THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE
11/24/2010
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church
PRELUDE "Come Ye Thankful People" George Elvey
GOSPEL John 6:24-35
HOMILY Pastor Cline
HYMN "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" ELW 693
CALL TO WORSHIP FOR THANKSGIVING:
L. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
C. God's steadfast love endures forever.
L. Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name.
C. Make known God's deeds among the peoples!
L. God blesses us with gifts of love:
C. With food and clothing, home and family.
L. God blesses us with daily work:
C. And all we need from day to day.
L. God protects us in time of danger:
C. And guards us from every evil.
L. God calls us into relationship with him:
C. And forms us into one holy people, the Church of Jesus Christ in this place.
L. Therefore shall we offer thanks and praise to the Lord our God.
C. O Lord our God, we will give thanks to you forever.
L. The Lord be with you.
C. And also with you.
L. Let us pray.
C: Almighty God our Father, your generous goodness comes to us new every day. By the work of your Spirit lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
C. Amen
READING FROM HISTORY: The Mayflower Compact, 1620
RESPONSE:
L. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
C. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
L. For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
C. From this day all generations will call me blessed.
L. The Almighty has done great things for me.
C. And holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49)
READING FROM SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
HYMN "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" ELW 694
OFFERING "Evening Meditation" A. Schreiner
OFFERTORY PRAYER:
C. O God, who desires good for all creatures, satisfy our hunger not just for food, but for freedom, truth, justice and love. We dedicate our lives and our offerings to your service. Bless these gifts and abide in our hearts so that our gifts and our actions may glorify our Creator, our Lord, and our Sustainer. Amen
HYMN "Praise and Thanksgiving" ELW 689
CHOIR Agnus Dei
LITANY FOR THANKSGIVING:
L. As the pioneers of the Plymouth colony gathered around the feasting table with native Americans in 1621 to give thanks for all that they had been given by our Bountiful Provider, so we too gather on this Eve of Thanksgiving to offer thanks for all those gifts which the Lord has seen fit to give us, especially for our country, our state and our town.
Almighty and Generous God, we bring before you, in our hearts and on our Thanksgiving table, the gifts and blessings which you have given us this year. And, in humble gratitude, we give you thanks for them. We thank you as well for the blessings which come to us through the peace and prosperity of our nation, our state and our town.
C. We praise you, and we thank you, O God.
L. We acknowledge that as we have greatly received, so are we responsible. Therefore, O Lord, keep us from being unfaithful in our lives as citizens of this nation and as recipients of all that past generations of Americans have bequeathed to us. Help us to be worthy of our ancestors and of their God.
C. Help us, O God, to be faithful.
L. To all the high desires of the pioneers and prophets,
L. To their belief in the possibilities of a common people:
L. To their passion for freedom and their readiness to die in its defense:
L. To their scorn of tyranny, and their trust in men and women to rule themselves:
L. To their vision of a human commonwealth in which the people of many lands may share:
L. To their release from the prejudice of an old world and their will to build a new one:
L. As our ancestors trusted in you, O Lord, and you delivered them:
C. Keep us ever close to you.
L. Lord of the nations, guide our people by your Spirit to go forward in justice and freedom. Give us what outward prosperity may be your will, but above all things give us faith in you, that our nation may bring glory to your name and blessings to all peoples; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
L. Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
C. Our Father . . .
BLESSINGS FOR THANKSGIVING:
L. May the Lord of all creation shower his blessings and favor upon you.
L. May the Lord of the harvest grace your Thanksgiving table with his presence and fill your loved ones with peace.
L. May the Lord of salvation guide you all your days until you come into the joys of his eternal kingdom.
L. And may almighty God, Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
HYMN "For the Fruit of All Creation" ELW 679
POSTLUDE " Songs of Thankfulness and Praise" Jakob Hintze
Acknowledgments: The liturgy for today was written by the Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, a pastor of the ELCA. The Litany for Thanksgiving was reprinted from The Experimental Liturgy Book, R.F. Hoey ed., Seabury Press 1969, p.170 amended by TLW. The closing prayer of the Litany is reprinted from the Lutheran Book of Worship, Augsburg Pub. 1978, p.40.
*Reader: Trent Rice
