November 19, 2006

33^rd  Sunday in Ordinary Time - Thanksgiving Sunday

Preparation for Worship

My heart exults

in the Lord

Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.

Karl Barth

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.

Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live.

Jackie Windspear

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we offer our praise and thanks to God for the bountiful blessings he has bestowed upon us.  The hymns, anthems, and service music chosen for this special service of worship are expressions of our thanks to the glorious, everlasting God to whom we lift our voices in praise, prayer, and thanksgiving.

     The call to worship comes from a passage in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica in which he reminds the Christians they should give thanks to God in all circumstances. The Prayer of Confession rather than imputing guilt serves as a reminder of God’s everlasting mercy throughout all we do and say. In the proclamation of the word there is an interplay between the Word spoken and sung. The Litany of Thanksgiving serves as our dedication of ourselves and our gifts. We are reminded that we give not out of guilt but out of gratitude.