Families giving God thanks is important

Whether it’s a Christmas meal or a regular family supper, giving thanks and asking God’s blessing before eating is the most common form of family prayer. Most cultures use some type of blessing before a meal, giving God thanks for the gifts shared. Maybe your household will want to adopt one or more of the following blessings in your family prayer life.

A familiar blessing is, “Bless us, O Lord, and these, Your Gifts, which we are about to receive from your goodness, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

A simple Jewish prayer, “Blessed are you, O Lord my God, King of the universe, who brings forth the bread from the earth. Amen.”

A simple Christian prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.” Another simple prayer, “Creator, Sustainer and Life-giver, bless this food for our use, and us for your service. Make us grateful for all your mercies, and mindful of the needs of others. Amen.”

A native American blessing, “We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible. We thank the Earth Mother for producing it, and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us. May the wholesomeness of the food before us, bring out the wholeness of the Spirit within us.”

Another familiar blessing, “God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hand, we are fed; give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.” And, “Lord, bless this food for our use and us for your service. Make us ever mindful of the needs of others. Amen.”

A Hindu blessing, “This ritual is one. The food is one. We who offer the food are one. The fire of hunger is also one. All action is one. We who understand this are one.”

This is a child’s favorite, “Thank you God for happy hearts, for rain and sunny weather. Thank you, God, for this food and the life we live together. Amen.”

Another familiar child’s prayer, “Thank you, God, for the world so sweet. Thank you for the things we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything.”

“We thank God for all the food placed before us and pray that there will be Peace on earth. Amen.”

A prayer for those who started to eat before saying grace, “Forgive me Lord, I’m a little late. Bless the food that I just ate!”

“For health and food, for love and friends, for everything the good Lord sends. Father, we thank you.”

“From forest and stream, from mountains and fields, from the fertile earth’s nourishing yields, I now partake of the Divine Energy. May it lend me health, strength and love.”

“Today, may we appreciate this food and remember those who are hungry. May we appreciate our family and friends and remember those who are alone. May we appreciate our health and remember those who are sick. May we appreciate the freedoms we have and remember those who suffer injustice and tyranny. May there be peace on earth. Amen.”

Grace for a vegetarian, “We thank God for all the food placed before us for which no living creature has been sacrificed. May there be Peace on earth. Amen.”

A special intention can be added, “Father God, we thank you for all your good gifts and blessings and we want to lift up (name of a person) to you. Amen.”

May all your meals be a gracious sharing not only food, but the power of God’s love and mercy in your lives. May God’s love and blessings be with you during this Christmas Season and in 2015.