The Great Thanksgiving

Magnify Your Song

/ The Pastor

Let us join our song together in praising our awesome God…

Holy God and Father, it is right to give You thanks and praise at all times, in all places and in all circumstances. Yes, it is always right to give You thanks and praise. For You are sovereign over the heavens and the earth. You are the Creator. You reign on high – high above all gods. You are our Rock. You are our Fortress. Through Jesus Christ, You are our salvation. Oh God, praise and worship is indeed befitting You. Our souls sing for joy at the mere thought of You. Holy and mighty God you are glorious and thus we long to magnify our song by joining with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

May our song of praise to God never, ever diminish.

Desire

/ The Pastor

Let us praise and worship our awesome God.
Written for the Great Thanksgiving in our Holy Communion liturgy…

To give You thanks and praise, oh God, is indeed our delight, for through Jesus Christ, You have fulfilled our deepest desire. Our desire is to live life to the fullest and that cannot be done outside of You. You have redeemed us from sin and death. You have filled us with Your Spirit. You have defeated every enemy. You have placed us upon the Rock. Oh God, our Father and Creator, our Strong Fortress and Shield, our Hope and Salvation. Draw us closer and closer that we may delight more and more in You. And on that Day, may we be taken up into the loving arms of our bridegroom, Jesus Christ. And so, in our joy that is only from You, we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Yes, Yes, YES

/ The Pastor

WOW, this one just flew through my fingers and onto the keyboard. No other words of introduction. So i’m just going to leave this right here. To God be the glory!

Oh yes, yes, YES! it is right and it is our joy to give You thanks and praise, oh God. You are our mighty Rock and Foundation, our Strong Fortress and Shelter, our Father who has redeemed us through Jesus Christ. You are our Life. Enliven us with Your Spirit that joy may spill forth from our beings and soak all those around us with Your love. May no one be missed. May we not show partiality but run to the lost and outcast. May we embrace our enemies and those difficult to love. May we beam with delight, so much so, that people are blinded and see nothing but Your glory. We love You and worship You, oh God, and thus we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise.

Undistracted

/ The Pastor

I wrote this piece for the Holy Communion liturgy with the Gospel text in mind, Luke 10:38-42, the text on which I am preaching 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, Creator, Father and King. For what can we say, You have given us all that we need, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Yet, we search and search for a shelter and refuge that will protect. We scavenger for that which will sustain and keep us. Oh Lord, all our efforts will fall short for no one and nothing is like You. Oh God, You are a God of grace and mercy. You are our portion, our heritage and our inheritance. You are our everything; our life. May we live undistracted lives, keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ. Oh God, You and You alone are worthy and so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Overflow

/ The Pastor

This is part of the Holy Communion liturgy that I wrote based on the preaching text, Luke 10:25-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan…

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God through Christ Jesus our Lord. For through Jesus’ death and resurrection, You have shown mercy and compassion to an unclean, sinful and lost people. You did not pass us by, but You have bandaged our wounds of sin and have brought healing to our souls. You have given us a home for which we long. You have given us hope. May our hearts be filled with Your love, so much so, that it overflows into acts of compassion and mercy to our neighbor; as we walk humbly with You. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

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…