Monday, October 7, 2013

Thanksgiving Sunday (13 October 2013)


thanksgiving sunday
13 October 2013

The Gathering of the Community

Processional Hymn

‘Come, Ye Thankful People, Come’  Common Praise #262

Introductory Responses

Let the earth glorify the Lord.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth,
praise and highly exalt the Holy One for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas and streams,
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord,
praise and highly exalt the Holy One for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild,
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord,
praise and highly exalt the Holy One for ever. [i]

Hymn of Praise

‘Praise to the Lord’  Common Praise #382

Collect

Let us pray.

Generous God,
you brought us into the abundance of our inheritance.
Grant us the faith to be people
blossoming with honour and truth,
so that we may produce bountifully
the first fruits of justice and compassion,
which are pleasing in your sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading

A reading from Deuteronomy (26.1-11).

            When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.  You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”  When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God:  “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.  When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.  The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.”  You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God.  Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 100 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

1 Be joyful in the Lord, *
            all you lands;
2 serve the Lord with gladness
            and come into God’s presence with a song.

Refrain:  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

3 Know this:  the Lord, the Lord, is God; *
            the one made us and to whom we belong;
            we are God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture.
4 Enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving;
go into these courts with praise; *
            give thanks to God and call upon the name of the Lord.
5 For the Lord is good, whose steadfast love is everlasting; *
            and whose faithfulness endures from age to age. [iii]

Refrain:  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

The Second Reading

A reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4.4-9).

            Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.

The Gradual Hymn

‘Eternal, Unchanging’  Common Praise #394 (sung to #393)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (6.25-35).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            When [the crowd] found [Jesus] on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”  Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”  So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?  What work are you performing?  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”  Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

          Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.


The Sermon

The Affirmation of Faith

Do you believe and trust in God the Father,
source of all being and life,
the one for whom we exist?
We believe and trust in the Holy One.

Do you believe and trust in God the Son,
who took our human nature,
died for us and rose again?
We believe and trust in the Holy One.

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to all people
and makes Christ known in the world?
We believe and trust in the Holy One.

This is our faith.
We believe and trust
in God the Author of all that is,
in God the Word through whom all things came into being,
in God the Spirit who enlivens the whole creation.  Amen. [iv]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

‘Come, O God of All the Earth’  Common Praise #589

Prayer over the Gifts

Bountiful God,
you clothe the grass of the field
and feed the birds of the air.
Receive all that we offer you this day
and transform us by our giving
so that we might share your bounty with others.
We ask this in the name of Christ.  Amen. [v]

Thanksgiving at the Table

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
you are the source of light and life for all your creation,
you made us in your own image,
and call us to new life in Jesus Christ our saviour.
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. [vi]

Holy God, you alone are holy, you alone are God.
The universe declares your praise:
beyond the stars; beneath the sea;
within each cell; with every breath.
We praise you, O God.

Generations bless your faithfulness:
through the water; by night and day;
across the wilderness; out of exile; into the future.
We bless you, O God.

We give you thanks for your dear Son:
at the heart of human life; near to those who suffer;
beside the sinner; among the poor; with us now.
We thank you, O God.

In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering his love for us on the way,
at the table and to the end,
we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

We pray for the gift of your Spirit:
in our gathering; within this meal;
among your people; throughout the world.

Blessing, praise and thanks to you, holy God,
through Christ Jesus, by your Spirit,
in your church, without end.  Amen. [vii]

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.  Amen. [viii]

The Breaking of the Bread

Creator of all,
you gave us golden fields of wheat,
whose many grains we have gathered
and made into this one bread.
So may your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth
into your reign of justice and peace.

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

The Communion

Communion Hymn

‘As We Gather at Your Table’  Common Praise #61

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

God of promise and covenant,
free us from all fear and worry
that, trusting in your goodness,
we may always praise your mighty deeds
and give you thanks for the bounty of your gifts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. [ix]

Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever.  Amen.

Stewardship Reflection

Blessing

May the Holy One of Israel strengthen you;
may the Word of God incarnate embrace you;
may the Power of the Most High uphold you,
+ now and for ever.  Amen. [x]

Closing Hymn

‘For the Healing of the Nations’  Common Praise #576

Dismissal

Go forth in joy, praise and thanksgiving.
Thanks be to God. [xi]


[i] Based upon the “Song of the Three 52-60” in The Book of Alternative Services, 84 alt.

[ii] ‘Thanksgiving Day:  Year C’ in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002), 229 alt.

[iii] Psalm 100 in ‘Draft Liturgical Psalter’ prepared by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.

[iv] “Affirmation of Faith 1” in Common Worship, 144 alt.

[v] The Prayer over the Gifts is based upon the “Intercessory Prayer for Thanksgiving” in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, 228 alt.

[vi] Common Praise #689.

[vii] The Thanksgiving at the Table is “Thanksgiving at the Table IX” in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 68, using the “Preface for the Lord’s Day1 from The Book of Alternative Services, 218.

[viii] Common Praise #744.

[ix] The Prayer after Communion is adapted from “Concluding Prayer for the Intercessions” in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, 228 alt.

[x] The Blessing is adapted from the Doxology of ‘Thanksgiving at the Table III’ in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006).

[xi] The Dismissal was prepared by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.


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