Station #1
REFLECTION: Thanksgiving is a daily practice, not just an annual holiday. Like a muscle that needs regular exercise, gratitude is something we practice. Offering thanks is a holy, faithful task. What would it look like to start your morning routine with a gratitude list of three things? What three things are you most grateful for today?
PRAYER: O God, we give you thanks for all good gifts that come from you. Cultivate within us an attitude of gratitude. Help us to see and appreciate signs of your love in our lives, including new friends. Thank you for each individual gathered here to walk together on this day. Amen.
Station #2
REFLECTION: “Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices, who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;”, so goes a beloved hymn. Thanking God with our hearts, hands, and voices is quite an image. You can probably think easily of ways of thanking God in your heart or aloud with your voice. But what are ways you can thank God with your hands? How is giving/generosity/doing good works a sign of gratitude?
PRAYER: Holy One, we long to live out our gratitude with our very lives. Provide us with opportunities to show our gratitude to you by being generous with our time, talent, and treasure to others. Remind us that loving others is a way of loving you. In your name we pray, Amen.
Station #3
REFLECTION: During holy communion, the spoken dialogue back and forth between the minister and people is known as the Great Thanksgiving. “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” the pastor says. The people respond, “It is right to give our thanks and praise.” Why is it “right”/”salutary so to do”? Why do you say these words? (Just cause they are in the bulletin isn’t an answer 😊) Reflect and think why it is that it is right to give God our thanks and praise.
PRAYER: Holy God, sometimes we say words without fully comprehending what we mean. Help us pay attention to the gift of the liturgy, and to be open to the gifts it provides for us. In this weekly practice of acknowledging You are the recipient of our thanks and praise, help us to truly thank and praise You. Amen.
Station #4
REFLECTION: The Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Meal, is also known as the Eucharist. Do you know what this word ‘eucharist’ means? Thanksgiving! After the opening dialogue which includes a lot of gratitude language, the pastor says something like, “it is indeed right, our duty and our joy to give thanks and praise in all times…” Sometimes it says, “our duty and delight”. It indicates a balance between an obligation, an obedient response, a responsibility as well as a joy, a delight, a pleasure. What else in your life is a duty and delight?
PRAYER: O God, sometimes we focus more on “we have to do this” than “we get to do this” when it comes to our life of faith. Help us find the joy in serving you. Like a child running into the arms of a good, faithful parent, help us to know You joyfully anticipate our worship, praise, and love. Amen.
Station #5
REFLECTION: Giving thanks and praise “in all times” is extremely challenging. We hear this echoed in some of Paul’s letters, and in the eucharistic liturgy. Can you remember a dark, difficult time in which you found something for which to be grateful? This is not about being thankful for bad things, but about choosing thankfulness amidst them, shifting perspective to see God’s goodness even in tragic circumstances. Share an experience in which gratitude helped to lift the darkness.
PRAYER: Jesus, our Brother and Friend, you promise your presence with us for all time. In times of anxiety and distress, we remember the Spirit prays with us with sighs too deep for understanding. On days that we do not have words to pray, inspire us to trust that you do. When we can’t seem to find anything to be grateful for, give us new eyes to see your love around us. Amen.
Station #6
REFLECTION: The ten commandments remind us of the danger of coveting, wanting more, craving things that harm or do not bring life. In a society that celebrates desire, it is hard not to always want the next best, cool thing. Social media also revels in comparison, which we know is a thief of joy. How does focusing on what you do not have rob you of paying attention to what you do have? Be honest and consider what is it that you are coveting these days?
PRAYER: Holy God, teach us the art of contentment. Let our hearts not be full of greed, but full of gratitude. Amen.
Station #7
REFLECTION: Praise and thanksgiving, ELW 689 is another well-known and beloved hymn. Praise and thanksgiving, God we would offer for all things living, you have made good: harvest of sown fields, fruits of the orchard, hay from the mown fields, blossom and wood. What are some of your favorite hymns? What are your favorite hymns that include a sense of praise and thanksgiving? How is singing and making a joyful noise part of a grateful heart?
PRAYER: Lord God, we confess too often we sing songs on the radio with more enthusiasm than your hymns of praise. Our worry about what others think may sometimes inhibit our songs of praise on Sunday mornings. Other excuses weaken our dedication to your call to sing your praises. Give us strength and courage to joyfully, boldly sing hymns of praise to you. Amen.
