Chicken dinner

Father,

Thank you for the beautiful weather,

this delicious food,

and family and friends to enjoy these blessings with.

Please bless this food and the hands that prepared it,

and bless our time together.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Heavenly Father,

Almighty and everlasting God,

Thou has provided such numerous blessings for us

that we often thank Thee with our lips,

even though our hearts are far from Thee.

Please have mercy on us and forgive us

for the foolishness and complacency and ease in life that we adore

in order to avoid fearing Thee and walking in the light of Thy commandments.

Acknowledging our unfaithfulness, and our unworthy estate,

we do acknowledge Thee to be the Lord of all 

and our gracious God who loves mankind.

Thou art full of compassion to all those who turn to Thee for refuge,

and so we now turn to Thee and ask 

that Thou wouldst bless this food and drink which Thou has given to us,

but not so that we would indulge in it and wipe our mouths clean,

saying we have done no wrong in Thy sight.

Rather, that through the prayers of the holy Fathers,

the blessed Theotokos and mother of Light,

and of ____________, 

whose memory we celebrate today because of Thy resurrection,

our minds would be renewed by a healthy fear of Thee

and our daily life transfigured by Thy Spirit in us.

Therefore we beseech Thee now, O Christ our God, 

to intercede for us

and bless this food and drink which Thou hast given to us, 

for we are Thy servants

and Thou art holy, 

both now and forever,

Amen.