Description
THEME: “Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart”
Thanksgiving has become a time of football, turkey, and a four-day weekend. Somewhere in there the Church and the faithful have tried to “sandwich” in the real meaning, yet it still seems to be lost! Most stores use Thanksgiving as a “kick-off” to Christmas so we find the men at home watching the football game and the women at the malls. Using the lesson from Deuteronomy, we are reminded to REMEMBER what this day is all about.
Excerpt:
WELCOME AND FELLOWSHIP
INVOCATION
Pastor: We begin in the name of the Father;
People: The creator of the time to plant and the time to harvest.
Pastor: We begin in the name of the Son;
People: The Savior of the world.
Pastor: We begin in the name of the Holy Spirit;
People: The Author of our joyful and grateful hearts.
CALL TO WORSHIP
[The following are options. You may choose either one, several, or all of them.]
A Time for Rejoicing! Psalm 95
Pastor: This is a time for rejoicing and celebration
People: For our Lord is good!
Pastor: So come into His presence with hearts full of thanksgiving and say,
People: The Lord is a great God,
Pastor: His name is above all names,
People: And I will praise Him!
Shout To The Lord
Darlene Zschech, ©1993 Darlene Zschech/Hillsongs Australia
Enter His Courts With Praise! Psalm 100
Pastor: Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise!
People: We proclaim that the Lord is good and that His love endures forever.
Pastor: Tell everyone…
People: He is faithful to all generations!
How Great Is Our God
Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, & Jesse Reeves ©2004 worshiiptogether.com songs/Sixsteps Music/ASCAP
[Traditional Options]:
A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing ELW 393; LSB 493; LBW 157; LW 149; TLH 212; RS 606; WC 259; NCH 259; PH 141
Come, Ye Thankful People – Come! Psalm 65
Pastor: So we gather together this evening with the Lord.
Men: He has given us a year of blessings.
Women: His goodness has overflowed to us as His children,
Men: His Church,
Women: And His Kingdom here on earth.
Pastor: With the Psalmist we say, “Come and be thankful, children of the Lord!
People: Come and praise the God who provides, for His mercy endures forever!”
Song Medley
Hear Our Praises
Reuben Morgan, ©1998 Reuben Morgan (Hillsong)
On My Lips
Darren Morehouse & Ross Parsley, ©2002 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
–or—
Hymn Medley
Come You Thankful People Come, verse 1
CH 797; LSB 892, ELW 693; LBW 407; LW 495
Now Thank We All Our God, verses 1 & 3
CH 788; HFG 525; LBW 533,534; LSB 895; NCH 419; LW443; PH 555;
UMH 102; WC 374
Let Us Remember! Deuteronomy 8: 1-10
Pastor: We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
People: He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
Pastor: The wicked oppressing now cease distressing,
People: Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.
ALL: Lord, You have never forgotten us. You are the Provider of everything we need and all the things we enjoy. Forgive us for feeble thanks and hollow praise. Turn us from a meaningless Thanksgiving celebration into one of true rejoicing, where our lips declare Your praise and our hearts overflow with the goodness of Your hand.
Forever
Chris Tomlin, ©2001 Worshiptogether.Com Songs
Traditional Option:
We Gather Together HFG387; CH790; H82 433; HFG 387; NCH 421; PH 559; UMC 131; WC 376]
Welcome everyone; briefly announce the theme of the service and offer an opening prayer on that theme; have them rise and greet one another. A Praise Team member can lightly play harmonies in the background, building gradually into the first song.
