Liturgy

Peace in Following Jesus

/ The Pastor

Continuing with the theme of following Jesus, based on Luke 9:57-62, I wrote this communion liturgy for the Great Thanksgiving. One of the things that hit me as I wrote this is the reason that many hesitate in answering the call to follow Jesus: Peace. We try to create, secure and maintain our peace when all the while, Jesus himself is our peace. How quickly we forget.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to You, oh God, Creator and Father. Through Jesus Christ You call us to follow, but yet we often find ourselves timid or skeptical or too careful or worrisome about the path You have called us to walk. We often find ourselves over-analyzing in order to secure a sense of peace about making our decision. But how foolish we are for doing such a thing, for through Jesus Christ You have cleared the path and secured our future through his death and resurrection. You have defeated Your foes and have surrounded us with Your holy angels. You have redeemed our lives and thus You and You alone are our peace. May we leap when You call us to follow for through Jesus we have much about which to be excited and thankful. And so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Salvation and Submission

/ The Pastor

This is part of the Great Thanksgiving liturgy in the service of Holy Communion that I wrote for this morning. The inspiration comes from the Gospel text, Luke 8:26-39. To God be the glory!

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Kings of kings and Lord of lords.
You reign supreme over all creation, yet you are closer to us than we are to ourselves.
You are a God that knows our hearts better than we know ourselves.
You know our deepest and darkest secrets.
You know our longings.
You demand obedience.
You demand submission.
You demand holiness.
Yet, we fall short continually. We are sinners, but you are a God that saves. You have redeemed our lives through Jesus Christ; conquering the demon of sin. You have freed us and cleansed us. You have prepared our home. For this reason, we go and proclaim all that You have done for us. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…

Holy Trinity Prayer

/ The Pastor

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, I offer this prayer that I wrote for the Great Thanksgiving in the service of Holy Communion. To God be the glory…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God. As our heavenly Father, You have shown a love that has secured our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. You have sent Your Holy Spirit to guide and inflame our lives that You would be glorified. You have kept us from the evil one and have promised us a place at Your table where we can feast in peace; worshiping You forever without hindrance. You are our awesome God and thus are worthy of all glory. For that reason, we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

The Name

/ The Pastor

The following is part of the Great Thanksgiving for Holy Communion today, Pentecost Sunday. It picks up on themes from the sermon for today…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to You, oh God, for through the name that is above all names, Jesus, You made a name for us through faith by the Holy Spirit. You have revealed the truth of who You are and have sealed our names in the Book of Life. You have given us peace and intimacy with You and have promised us a seat at Your table. Oh God, our Father, You are worthy of all worship, and so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Bold Witnesses

/ The Pastor

Today is Ascension Sunday and thus I will be preaching on Luke 24:44-53. The following is the Great Thanksgiving liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion with this context in mind. Stand firm for the Truth and never, ever shrink back in fear…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God. You have shown us Your glory through Your son Jesus Christ.
You have opened our eyes to the Truth.
You have cradled us in Your arms.
You have given us hope.
Oh God, Creator and Redeemer, through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection we rest secure. My we live as bold witnesses of that Truth that others may come to know You as their Lord and God. May we not shrink back but stand firm; ready to die if called to do so. And so, since we have such a sure and certain hope we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Overcoming

/ The Pastor

The following is the preface to the Great Thanksgiving for Holy Communion that I wrote. It was inspired by the Gospel text (sermon text), John 16:25-33 — Jesus overcoming the world. To God be the glory!

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, King of all creation. Through Jesus Christ You did battle with Satan and totally obliterated his reign in this world. You destroyed his grip on Your children; redeeming us from the pit. You gave us a victory that we could not hope to achieve on our own. Oh God, lover of our souls, You were pleased to reveal Your glory to us through Jesus Christ and what an awesome glory it is. It is for that reason that we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Joy Unending

/ The Pastor

The following is the preface to the Great Thanksgiving for Holy Communion that I wrote for this morning. The inspiration is from the Gospel text, John 16:16-24. To God be the glory!

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, for through the death of Jesus Christ you tore away the veil that separated us from You. Through Jesus’ resurrection You crushed the reign of Satan through the forgiveness of our sins. Now, through the Holy Spirit, we live in joy. Continue to draw us closer to You that we may know this joy more and more as we anxiously await the consummation of Your Kingdom, the coming of Your Son. And so, as we long to dine with You at Your Great Banquet table we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise.

Secure

/ The Pastor

The following is the preface for the Great Thanksgiving in the Holy Communion liturgy for today (based on the Gospel text from Jon 10:22-30)…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Maker of all things. Through Jesus Christ You have brought us into Your eternal Kingdom, giving us a security and peace like nothing the world can offer. You hold us firmly in Your loving hands, where no thing or no one can touch us. You keep us free from all harm. Though the body is fragile and wastes away, our soul is kept perfectly in Your care. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

The Gift

/ The Pastor

This is the Great Thanksgiving liturgy I wrote for Holy Communion today, based on the preaching text from John 20:19-29…

It is indeed right and salutary
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you,
oh God,
Creator of life.
Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ died on the cross
and rose from the dead that our sins would be forgiven.
This is awesome and incredible news,
but also unbelievable to our human brains.
For one thing we are sinners worthy of condemnation
and secondly dead people don’t come back to life.
But all thanks and praise to You
that You have given us the gift of Your Holy Spirit
that we can believe this Good News;
that Jesus is alive,
and thus be saved.
And so we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven
in singing Your unending praise…

He is ALIVE!!!

/ The Pastor

He IS risen! He IS risen indeed, ALLELUIA!!!

There are no amount of words that can adequately express what the resurrection means to the redeemed sinner. Below, is a beginning — words I wrote for the Great Thanksgiving liturgy for Holy Communion. May the joy of the resurrection be an everyday occurrence, not just something reserved for a special Church holiday once a year. Jesus died and rose FOR YOU, for the forgiveness of your sins, and for that, God is to be worshiped and glorified each and every moment of your life. He IS Risen!!! ALLELUIA!!!

It is indeed right and salutary
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you,
oh God.
For You began your plan of redemption
from the very moment sin entered the world.
You did this because of Your amazing love and grace.
It’s hard to comprehend,
that You would save sinners such as us,
but yet, You did,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
He suffered a horrible death on the cross,
though he was without sin,
that we would not experience eternal torment.
To think on such an act of love,
how does one not fall to their knees in thanks and praise.
Oh God,
You are an awesome God;
worthy of all worship, honor, glory and thanks.
And so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we join in singing Your unending praise…