Station #8
REFLECTION: ‘Thank you’ can be such an easy, throw-away line that it at times seems to lose meaning. Literally, it can be shouted out the window as you quickly drive away from the fast food window. Other times, it is so heavy, it is hard for our mouths to give voice to the words. How is it with you personally? Is it something you say often or save for special occasions?
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, loosen our lips to show our gratitude to you and to others. Grant that we might freely offer our thanksgiving to all those who labor to make our lives easier. Make us quick to recognize the opportunity for thanksgiving in our daily lives. Amen.
Station #9
REFLECTION: Saying thank you can be hard because it indicates a dependence on something or someone. I needed something and you gave it to me. I didn’t have it on my own, but you provided me with something. You gave me a gift. Saying thank you acknowledges our own need for others. We aren’t as independent as we think we are. The words ‘thank you’ don’t really exist outside of a relationship. They are an indication that there has been an exchange, a conversation, a give and take, a relationship. Gratitude is an act of humility. When have you humbled yourself to say thank you to someone?
PRAYER: Holy God, sometimes being grateful is a challenge. Our hearts feel empty or we don’t want to acknowledge our need for another person or our need for you. Grant us humility to recognize the web of relationships in which we find ourselves, and the meekness to understand that we are all in this together. In your name we humbly pray, Amen.
Station #10
REFLECTION: Many of us were taught the importance of thank you notes. What was the best thank you note you have ever written? What was the best thank you note you have ever received? Sometimes seeing somebody use and enjoy a gift you thoughtfully selected for them is a real boost. How do you think God feels when he sees us use or enjoy His gifts?
PRAYER: Almighty God, may our lives be a thank you note to you. Help us to use the gifts you have given us to your glory. Amen.
Station #11
REFLECTION: Maya Angelou said “This is a wonderful day; I have never seen this one before.” Children seem to cling longer to enthusiasm and excitement than many of us world-weary adults. How can we recapture that sense of wonder and joyful anticipation? What can you learn from children in your life when it comes to an attitude of joyful gratitude?
PRAYER: Christ Jesus our Brother and Friend, You came among us as a child, dependent upon mother and family. Open our eyes to the joy and wonder of your beloved creation. Instill in us a child-like appreciation and delight for the mysteries of the universe. Amen.
Station #12
REFLECTION: We don’t always get to choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond to them. At times, it feels as if we have so little power, but we do have agency to choose our response to the slings and arrows of fortune. Gratitude helps people concentrate on what we have instead of what we don’t have. What do you think the relationship is between gratitude and happiness/joy, even during challenging times? Think of a time when gratitude has changed your attitude, even if it didn’t change your situation.
PRAYER: O God, life is often messy. Relationships are fractured. Friends disappoint and betray us, enemies prosper, and our hearts break. Bad news comes in overwhelming waves, and it can be hard to see the light. Thank you for walking with us and understanding our pain. Amen.
Station #13
REFLECTION: “Thank you” is one of the first phrases we learn in a foreign language. Why do you think that is? Reflect on a time as a traveler to a strange land or when you were in a new environment saying thank you was important. How many ways can you say “thank you”?
PRAYER: Holy God, Gracias. Merci. Arigato. Danke. Amen.
Station #14
REFLECTION: Thank YOU for your generous support of the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers. Your presence and participation, your financial support, and your prayers really and truly are much appreciated. Your gifts matter, and you help extend the ministry to other guests. Our mission is “providing holy spaces for God to change lives.” Without you, our work would not be the same. Even though it can feel awkward to be thanked, and we may want to diminish it by saying, “no big deal” or “no problem”, it is good to sit with and feel the emotions of being thanked. Please know that we sincerely appreciate your prayerful partnership in the gospel. Thank you!
PRAYER: Holy God, sometimes it’s easier for us to be the one saying “thank you”, than the one hearing it. Help us to joyfully receive the gratitude of others and to truly feel the gift of love that others show us. May we all continue to reflect an attitude of gratitude. Amen.
We hope you enjoyed your time at the South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers.
Find out how you can spend more time in these beautiful, sacred spaces and financially support this ministry by visiting www.sclrc.com.
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