boundless generosity
The Interfaith Grateful Gathering has become a treasured Thanksgiving tradition, and I was humbled and honored to contribute a prayer this year at Bethel AME. The mood was joyful as we joined in gratitude to be together and give thanks to our Creator. I chose Suellen Shay’s poem Boundless generosity to express praise and articulate our prayers. May it bless you as well this Thanksgiving season. -Renée
We praise you, God our Creator,
for small seeds planted in faith,
for the dark places of silent growth,
for the sweat of unseen human labour,
for the promise of something to come.
The harvest table reminds us of your boundless generosity,
that you are the one who sends rain on the just and the unjust,
that the depths of your love are beyond our comprehension.
The harvest table symbolizes not only your generosity,
but is a sobering reminder to us
that there is enough in our world for everyone,
if only those of us who have plenty shared with those of us who do not.
May our praises not ring hollow but spur us forth into acts of giving.
May our anxiety for what we do not have
not blind us to the riches that we do have.
May we learn to give as you gave,
beyond what is simply comfortable and convenient.
We praise you for each example of selfless giving.