Give Thanks with Psalm 145

By Lee Fennema

Thanksgiving is a day of celebrating God’s goodness, and Psalm 145 reminds us there is much to be thankful for! This piece expands on the themes of that psalm with examples that are all around us and encourages us to respond with praise to God in song.

Below you will find a reading of Psalm 145 for use on Thanksgiving Day. It is estimated to be about 17 minutes long.

Participants
9 Readers: PR (psalms Reader); R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5; Gen1, Gen2, and Gen3
Musicians: Drummer, pianist, soloist or group of singers

This is a longer reading with several participants and different kinds of roles. The following notes may help make it go smoothly.

The script will need to be edited for your context, including some reader names, geographical features, and perhaps local flora and fauna.
The ages of the Gen1, Gen2, and Gen3 should roughly correspond to grandparent, adult child, and grandchild.
The five readers (R1-R5) will be helped by a sense of rhythm and plenty of energy. You may want an independent rehearsal of their extended sections to get the timing down.
Look for suitable ways to relocate the readers for different sections, and watch for opportunities to vary the pace and tone as the reading progresses.
Experiment with the drum to see what works and what doesn’t. The goal is to help maintain a rhythm in some passages, but without drowning out the readers.
Enjoy the process of putting the reading together! It need not be perfect to work well, and there’s plenty of fun to be had amongst the reading group as you rehearse.
Projection: Instructions and content are in red.
Scripture text appears in brown.
Non-spoken directions or reader references that need to be replaced by their names are in green.
“All R” indicates all the readers speaking together (R1-R5).
“ALL R+Gen” means R1-R5 and Gen1-Gen3, but not the Psalm reader (PR).
All: includes all participants and the congregation and appears in bold font.

The Reading

[Project Psalm 145:1–2, NIV]

PR: Good morning. Please turn with me to Psalm 145, or watch the words on the
screen. On Thanksgiving Day...

R1: [Gets up from pew and moves forward; interrupting] Hey, [name of PR], I’m in!

PR: You’re in? What do you mean, you’re in?

R1: If we’re doing Psalm 145, I’m in. I’ll help.

Gen2: [Pops up from seat with Gen1 and Gen3] Yeah, we’re in too.

PR: Well...I was just going to read the psalm to these good people gathered here. I didn’t...

R1: Don’t worry. We’ll help. It’s an “oh yeah” psalm after all.

R2: [Jumps up and goes forward.] Psalm 145 for Thanksgiving? We’re all over this. [name of
R3], come on, let’s get up there. [Pulls R3 along]

R3: Aren’t we interrupting [PR]? He was just going to read the psalm.

R2: But this is an “oh yeah” psalm. He’s gonna need help. You need help, right [PR]?

PR: Apparently I need a lot of help. [R4 wanders forward with R5] Who’s this now? [R4]? [R5]?

R4: [R5] and I were just talking...

R2: Which really means [R4] was talking and [R5] was pretending to listen.

R4: ...about the fact that this is an “oh yeah” psalm.

R2: Didn’t I say—

R4: So we’ll be helping with that.

R5: Uh huh.

PR: I’m getting confused. What is the “oh yeah” thing?

R1: Just go ahead and start reading. You’ll find out.

PR: Okay. [Deep breath] Psalm 145.

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Gen3: Forever? Even 10 years? (which sounds like forever)

Gen2: For 40 years.

Gen1: For 70 years!

All R: Forever and ever!

PR: [Clears throat, signals, and/or looks around to get the group’s attention, here and whenever
restarting the reading of the Psalm.]

Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Gen3: Every day? Even on a day off from school like Thanksgiving Day?

Gen2: Especially on Thanksgiving Day!

All R: Every day I will praise you!

[Project Psalm 145:3–7, NIV]

PR: Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

Gen3: I don’t get what “fathom” means.

Gen1: [Gen2], Hold your arms out [Gen2 reluctantly does]—way out. [To Gen3, demonstrating
arm span] From here to here on a typical sailor was called one fathom. It was just a way
to measure. Got it?

Gen3: Yup.

Gen1: But there is no way to measure, to fathom, how deep God’s greatness is!

R2: Oh yeah? [Looking for an affirmative response.]

All R: Oh yeah! [A little drawn out.]

PR: One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.

Gen1: That’s what your parents are trying to do for you, [Gen3].

Gen3: Huh?

Gen2: We’re trying to teach you about Jesus and salvation and how God is at work in the world.

