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O God of springtime and harvest, we give you thanks for being the Lord of all the seasons of our lives. From birth to death, you hold us in your hands and feed us with the abundance of the earth and the love of your Spirit. Especially in this day, we give you thanks for those who work in the earth you have created–farmers and gardeners, who till the soil, plant the seed, tend the crops, and harvest so others may eat. We give you thanks for those who with hard toil and long hours will fill our tables with the gifts of your gracious hand. Remind us often that every good and perfect gift comes from you and that those who live close to the land we love work with you as co-creators of the crops that feed us.

We recall as well in this day those who work in the factories and industries that produce so much we need to live and thrive. Hour upon hour, day upon day, their lives are committed to transform the gifts of the land into the goods that meet our every need. We are grateful for their hard work, their creative minds, their tireless spirits and their deep commitment to serve others as you have served them.

With our eyes and hearts focused on those who raise crops and work in industries, we cannot help but remember those who live in the shadow of poverty as they produce food and goods for others. In lands rich in natural resources, people too often wonder about their next meal and worry that their children will have little more than they. We remember those who have lost the land they have loved and now wander in cities where they are often seen as strangers rather than neighbors in need. Mindful that all the earth is yours and all who live in it, O God, embrace with tender heart and hands those who suffer so others may be fed and live.

In this day in which we remember with thanksgiving the crops and industry that feed our lives and our dreams, we also remember those who work with you so others may be filled. From the first garden called Eden, to the garden in the age to come where all will be healed and made whole, we live as grateful recipients of your good gifts. Receive our thanks and our lives and use us as instruments of your peace. Help us to plant seeds of hope, to nurture fruits of the spirit, to be harvesters of justice and growers of grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom all blessings flow.

Amen.