I was raised an Episcopalian, baptized at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Winton Place, Ohio and have attended Episcopal churches all my life.
One of the great assets of the Episcopal Church is a prayer book called the Book of Common Prayer. Some history: The US Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Church of England created by King Henry VIII when he broke with the Roman Catholic Church over the annulment of his marriage to Catherine so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Many of the Catholic clergy in England then became clergy in the new English church. One of those clergy was Thomas Cranmer, who Henry appointed to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest ecclesiastical office in the English church. There is much history here that I resist burdening the reader with. Archbishop Cranmer came to an unhappy end under the reign of Mary, who succeeded her father to the throne of England after Henry’s death, determined to restore the Catholic Church in England.
But while the archbishop was about his duties in establishing the new English church, he undertook to write a prayer book that contained liturgies for all the services of the church and the rites for the administration of the sacraments of the church–Sunday and daily worship, communion, baptism, marriage, funeral and burial, ordination of priests and bishops, etc. Archbishop Cranmer’s seminal work was entitled the Book of Common Prayer. The BCP now provides liturgies and services for the Episcopal Church, and for all member churches for the world wide Anglican Communion.
Since the 16th Century the BCP has been amended, updated and enlarged several times. It is rightly considered one of the great works of the English language.
One feature of the current version is a section that contains prayers for all kinds of occasions, including most importantly prayers of thanksgiving and for Thanksgiving. One of those prayers is a favorite of mine and for many years I used it at family gatherings for Thanksgiving dinner. Each year my secretary would create a pamphlet for each of the family members and guests who would be attending that contained the prayer and decorations of pilgrims, Indians, turkeys and other Thanksgiving themes. I still have some of these pamphlets.
Here is the prayer, which as indicated, requires someone to act as leader. And, with that, I wish a happy and safe Thanksgiving to all.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
Response: And also with you.
L.: We thank you for the great resources of this nation. They make us rich, though we often exploit them.
R.: Forgive us.
L.: We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.
R.: Inspire us.
L.: We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light.
R.: Enlighten us.
L.: We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.
R.: Renew us.
L.: Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name.
Amen.
Westwind 