure. We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom You light the night. He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong. We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth, who sustains us with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs. We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon, for love of You bear sickness and trial. Blessed are those who endure in peace, by You Most High, they will be crowned. We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death, from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in their sins! Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will. No second death can do them harm. We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks, and serve You in all humility. Simple Children's Prayer Thank you God for all that grows, Thank you for the sky's rainbows, Thank you for the stars that shine, Thank you for these friends of mine, Thank you for the moon and sun, Thank you God for all you've done!