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Today, as we prepare for the weekend and for what that might hold for each of us, here is a simple beautiful grace that you may want to pray before a meal.  There is something deeply meaningful in stopping and intentionally choosing to be grateful for the meals we are given.  Saying grace helps to connect us to the richness of relationships possible through meals, relationships with those we share the meal with, those who prepare it, and those who grew the ingredients. Saying grace also reminds us of our relationship with the earth that our food comes from.  And ultimately saying grace draws us back to the One who sits at the table with us every time we eat, whether that table has one chair at it or many.  With gratitude to Yelena Pakhomova who wrote this grace, and to the Commons Church for generously allowing us to share it, 

We Receive Grace

Loving God,
as we eat together today, we give thanks –
for a recipe that tells a story of a family and a culture,
for food that brings comfort and provides energy,
for how we can share a meal and become closer.
And if we eat alone today, we are still connected to –
soil, seed, water, hands that plant, harvest, care.
In all these, we receive your grace.
Amen.
                Yelena Pakhomova
With grateful thanks to Commons Church and Bobby Salkeld for granting us permission to incorporate these prayers into our daily devotionals.
From A Season Like No Other: Commons Prayers, Bobbi Salkeld, Jeanne New, Kevin Borst, Larissa Amour, Ryan Petkau, Scott Wall, Yelena Pakhomova, Printing in Calgary, Alberta 2021. p11.

Photo by Dan DeAlmeida on Unsplash