By the time you read these words, Thanksgiving will be over. Most of you will have gathered with family, enjoyed a big meal (probably too big), and spent some time formally giving thanks for the blessings you have received. And for some (my brother comes to mind), it is now officially time to turn our attention towards Christmas and put Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror.

Now, when I say that, of course I mean that we put the holiday behind us and not necessarily the concept of giving thanks itself. But, as our culture makes the shift from turkeys and pumpkins to mistletoe and peppermint, we might do well to consider whether thanksgiving is part of our normal routine.

Christians are encouraged to give thanks on a regular basis. We are to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4), “give thanks in all circumstances” (I Thessalonians 5:16), and specifically “give thanks to the LORD” (I Chronicles 16:34 and Psalm 136:1 NIV). And those are just a few of the examples where giving thanks is either exhorted or modeled.

So, in light of that, you may be surprised that the prayer I would like to point to about maintaining a grateful spirit would be one that doesn’t have any mention of such a thing at all: the Lord’s Prayer (or, as some know it, The Our Father).

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them a model that millions of Christians around the world pray daily. By giving us this prayer, Jesus encourages his followers to pray for six things: holiness, a heavenly kingdom in which God’s will is done, daily bread, forgiveness, avoidance of temptation, and deliverance from evil. But nowhere in the prayer is there a statement of thanks. So why would I suggest this prayer as a way to continue our thanksgiving beyond November?

I invite you to consider this reality: the things God teaches us to pray for are the things God wants us to have.

“Hallowed be thy name”: God wants God’s name to be holy in our mouths and in our hearts.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done”: God wants us to live in a world where love reigns supreme and war and death are no more.

“Give us this day our daily bread”: God wants us to have the basic necessities of life, not just bread, but everything we need for a full life. In the words of Martin Luther, God desires for us “food and clothing, home and property, work and income, a devoted family, an orderly community, good government, favorable weather, peace and health, a good name, and true friends and neighbors” (Small Catechism).

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us”: God wants to offer us forgiveness for anything and everything we may have done. God wants us also to forgive, which can seem foreboding until we recognize that this also applies to people who are in the position to forgive us.

“Lead us not into temptation”: God wants us to be spared from temptation of those things that might seem good on the surface, but that will ultimately destroy us.

“Deliver us from evil”: God wants to protect us from all that will cause harm.

This prayer may not contain actual words of thanksgiving, or even an encouragement to give these words, but reflecting on what God wants for us, even as we pray, should fill us with gratitude. Whether we are giving thanks for those blessings that we have already received or waiting for those that have been promised, reflecting on what God wants us to ask for is a great exercise in cultivating a true spirit of Thanksgiving.

Rev. Jeff LeCrone, pastor, St. Luke Lutheran Church, Williamsport