Thanksgiving Sunday - 11/22/2020

Call to worship:

L: From dying day to living dawn -

P: Our God can be everything to every one!

L: From hungering bodies to thirsting minds -

P: Our God can be everything to every one!

L: O sing to heaven! Our God is great!

P: O people, shout and praise God’s name!

A: Our God is everything to every one!

Opening Hymn:   All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name   #154

1. All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall; bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. 2. Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, ye ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. 3. Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget the wormwood and the gall, go spread your trophies at his feet, and crown him Lord of all. Go spread your trophies at his feet, and crown him Lord of all. 4. Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. 5. Crown him, ye martyrs of your God, who from his altar call; extol the Stem of Jesse's Rod, and crown him Lord of all. Extol the Stem of Jesse's Rod, and crown him Lord of all. 6. O that with yonder sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all. We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all.

Opening Prayer:

Shepherd of the lost, Guardian of the wandering, hear our prayer. In our search for greener pastures, we have gone astray. But the pastures that we have found are infested with rocks and thistles and slippery paths. Some of us have fallen and are crippled; heal us with compassion. Some of us have eaten and yet are hungry; feed us with justice. Some of us are lost and stand alone; rescue us with rejoicing. We pray in the name of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world and never leads us astray.

Epistle Reading:  Ephesians 1: 15-23

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[a] toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God[b] put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Children's Time (video)

Hymn:  Hail to the Lord’s Anointed   #203

1. Hail to the Lord's Anointed, great David's greater Son! Hail in the time appointed, his reign on earth begun! He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free; to take away transgression, and rule in equity. 2. He comes with succor speedy to those who suffer wrong; to help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong; to give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light, whose souls, condemned and dying, are precious in his sight. 3. He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth; love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in his path to birth. Before him, on the mountains, shall peace, the herald, go, and righteousness, in fountains, from hill to valley flow. 4. To him shall prayer unceasing and daily vows ascend; his kingdom still increasing, a kingdom without end. The tide of time shall never his covenant remove; his name shall stand forever; that name to us is love.

Prayer of Dedication:

Life: a one-syllable word loaded with mystery. And that mystery is you, O Creator of life, who in Christ shares life with the world!

“In Christ shall all be made alive.” Hearing these words tempts us to count ourselves among the living. We forget that we are still sinners, and that within us rage those same forces that drove Paul against the Christians – the same pride in our convictions, the same inability to hear a different voice, the same insensitivity and even inhumanity to our fellow creatures and to creation.

Make us, like Paul, alive in Christ and dead to self, that we might become alive to the world.  Amen.

Gospel Reading:   Matthew 25: 31-46 

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Sermon Title:    Paul’s prayer (video)

    Have you ever received a letter in the mail where you were told that the sender was thankful for you? A special letter like this could just make your whole day. Perhaps the sender of this letter also told you that he or she believes that you have gotten the information that you need and that you are displaying some really good characteristics.

    I got such a letter once. It was from my father and it was while I was at college in Wyoming. The reason for the card was primarily to wish me a happy birthday; but it had far more meaning to it than that. In this letter, my Dad told me that he was proud of me for sticking with my plans at college even though I had suffered a broken back in a horse accident during the first semester. He told me that he was inspired because I had taught my twenty-four year old mare how to do different things. He said something to the effect of old dog, new tricks and then I reminded him that she was a horse. All in all, it was a lovely letter and the only letter he ever wrote to me and I still have that letter in a collection of other priceless mementos of my life.

    Speaking to the letter that we read in Ephesians; while it has been contested among theologians for thousands of years whether Paul or somebody else wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus, I feel that this was indeed his prayer that is shared here. Paul was always as quick to encourage the people of these churches and communities as he was to hold them accountable. He was passionate for the Lord because he of all people knew that Jesus is a fair and loving judge. Paul, formerly known as Saul, had spent many years persecuting the Christians. Saul was one of those religious leaders that Jesus so often spoke to, and about, with disdain.

    So not only had Paul come around to the Christian way of thinking because of his experience, but also the people and religious communities that he had spoken and written to. And for this reason, he wrote a letter to let them know how glad he is and how thankful for their work and that he is praying for them to continue in the same manner.

    Four promises are offered by Paul in this letter to the Ephesians; wisdom and revelation; hope of a calling, riches of a glorious inheritance, and power. Of course, these things cannot be given by Paul himself, but he knows that when a person or group are right with God, then these things are entirely possible and he lets them know that he prays they will achieve these goals. He adds that it was Jesus himself who was used by Father God to affect these divine purposes in the people and he prays for this to happen. Of course the demonstration of God’s power is shown to us through Jesus Christ and his willingness to commit to the people, to the will of God, to the crucifixion, and to the resurrection and exaltation of himself.

    God put his power to work in Jesus the Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly places. (Note: the right hand, in Biblical terms, always refers to a place of honor.)

    Once this is noted, the letter then introduces a different theme, the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church, which is his body (he, of course, is the head). And this is not just the time period in which it was written, it is forever.

    This lovely letter from Paul to the Ephesians was one of thanksgiving and also intercession. He offers these things to the people of Ephesus so that their hearts will not only be enlightened, but also so that they may stay that way and that they would pass this good news on to others.

    This week is the official season to take some time and remember what we are thankful for. I want you to know that I am thankful for you and I thank God each and every day for you. You have taken the words of God to heart and you live them out every day. I also intercede for you in my prayers. God knows the person that you are and He loves you. But it can’t hurt if I reiterate all of the wonderful things that you do and are.

    And I have not forgotten that Thanksgiving, and the rest of the holiday season, are going to look quite different this year. I am still thankful for what I have and even more so for where I am at. God’s gifts are abundant and lovely…just like the letters that Paul shared with fellow believers. Perhaps this will inspire you to write a letter of thankfulness and intercession to someone you love.

    And meanwhile, have a very happy Thanksgiving and know that you are loved by the Most High God and me.

Amen.

Closing Hymn:  Jesus Shall Reign   #157

1. Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run; his kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more. 2. To Jesus endless prayer be made, and endless praises crown his head; his name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice. 3. People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song; and infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on his name. 4. Blessings abound where'er he reigns; all prisoners leap and loose their chains; the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest. 5. Let every creature rise and bring honors peculiar to our King; angels descend with songs again, and earth repeat the loud amen!