Gen3: So be thankful today for parents and teachers who help you learn about God.

PR: They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

R1: and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

R2: They tell of the power of your awesome works—

R1: and I will proclaim your great deeds.

R2: They celebrate your abundant goodness

R1: and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Gen2: Great deeds, abundant goodness. I wish I was better at seeing what God is up to now,
today, not just back in Bible times. Then I could be more thankful.

R4: We can help you with that.

R5: Uh huh.

R4: Just look at Creation, for instance.

R5: Uh huh!

[Drum starts a regular beat, loud-soft, at about 120 tempo; continues through end of song. All lines are read in rhythm with the drum, each line completed in four beats.]

R1: The sun rose this morning

R2: And every morning

R3: All year long.

R4: Warming, lighting

R5: Photosynthesizing

R1: Cheering, delighting

R2: All year long.

R3: Oh yeah?

All R+Gen: Oh yeah!

R4: The water cycle

R5: Cycled onward

R1: Snowing, raining

R2: Sleeting, hailing

R3: All replenishing

R4: Soil moisture,

R5: Aquifers, marshlands,

R1: Streams and rivers—

R2: Fox, Menomonee

R3: And lovely lakes—

R4: Pewaukee, Okauchee,

R5: Giant Lake Michigan

R1: Making homes for

R2: Brook trout, walleye,

R3: Salmon, minnows

R4: Algae, water lilies,

R5: Pondweed, cattails.

R1: All year long.

R2: Oh yeah?

All R: Oh yeah!

[Starting here, there should be 8 beats per line.]

R3: Water bringing life, then evaporating

R4: Making morning mist, forming fancy clouds:

R5: Dancing cirrus, altocumulus,

R1: Cumulus—animal shapes in the sky,

R2: Thundering, mountainous cumulonimbus.

R3: Rain, hail, sleet, snow, the cycle continues

R4: Day after day, year after year.

R5: Oh yeah. Oh yeah?

All R: Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

R1: Sun, soil, water, at God’s direction

R2: Collaborating to make plants grow:

R3: Yews and aloes, lilac bushes

R4: Boxwoods, forsythia

R5: Yucca plants, cacti

R1: Flowering dogwoods, beautiful birch trees

R2: Majestic oaks and colorful maples

R3: Towering, massive, ancient redwoods.

R4: Oh yeah. Oh yeah?

All R: Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

R5: Daffodils, tulips, day lilies, oxeyes

R1: Dahlias, hyacinths, dandelions, salvia

R2: Soybeans, wheat, oats, field corn, sweet corn

R3: Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beans

R4: Onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes

R5: Cantaloupe, apples, peaches, pears

[Project song text.]

[Piano begins during the beginning of the following line and the soloist jumps in by the end of the line.]

R1: Strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries

[Drum ends.]

Song of Praise: “Praise and Thanksgiving” ^{Alsatia/Post adapt.}

Soloist: Praise and thanksgiving let all of us bring
to our Creator, Sustainer, and King.
Now, together, joyfully sing.

All: Praise and thanksgiving we joyfully bring
unto our Maker, Provider, and King.
All together, praises we sing.

R4: Are you seeing it now? God’s great deeds? We could list more...

Gen2: [Hurrying to politely stop them.] No, no. Got it. Thank you. I mean, really I guess we
need to thank God for all of that, and more.

Gen3: That was fun!

Gen1: Don’t encourage them or we may never get through the psalm.

[Project Psalm 145:8–13a, NIV]

PR: May I?

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

R5: Gracious, compassionate, patient, loving, good.

R1: With a God like that, here’s what should always be happening:

R2: All your works praise you,
LORD; your faithful people extol you.

R3: They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,

R4: so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Gen1: [Thinking] There it is again: God’s kingdom.

R5: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

Gen3: But where’s the King? And where’s the kingdom? How do I even see it?

Gen2: Well, the King is Jesus, and he is in heaven, and he will return to Earth one day.

Gen1: And the kingdom is everywhere, because God is sovereign everywhere. But it’s especially in the church.

Gen2: Because that’s where the kingdom citizens are.

Gen3: But who are the kingdom citizens? Can I be one?

Gen1: Kingdom citizens are people who trust in Jesus for salvation, like we do. So you already are a kingdom citizen.

Gen3: But most people don’t come to church. So how do they know there’s a kingdom? Or what it’s like?

Gen2: Well, uh...

