Download a printable PDF: “Thanksgiving Day Family Worship.”
The Day
While Thanksgiving Day is not part of the Church Year or Liturgical Calendar, it is observed by many churches in countries such as the United States and Canada. See the article “9 Things You Should Know About Thanksgiving” by Joe Carter.
Resources in the Catechism
If your family has a copy of The Whole Counsel of God, there are numerous resources for use on Thanksgiving Day.
- Page 32, “For the Beauty of the Earth” (sing this hymn of thanks)
- Page 172, say Question 63 responsively
- Page 263, “Grace Before Meals” (sing “Be Present at Our Table” and say one of the prayers before eating)
- Pages 268–269, “Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving (see especially “A General Thanksgiving” and read one or more of the recommended Psalms of Thanksgiving)
- Page 270, “Now Thank We All Our God” (another hymn)
Devotional Outline for Families
Download an example PDF: “Thanksgiving Day Family Worship.”
- Read a Psalm of thanksgiving (see especially Psalms 100, 95, 103, and 111)
- Sing a hymn or chorus of thanksgiving (e.g., For the Beauty of the Earth, Now Thank We All Our God, “Give Thanks,” or “Thank You, Lord”)
- Pray the Prayer of General Thanksgiving or the Litany for Thanksgiving below (they may be prayed responsively).
- Take turns expressing gratitude around the table.
- Conclude with the Prayer for Thanksgiving Day.
A Prayer of General Thanksgiving
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation;
for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
A Litany of Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Take Turns Expressing Gratitude
For example:
- Read Ephesians 1:3, then go around the table and have everyone share one spiritual blessing that they are grateful for.
- Go around the table and have everyone express gratitude for something specific about another person at the table (e.g., “I am thankful for mom’s prayers this year”).
- Talk to a few family members in advance and have them be prepared to share their testimony at the dinner table (even if the family has heard it before!).
A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you most humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and lovingkindness to us and to all people. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for your inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, for the hope of glory. And we ask you to give us that true sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be truly thankful, and that we may show forth your praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving ourselves up to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
Heidelberg Catechism, Question 86
Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?
A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, so that he may be praised through us, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.
Serving Others
Express gratitude to God by serving others this Thanksgiving. For example:
- Make sure that every member of your church has somewhere to go for Thanksgiving. If they don’t, invite them to spend Thanksgiving with you.
- Look for opportunities to serve at local food banks, homeless shelters, etc.
- Call a local nursing home and ask if there are any residents who do not have any family to visit them on Thanksgiving Day. Go visit them as a family.
Additional Resources
- Robert Tracy McKenzie, The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning from History (IVP Academic, 2013).
- The Book of Common Prayer (1979 edition) includes prayers of thanksgiving for the church, national life, the beauty of the earth, the harvest, the gift of a child, and so on.
- Be Thou My Vision by Jonathan Gibson has many prayers of adoration that are fitting for Thanksgiving Day.
