15 Christian Thanksgiving Day Poems and Prayers

The Thanksgiving holiday is a time for thankful hearts, delicious food, and family gatherings. It’s a day where we collectively express gratitude for the everyday blessings we’ve been given. May this collection of Thanksgiving poems bless you as you meditate and consider how generous God has been with you this year. 

4 Thanksgiving Hymns of Poetry

These beautiful Thanksgiving poems are perfect for reflecting on the abundant blessing of faith like God’s boundless love, His wondrous works, and, most of all, His generosity at giving us Jesus. These are perfect for singing the Sunday before Thanksgiving, sharing in church bulletins, creating art with, singing around the thanksgiving table, reciting during church services or simple reflecting on during your own time with God. 

Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart 
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks

-by Henry Smith

We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
the Lord was at our side- the glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant,
and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

-Translated from Dutch by Theodore Baker

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field,
fruit as praise to God we yield;
wheat and tares together sown
are to joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
and shall take the harvest home;
from the field shall in that day
all offenses purge away,
giving angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast;
but the fruitful ears to store
in the garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.

-by Henry Alford

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.

-by Joachim Neander

6 Classic Poems for Thanksgiving

These inspirational Thanksgiving poems, blessings, and prayers are perfect for reflecting with gratitude during the month of November. From pumpkin pie to good times with family to good days to God’s love–their is much to be thankful for in life and these poems celebrating many facets of gratitude and the thanksgiving holiday. 

Thanksgiving

Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,

An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;

An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they

Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;

Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,

Buildin’ the old family circle again;

Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,

Just for awhile at the end of the year.

Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door

And under the old roof we gather once more

Just as we did when the youngsters were small;

Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.

Father’s a little bit older, but still

Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.

Here we are back at the table again

Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.

Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;

Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.

Home from the east land an’ home from the west,

Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.

Out of the sham of the cities afar

We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.

Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,

Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun

When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;

Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,

Let me sit down with the ones I love best,

Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,

See the old faces unblemished by wrong,

See the old table with all of its chairs

An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.

-by Edgar Albert Guest

A Thanksgiving Poem

Thou hast, with ever watchful eye,
Looked down on us with holy care,
And from thy storehouse in the sky
Hast scattered plenty everywhere.

Then lift we up our songs of praise
To thee, O Father, good and kind;
To thee we consecrate our days;
Be thine the temple of each mind.

With incense sweet our thanks ascend;
Before thy works our powers pall;
Though we should strive years without end,
We could not thank thee for them all.

-by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Thanksgiving Observance

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.

-by Anonymous

After the Turkey Is Gone

After the turkey is gone, what then?
Will we keep in mind the blessings
for which we claimed to be thankful?
Or will we allow the chaos of everyday life,
real and imagined problems,
to intrude into the contentment
we felt on Thanksgiving Day.

The cranberries, the stuffing and pie a dim memory,
will we focus on trivial irritations,
or will we hold on to what’s really important,
the deep, satisfying, good things we have
instead of what we imagine we want
but haven’t got.

After the turkey is gone,
cling to the blessings;
remember what makes life worth living;
continue thanks giving.

–By Joanna Fuchs

Thanksgiving Day

For all the gracious gifts in harvests fair
In things material whose goodly share
I richly prize;
For man’s abundant wealth that lies in sight,
And for the sense of power and of might
With which to meet my foe, and fight the fight,
My thanks arise.

But for the richer gifts of Love and Peace
That bring the soul a sense of sweet release
From pressing care;
For mercies shown; for greater growth of soul;
For light when clouds of deadly dark uproll
To point the way to some more lofty goal,
And lead us there;

For broader human sympathy; for tears
Of Brotherhood to ease another’s fears,
And cheer his way;
For seeing eyes; and shoulders fit to bear
The burdens of our fellows in despair,
And right good will to help them in their care
When times are gray;

For men of heart and soul inclined
To honors of a lowlier, meeker kind,
With grace endued;
Who seek all dire injustices to mend,
To guide the hopeless to some hopeful end,
Not this alone, but all my days, I spend. 

-by John Kendrick Bangs

Bless Their Hearts

At Steak ‘n Shake I learned that if you add

“Bless their hearts” after their names, you can say

whatever you want about them and it’s OK.

