St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Manistee, MI
Giving Thanks in Uncertain Times
WELCOME
OPENING HYMN 613 “Come, You Thankful People, Come”
- please stand for last stanza
1 Come, you thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest-home.
All be safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker shall provide For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest-home.
2 All the world is God’s own field, Fruit unto his praise to yield;
Wheat and weeds together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear.
Lord of harvest, grant that we Wholesome grain and pure may be.
3 For the Lord our God shall come And shall take his harvest home,
From his field shall in that day All offenses purge away,
Give his angels charge at last In the fire the weeds to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store In his garner evermore.
4 Even so, Lord, quickly come To your final harvest-home;
Gather all your people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, In your garner to abide.
Come with all your angels, come; Raise the glorious harvest-home.
CALL TO WORSHIP
M: It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD,
and to sing praise to your name, O Most High.
C: For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD.
M: Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation,
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
C: For the LORD is a great God, the great King above all Gods.
M: In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
C: Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our
Maker, let us sing praise to the LORD our God.
HYMN OF WORSHIP 611 “For the Fruit of His Creation”
1 For the fruit of his creation, Thanks be to God.
For his gifts to ev’ry nation, Thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping, Thanks be to God.
2 In the just reward of labor, God’s will be done.
In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will be done.
In our worldwide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will be done.
3 For the harvests of the Spirit, Thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, Thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all that Love has found us, Thanks be to God.
THANKSGIVING PRAYER
M: In all things, O Lord, grant to us grace not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but to honor You above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. On our own we have nothing that will endure, but You have granted to us all things in Christ and the life that does not end. Hear Your people for the sake of and in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, with whom, in whom and through whom all honor and glory is Yours, almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.
WORD OF GOD
FIRST LESSON: Deuteronomy 8:10-18
10 Then you will eat, and you will be filled, and you will praise the LORD your God for the good land that he has given you. 11 Be very careful so that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and ordinances and his statutes that I am commanding you today. 12 When you eat and are satisfied, and you build nice houses and move into them, 13 and your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have prospers, 14 watch out so that your heart does not become arrogant and forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves. 15 Do not forget the LORD, who led you in the great and terrifying wilderness, where there were venomous snakes and scorpions, where the thirsty ground had no water, but the LORD made water come out of a flint rock for you. 16 Do not forget the LORD, who in the wilderness fed you manna, which your fathers had not known before, to humble you and to test you so that it would be good for you later on. 17 You might say in your heart, “My ability and the power of my hand have earned this wealth for me.” 18 But then you are to remember that the LORD your God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, to confirm his covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath, as he does to this day.
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
CHOIR ANTHEM: “Thanksgiving Medley”
SECOND LESSON: Philippians 4:10-20
10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord now that you have revived your concern for me once again. Actually, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I lack anything; in fact, I have learned to be content in any circumstances in which I find myself. 12 I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough. 13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you did well by becoming partners with me in my affliction. 15 You Philippians know that in the beginning of your experience with the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16 Even while I was in Thessalonica, you sent help more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am seeking the fruit that adds to your account. 18 I have been paid in full, and I have more than enough. I am fully supplied since I’ve received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19 And my God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever! Amen.
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL: Luke 17:11-19
11 On another occasion, as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 When he entered a certain village, ten lepers met him. Standing at a distance, 13 they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went away they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus responded, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.”
M: The Word of the Lord.
C: Praise be to you, O Christ.
CONFESSION OF FAITH
The First Article of the Apostles’ Creed & Explanation
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
What does this mean?
I believe that God created me and all that exists, and that he gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my mind and all my abilities.
And I believe that God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and children, land, cattle and all I own, and all that I need to keep my body and life. God also preserves me by defending me against all danger, guarding and protecting me from all evil. All this God does only because he is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserve it. For all this I ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey him. This is most certainly true.
HYMN OF THE DAY 612 “Praise to God, Immortal Praise”
1 Praise to God, immortal praise, For the love that crowns our days.
Bounteous Source of ev’ry joy, Let your praise our tongues employ.
All to you, our God, we owe, Source whence all our blessings flow.
2 All the plenty summer pours, Autumn’s rich, o’erflowing stores,
Flocks that whiten all the plain, Yellow sheaves of ripened grain —
Lord, for these our souls shall raise Grateful vows and solemn praise.
