Saying Grace

Lent with the Lord's Prayer

As we continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer, specifically the line give us the day our daily bread. Think about how you say grace for the food you eat each day. When my son was little we always said grace whenever we sat down together to eat. Well we didn’t say grace unless we were at my parents. We actually sang grace. Can any of you growing up in the seventies still sing the Johnny Appleseed Grace?

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

And so I thank the Lord

For giving me the things I need:

The sun, the rain and the appleseed;

Oh, the Lord's been good to me.

When my dad's family sang we sang the first line of We Gather Together, being good pilgrim folk.

 
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.

My son being of a younger generation got to also choose from the doxology to "We Will Rock You." You get the beat going with two slaps to either thighs or table and a clap.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Creator, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen, Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen, Amen.

We also sang the superman grace.  With arms pointing up like superman’s

Thank you God, for giving us food.

Thank you God, for giving us friends.

For food that we eat and friends that we meet.

Thank you God da, da, da, dum(then drumming on the table)

My son used to laugh like crazy for I was forever eating my friends and meeting my food.  Singing grace was a time of joy we had before eating. Now that he is a teenager we don’t sing as much. Partly this is because as the pastor you are the designated prayer, even when you are with family. 

Do you still say grace? Do you only say grace when the entire family is gathered? Do you say grace only when you are at home with the kids around the dinner table? Do you ever say grace out in public? If you do how do you feel, when grace is said? Do you hear the words or worry about what people around you will be thinking? Today spend your day saying grace for everything you eat or drink.