R4: We can help you with that.

R5: Uh huh.

Gen2: Uh oh.

R4: People know the kingdom through the kingdom citizens.

R5: Uh huh!

R4: Kingdom citizens are being shaped by the Spirit. So shout it out: What are kingdom citizens like?

[Quiet drum improvisation throughout; readers need not be on the beat; each line should overlap slightly with the preceding line.]

R3: Becoming meek and humble, just like Jesus.

R4: Filled with righteousness, found in Jesus.

R5: Growing more pure, as they follow Jesus.

R1: Seeking to bring peace, as did Jesus.

R2: Persevering when persecuted for following Jesus.

R3: Salt of the earth.

R4: Light of the world.

R5: Choosing love over hate.

R1: Faithful in marriage.

R2: Simply speaking truth.

R3: Loving even enemies.

R4: Practicing unseen righteousness.

R5: Praying secretly and simply.

R1: Treasuring only what God treasures.

R2: Devoting all of life to following Jesus.

R3: Trusting in the Father’s provision.

R4: Seeking first the kingdom and righteousness.

R5: Judging humbly.

R1: Persistently pursuing God’s good gifts.

R2: Following the golden rule.

R3: Trusting only in Jesus for salvation.

R4: Seeking true teaching.

R5: Doing the Father’s will.

All R: [Rhythmically.] Following Jesus, following Jesus, living the way he taught us to live.

[Drum stops.]

R4: Kingdom citizens show the world what Jesus’ kingdom is all about!

R5: So here’s another reason to thank God: the Spirit is within us, guiding us and making us
holy.

R1: Oh yeah. Oh yeah?

[Project song text.]

[Piano begins during the beginning of the following line and the soloist jumps in by the end of the line.]

All R: Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Song of Praise: “Praise and Thanksgiving” ^{Alsatia/Post adapt.}

Soloist: Praise and thanksgiving let all of us bring
to God the Spirit and Jesus our King.
Now, together, joyfully sing.

All: Lives of thanksgiving we joyfully bring
unto our Counselor, and to our King.
All together, praises we sing.

[Project Psalm 145:13b–16, NIV]

PR: Can we continue?

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.

R4: The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

R5: The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.

R1: You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Gen1: Amazing, isn’t it? That God feeds every living thing?

Gen3: [Skeptical] Plants are living things. How does God feed plants?

Gen2: Remember that bit earlier about sun and rain and soil collaborating? At God’s direction?
That’s God feeding plants.

Gen3: Well, you feed plants too.

Gen1: Yes, God also uses people to feed plants, and to feed dogs, and even cats.

Gen3: [Still skeptical] What about turtles? Does God feed turtles?

[Here and throughout the “yes, yes, yes...” lines, the drum beats along with [All R]]

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds turtles.

Gen3: What about people? Does God feed people?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds people.

Gen3: What about spiders? Does God feed spiders?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds spiders.

Gen3: What about butterflies? Does God feed butterflies?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds butterflies.

Gen3: What about giraffes? Does God feed giraffes?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds giraffes.

Gen3: What about people who are poor? Does God feed them?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds people who are poor, when we share.

Gen3: What about children who are hungry for turkey and pumpkin pie? Does God feed them?

All R: Yes, yes, yes; God feeds children who are hungry for turkey and pumpkin pie when we
help them.

[Drumming ends.]

Gen3: Okay. I guess God really does feed every living thing.

Gen1: That’s something more for which to give thanks.

R5: Oh yeah. Oh yeah?

[Project song text.]

[Piano starts during line; vocalist begins near end of line.]

All R: Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Song of Praise: “Praise and Thanksgiving” ^{Alsatia/Post adapt.}

Soloist: Praise and thanksgiving let all of us bring
To the Supplier of every good thing.
Now, together, joyfully sing.

All: Songs of thanksgiving we joyfully bring
unto our faithful Provider and King.
All together, praises we sing.

[Project Psalm 145:17–21, NIV]

PR: Can we keep going? There’s more about God’s faithful love here.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.

R1: The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.

R2: He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

R3: The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

R4: [repeating slowly] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Gen1: Is the Lord near when we struggle in school?

All R: [Rhythmically for all “The Lord is near...” lines] The Lord is near. Call on the Lord.

[Drum repeats the rhythm, with some additions; here and for all “The Lord is near...” lines.]

Gen1: Is the Lord near when the car breaks down?