3 Peace, prosperity, and health, Private bliss and public wealth,
Knowledge with its gladd’ning streams, True religion’s holier
beams—
Lord, for these our souls shall raise Grateful vows and solemn praise.
4 As your prosp’ring hand has blest, May we give you of our best
And by deeds of kindly love For your mercies grateful prove,
Singing thus through all our days: “Praise to God, immortal praise.”
THANKSGIVING MESSAGE
Give Thanks – For What ?
Habakkuk 3:17-20
17 The fig tree may have no buds.
The vines may have no grapes.
The olive tree may fail to produce.
The fields may yield no food.
The sheep may be cut off from their flock,
and there may be no cattle in the barns,
18 but I will delight in the LORD
and rejoice in God who saves me.
19 The LORD God is my strength.
He will give me feet like a deer
and make me leap along the high hills.
HYMN OF RESPONSE 610 “Now Thank We All Our God”
1 Now thank we all our God With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, In whom his world rejoices,
Who from our mother’s arms Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love And still is ours today.
2 Oh, may this bounteous God Through all our life be near us,
With ever-joyful hearts And blessed peace to cheer us
And keep us in his grace And guide us when perplexed
And free us from all ills In this world and the next.
3 All praise and thanks to God The Father now be given,
The Son, and him who reigns With them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God, Whom earth and heav’n adore!
For thus it was, is now, And shall be evermore.
THANKSGIVING LITANY
Responses sung to the tune: “Old Hundredth”
M: We give thanks, heavenly Father, for all the material blessings with which you continue to strengthen and support our lives. We give you thanks for food, for clothing, for shelter:
We praise you, God, enthroned above,
For ev’ry token of your love
That crowns our lives through all our days.
Accept our grateful songs of praise.
M: For the gifts of families and those who share their lives with us and who give our lives purpose and directions, we give you thanks:
Our fam’lies are your blessing, too.
Keep all to one another true,
That we may each, in word in deed,
Bring your support in time of need.
M: For the opportunities to be part of your creative and redemptive plan, by giving us opportunities for employment and for service, we offer our thanks:
For daily work, the jobs we do,
We raise our voice in thanks to you.
At home, at work, at play may we
Reflect your cre-a-tiv-ity.
M: For the privilege and responsibility of living in a land blessed with freedom, striving for justice, we give you thanks:
We praise you, God, you make us free
And give the gift of liberty.
May we in turn this gift extend
To those whose bondage knows no end.
M Throughout the year, many of our lives have been touched by gifts or healing or wholeness or nearness to you, O Lord. For such a time we give you thanks:
When lives are touched by healing, Lord,
We see your hand and hear your Word.
For those called home and those restored,
We join to praise your name, O Lord.
M: And most especially, O Lord, do we bring your thanks and praise for blessing our lives with the promise of your precious Gospel. Make us faithful witnesses of your love, grace, and truth:
You give us Word and Sacrament,
Our spirit’s one sure nourishment.
We join your saints in ev’ry place
To thank your for these Means of Grace.
M For every gift and goodness, Lord, as well as, for every demonstration of your overflowing love, we offer you our grateful hearts and highest praise:
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
BLESSING (Philippians 4:19,20)
M: And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
C: To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN 617 “Christ, by Heav’nly Host Adored”
1 Christ, by heav’nly hosts adored, Gracious, mighty, sov’reign Lord,
God of nations, King of kings, Head of all created things,
By the Church with joy confessed, God o’er all, forever blest—
Pleading, at your throne we stand: Save your people, bless our land.
2 On our fields of grass and grain Send, O Lord, the kindly rain;
O’er our wide and goodly land Crown the labors of each hand.
Let your kind protection be O’er our commerce on the sea.
Open, Lord, your bounteous hand; Bless your people, bless our land.
3 Give us rulers who will be Known for love and honesty;
Let the pow’rs that you ordained Be in righteousness maintained.
In the people’s hearts increase Love of piety and peace.
Thus united, we shall stand One wide, free, and happy land.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANKOFFERING BASKET BY DOOR
The members of St Paul's & the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) have joined together to do the Lord’s work here and around the world. Our guests may but are not expected to participate in this offering which supports our church’s ministry. The basket is located next to the water dispenser.
IF YOU ARE VISITING, PLEASE SIGN OUR GUEST BOOK.
It’s located in the entryway by the stairs going to the basement.
Sleigh Bell Festival Open House – Dec. 6, Noon – 2 pm
Sunday School & Bible Class – 9:00 am
WORSHIP – 10 am