Thanksgiving Day | Thursday 28 Nov 2024
+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Most merciful Father,
we humbly thank you for all your gifts
so freely bestowed upon us:
for life and health and safety,
for strength to work and leisure to rest,
for all that is beautiful in creation and in human life;
but above all we thank you for
our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord;
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“But first,
be concerned about [God’s] kingdom
and what has his approval.”
(Matthew 6:33)
__________
We Gather Together | Pleasant Hill Church of Christ
__________
OT Reading: Joel 2:21-27 (GW)
2:21 Land, do not be afraid.
Be glad and rejoice.
The Lord has done great things!
Wild animals, do not be afraid.
The pastures in the wilderness have turned green.
The trees have produced their fruit.
There are plenty of figs and grapes.
People of Zion, be glad and find joy in the Lord your God.
The Lord has given you the Teacher of Righteousness.
He has sent the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
The threshing floors will be filled with grain.
The vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
“Then I will repay you for the years
that the mature locusts, the adult locusts,
the grasshoppers, and the young locusts ate your crops.
(They are the large army that I sent against you.)
You will have plenty to eat, and you will be full.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has performed miracles for you.
My people will never be ashamed again.
You will know that I am in Israel.
I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.
My people will never be ashamed again.
__________
From the Psalms: Psalm 126 | “The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us” | Francesca LaRosa
__________
NT Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (GW)
2:1 First of all, I encourage you to make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and prayers of thanks for all people, for rulers, and for everyone who has authority over us. Pray for these people so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way. This is good and pleases God our Savior. He wants all people to be saved and to learn the truth. There is one God. There is also one mediator between God and humans—a human, Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for all people to free them from their sins.
This message is valid for every era. I was appointed to spread this Good News and to be an apostle to teach people who are not Jewish about faith and truth. I’m telling you the truth. I’m not lying.
__________
A Song of Thanksgiving | Christian Music
__________
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:25-33 (GW)
Stop Worrying
6:25 “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
“Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
“And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
“Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
__________
Seek Ye First | Maranatha! Music / Worship Videos (Louange et Adoration)
__________
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.
+ We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
+ We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
+ We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.
+ We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
+ Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he conquered death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the blessing promised to every family on earth.
+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming from every direction and in every form.
+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.
+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.
+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.
+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.
+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham – to bless every family on earth through them.
+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May Christ, who has opened the kingdom of heaven,
bring us to reign with him in glory.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1:4 From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Good will and peace to you from the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, from the seven spirits who are in front of his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the witness, the trustworthy one, the first to come back to life, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. Glory and power forever and ever belong to the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us a kingdom, priests for God his Father. Amen.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?”
A Widow’s Contribution
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
The Peanut Gallery 