The Great Thanksgiving

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…

The Cornerstone

/ The Pastor

The following is the Great Thanksgiving preface that I wrote for the Holy Communion liturgy for today. I was inspired by the Gospel text from Luke 20:9-18; the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. A church not built on Jesus will surely fall…

It is indeed right and salutary
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you,
oh God,
holy, mighty and awesome.
You built the Church on the foundation of Jesus,
Your anointed and only Son.
Through faith in him our sins have been forgiven
and thus we have been clothed in righteousness
and are justified in Your sight.
Oh God,
what an awesome thing to be at peace with You
and in You
for all eternity.
And so we shout out Alleluias each and every day
as we recall your amazing grace.
And so we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Found

/ The Pastor

It is indeed right and salutary
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you,
oh God,
Father almighty.
You sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.
He stopped at nothing to reach lost sinners.
He defied the authorities.
He defied the world.
He defied death.
We were lost, but now we are found.
We were without hope but now we celebrate.
We were without meaning, but now we are in Your family; defined by You. We were dead, but now we are alive.
Oh God,
You settled for nothing short of finding lost sinners.
And so we worship You;
joining with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in singing Your unending praise…

Sounding the Alarm

/ The Pastor

The following is something I wrote as part of the Great Thanksgiving for our Holy Communion liturgy. Themes from the Luke 13:1-9 and Ezekiel 33:7-20 can be found here.

REPENT, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!

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 the universe. You sent Jesus to die and rise for our sins and thus You have promised us eternal life through faith in him. May we speak boldly; sounding the alarm; the Good News, that Your Kingdom is at hand. You have called us to repent; to turn from our sinful ways, that Your holy name would be glorified. Oh God, Creator and Redeemer, You are worthy of all praise and worship. May we not hide behind our righteousness, but live in and through that righteousness that others would run to You. And so, because You are awesome and glorious, we join with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven in signing Your unending praise…

Your Wings

/ The Pastor

The follow is something I wrote for the Great Thanksgiving in our Holy Communion liturgy based loosely on the preaching text from Luke 13:31-35…

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 Jesus Christ You spread Your wings over Your children to provde shelter and refuge. You have saved us from the forces of evil and have redeemed our lives from the pit. You give us hope in a hopeless world. You give us peace in a world filled with hate and death. You are our life and salvation. And so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven we join in singing Your unending praise…

Amen and Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Worthy Lives

/ The Pastor

It is right and salutary
that we should at all times
and in all places
gives thanks and praise to You,
oh God,
for You alone are worthy of all worship and honor and glory.
You gave Your only Son to die that we might live;
people who are indeed unworthy.
But because You alone are worthy,
may we live lives that are worthy of You;
lives that shine the light of Your love.
May Your worth be evident in and through us
that Your glory may be know to all.
And so with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven
we join in singing Your unending praise…

The Pastor -|—