My son, bless his heart, is an idiot,

she said. He rents storage space for his kids’

toys—they’re only one and three years old!

I said, my father, bless his heart, has turned

into a sentimental old fool. He gets

weepy when he hears my daughter’s greeting

on our voice mail. Before our Steakburgers came

someone else blessed her office mate’s heart,

then, as an afterthought, the jealous hearts

of the entire anthropology department.

We bestowed blessings on many a heart

that day. I even blessed my ex-wife’s heart.

Our waiter, bless his heart, would not be getting

much tip, for which, no doubt, he’d bless our hearts.

In a week it would be Thanksgiving,

and we would each sit with our respective

families, counting our blessings and blessing

the hearts of family members as only family

does best. Oh, bless us all, yes, bless us, please

bless us and bless our crummy little hearts.

-by Ralph Newman

5 Thanksgiving Prayers for Families and Friends

For Around the Table (an exert)

So blessed are we, sharing a meal today, 

May we recognize God’s goodness

in the thoughtful preparation,

in the delivering, 

in the eating together,

savoring something that tastes like love. 

May our time around the table be a gift. 

May we be present with one another, 

engaging all our senses

as an act of thankful worship

for the nourishment that’s before us

with the people we love. Or are trying to. 

God bless the hands that prepared this,

those with us now, 

and the ones we wish were. 

Bless us, oh God. 

-by Kate Bowler and Jessica Ritchie The Lives We Actually Have

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Father we thank Thee

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

-by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving to God, for His House

Lord, Thou hast given me a cell

         Wherein to dwell,

A little house, whose humble roof

         Is weather-proof:

Under the spars of which I lie

         Both soft, and dry;

Where Thou my chamber for to ward

         Hast set a guard

Of harmless thoughts, to watch and keep

         Me, while I sleep.

Low is my porch, as is my fate,

         Both void of state;

And yet the threshold of my door

         Is worn by th’ poor,

Who thither come and freely get

         Good words, or meat.

Like as my parlour, so my hall

         And kitchen’s small;

A little buttery, and therein

         A little bin,

Which keeps my little loaf of bread

         Unchipp’d, unflead;

Some brittle sticks of thorn or briar

         Make me a fire,

Close by whose living coal I sit,

         And glow like it.

Lord, I confess too, when I dine,

         The pulse is Thine,

And all those other bits, that be

         There plac’d by Thee;

The worts, the purslain, and the mess

         Of water-cress,

Which of Thy kindness Thou hast sent;

         And my content

Makes those, and my beloved beet,

         To be more sweet.

‘Tis Thou that crown’st my glittering hearth

         With guiltless mirth;

And giv’st me wassail-bowls to drink,

         Spic’d to the brink.

Lord, ’tis Thy plenty-dropping hand

         That soils my land;

And giv’st me, for my bushel sown,

         Twice ten for one;

Thou mak’st my teeming hen to lay

         Her egg each day;

Besides my healthful ewes to bear

         Me twins each year;

The while the conduits of my kine

         Run cream, for wine.

All these, and better, Thou dost send

         Me, to this end,

That I should render, for my part,

         A thankful heart,

Which, fir’d with incense, I resign,

         As wholly Thine;

But the acceptance, that must be,

         My Christ, by Thee.

-by Robert Herrick

A Table

Christ of the table,

you who ate

with the hated

and befriended

those whom others

slighted and silenced;

may we so welcome

the hated parts

of our own selves

because at your table

everyone has a seat

and every story

is worthy

of being

heard.

Amen.

-by K.J. Ramsey from The Book of Common Courage

I Stand In Awe

I stand in awe

​In a house that’s full

And warm and forgiving

With the pie in the oven

And the parade on tv. 

I stand in awe

It’s loud; there are cobwebs

And lego minefields on the floor. 

Nothing is perfect

And no one is missing. 

I stand in awe

For every story I would have

Written differently, I’m 

Grateful I didn’t get my way. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

I stand in awe

At this collection of souls

And futures and memories

Clasping hands and bowing heads

Chaos stilled to pray. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

-by Katie M. Scott