Might as well make it memorable

One way to make a meal more pleasant is to begin it with a special prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God. For a lot of people, family gatherings during holidays are the only time a grace before meals is said.  So you might as well make it memorable!  Maybe not as memorable as this.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..but memorable, nonetheless.

Many Spirit-filled individuals I’ve known over the years have been able to come up with dinner prayers “off-the-cuff” that are truly outstanding.  I tend to muddle those up, no matter how sincere I am in the attempt.  So I usually resort to researching prayers already written for the occasion and “editing” them to be more personal.  I have posted the top 3 I found over the last week.  I will be using one of them.  I will probably write the blessing that I use on a separate sheet of paper and read it before the meal.  Another great idea I read is to place a small portion of each prayer on a separate card and have a different person at the table each read one.  Whichever way you choose to say your grace, remember that it is the most important part of the meal!

======================================== 

1.  Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the birth of your Son and the celebration of His life. Help us to remember that this festive day is set aside to celebrate all He has done for us. We give thanks for our family and friends and for the blessing that you have given us so we can plan and enjoy a Christmas meal together. We thank you for your provision of a home, a kitchen, for loving hands and for the abundance of food upon this table.  Please help us to remember that there are those who have no families, no place at a table, and no one with whom to share a Christmas dinner.  Help us to listen to your wee small voice and to obey that wee small voice so we can reach out and help their Christmas be a merrier one. We ask that you would bless those around this Christmas table and we ask you to bless our food.  Allow our hearts and attitudes, our actions and our lives to be blessings to you. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, we pray. Amen

 

2.  Eternal God, this joyful day is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light. May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds. May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do.  Allow us to share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity.  Bless us and the feast that You have provided for us, let us be thankful for the true gift of Christmas, your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

This third prayer was written especially to remember the tragedy of the Connecticut school shootings:

3.  Father, we thank you for our family and friends. We are so grateful for each and every person around this table and we thank you for the gifts of compassion, love, strength and encouragement they have been.  Although it's been a painful time in our country recently, and we share in the grief of those parents whose children were taken from them too soon, we know that You are always with us. Your promises are true. You will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you for the love that holds us together and for always comforting us. Thank you for the gift of your Son, whose very life reminds us that you are a father of compassion and one acquainted with grief in the midst of joy and joy in the midst of suffering. Help us to hold each other close and to treasure each other this day and all the days to come. We present this prayer in Jesus' name, Amen."