*Materials needed: table, two candles, clock

Instead of gathering together as one congregation this Thanksgiving, we’ll meet in homes to reflect on the past year — celebrating the good and grieving the hard. Together, we’ll pray for one another and look with hope toward the year to come.

This liturgy is written to be read aloud word for word, with facilitator notes included in italics. Before you begin, make sure you have two candles and something to keep time.

Read Psalm 65

As we begin our time together, read Psalm 64 together (or, just Psalm 65:9-13). This Psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to God for blessing his people with an abundant harvest. It was probably used at the harvest festival or one of the other regular festivals. Hear these words of David:

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its riches; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

You crown the year with your bounty, your carts overflow with abundance.

Reflect over the year with gratitude and grief

The book of Psalms covers a range of different emotions in prayer - anger, joy, grief, gratitude, sorrow, etc. - as worship to God. We are going to enter into a time of reflection and do it honestly. As we do this, we are going to use two candles to guide our time in reflection. The first candle (note: facilitator light the first candle) signifies a time of reflection over our year on the moments that brought us gratitude. The second candle remains unlit until our second movement, when we will reflect over the grief of our past year.

As we begin, find a posture that opens yourself up to God. Place your feet on the floor, open your hands, close your eyes or focus on the candles. Pay attention to your breathing, with each inhale pray “here I am” and with each exhale pray “come, Holy Spirit” (note: let people sit in prayer for around 30 seconds).

Gratitude - As we think about the last year, ask the Spirit to bring to mind people, experiences, and events that brought you joy. As God stirs your memory, try to be fully present to those thoughts. What were you feeling, seeing, smelling, and hearing? Where were you? Who were you with? We’ll take a couple minutes to sit in these thoughts (note: give around 3 minutes).

Now, let’s pray out loud, giving thanks for those things. We will go one at a time, giving short prayers thanking God for those memories of delight. As we do, feel free to use a prompt like “God, thank your for …” (note: give around 7 minutes for prayers of gratitude)

Grief - Next, ask the Spirit to bring to mind the moments this year that brought grief. Where did you experience difficulty, disappointment, or loss this past year? What sadness or pain did you carry this year? (Note: light the second candle) As these come to mind, stay close to the Spirit, who is our comforter. We’ll take a couple minutes to sit in these thoughts (note: give 2-3 minutes).

Now let’s pray out loud, one at a time, short prayers of lament and/or grief. These are sensitive and fragile, so feel free to share as much or as little as desired. As we pray, feel free to use a prompt like “God, I bring you the grief of …” (note: Give around 5-7 minutes for prayers of lament)

Jesus, we offer you our prayers of sorrow, lament, and grief from this last year. We know that though they are not your will, you will redeem them. Thank you for being gentle and lowly. Help us to know the resurrection as we hope and wait.

Remembering Our Communion With Christ And Each Other

With our grief and gratitude are before us, we invite you to remember the weekly sacrament of communion together. 

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and broke it into pieces for his disciples to eat, symbolizing his own body that was about to be broken so that they (and we) might feast at the resurrection. He then poured wine for his disciples to drink, symbolizing his own blood that was about to be poured out so that they (and we) might be washed clean. He invited his disciples (as he invites us) to eat and drink, holding both the grief of life alongside the gratitude of life.

In this way we are invited to remember the body of Christ, given for us, and the blood of Christ, shed for us. 

It is in the taking, eating, and drinking, that we remember Him. 

Pray together

God, thank you for bringing us all together today. Thank you for helping us engage with our gratitude, grief, joy, and pain. Thank you for the witness of vulnerability, family, and community. Let us leave this table, this house, and this night with peace. We love you Jesus, we are grateful for your presence in us and through each other. We give you praise for last year, for the harvest, for your provision, and for your comfort in our hurt. Help us to love you and one another well. Teach us, guide us, and guard us. Thank you, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen.