Worship Service for The Last Sunday of the Church Year
Rev. Gregory Mech | November 22, 2020 | Week of National Thanksgiving | Immanuel Lutheran Church ONLINE and IN-PERSON – Joplin, Missouri | 8:00 and 10:30 am
Use these Easy Devotions and Daily Scripture Readings with your family! Taking Faith Home.
Thank you for supporting Immanuel Lutheran financially. Learn more at immanueljoplin.com/GIVE.
Special thanks to all who helped to make this broadcast possible today:
Rev. Gregory Mech, DCE Jason Glaskey, organist Betty Lingenfelter, the COVID Committee and Board of Elders.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
The words of Jesus from Matthew 25:31-46, one of the readings assigned for The Last Sunday of the Church Year. Remembering the Week of National Thanksgiving is the focus of Pastor Mech’s sermon today. May God richly bless you as you hear His Word! Welcome to Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Week of National Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 22, 2020
INVOCATION and OPENING SENTENCES
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people.
C We pray that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.Small Catechism, Fourth Petition
P Do not be anxious about anything,
C but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION
P This week our nation will pause for an annual Day of Thanksgiving. We need this reminder, as we have sometimes neglected to thank the giver of every good gift, to whom we owe our life and its abundance, the peace we enjoy, and the nation in which He has blessed us. We gather in His house this Lord’s Day, because the greatest gifts He has given us are forgiveness of sins, a life of salvation, and the glories that await us.
C Lord God, we confess that, though every good and perfect gift comes from You, we have not always been aware of Your goodness nor have we paused to give You the praise and thanks that You are due. Open our eyes as we open our hands that we may know Your mercy, receive Your forgiveness and give You our heartfelt gratitude, not only this day but all our days.
P Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
INTROIT Psalm 104:24, 27–28; antiphon: Psalm 104:33
P I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
C I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
P O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
C These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
P When You give it to them, they gather it up;
C when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things.
P When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the ground.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
C I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
HYMN OF PRAISE “Glory to God, We Give You Thanks and Praise” LSB 946
Glory to God, We give You thanks and praise;
Of heavenly joy and earthly peace we sing.
We worship You, to You our hearts we raise,
Lord God, almighty Father, heavenly King.
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s only Son,
You bore for us the load of this world’s sin.
O Lamb of God, Your glorious victory won,
Receive our prayer, grant us Your peace within.
Alone, O Christ, You only are the Lord,
At God’s right hand in majesty most high:
Who with the Spirit worshiped and adored,
With all the heavenly host we glorify.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Let us pray. Almighty God, Your mercies are new every morning and You graciously provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your goodness, give thanks for Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience all our days; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Reading for Thanksgiving Deuteronomy 8:1-10
A “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
PSALM 67
P May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make His face to shine upon us,
C that Your way may be known on earth,
Your saving power among all nations.
P Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You!
C Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
P for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.
C Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You!
P The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
C God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear Him!
EPISTLE Reading for Thanksgiving Philippians 4:6-20
A Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
VERSE Psalm 136:1
P Alleluia. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
C for His steadfast love endures forever. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Reading for the Last Sunday of the Church Year Matthew 25:31-46
P The Holy Gospel according to St Matthew, the twenty-fifth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
P “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen.
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY “For the Fruits of His Creation” LSB 894
For the fruits of His creation, Thanks be to God.
For His gifts to every nation, Thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safe-keeping, Thanks be to God.
In the just reward of labor, God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will is done.
In our world-wide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvest we are sharing, God’s will is done.
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.
PRAYERS
P St Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
C Then let us pray for all the people of our nation in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits.
P Lord God, we praise You for every good gift for our daily life, but especially for Your love, grace, and mercy in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Increase the songs of praise and thanksgiving of all Your people throughout the world, that we may make known Your glory to all.
C We give thanks to You especially for this good land and this nation dedicated to the liberty, peace, safety, and freedom of all its citizens. Move the hearts of all in the authority of government to lead in the ways of justice and acknowledgement of Your mercies.
P For the fruits of Your creation, the just reward of labor, the help we give our neighbor and the world-wide task of sharing Your mercy, we give You thanks. Increase our joy and gratitude that we may live to Your glory in our world.
C Thank You, Lord, also for those things that challenge or even confound us, opportunities for more faith in Your deliverance and help. Bless, we pray, all who are in any need, especially the sick. For Your healing of all our infirmities we return to give You thanks.
P Bless Your Word and Sacraments and those You send to deliver them. Above all, give us a generous supply of Your love that our love may never grow weary or weak but move us to serve others in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy,
C Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son who taught us to pray …
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
C Amen.
CLOSING HYMN “Sing to the Lord of Harvest” LSB 893
Sing to the Lord of Harvest,
Sing songs of love and praise;
With joyful hearts and voices
Your alleluias raise.
By Him the rolling seasons
In fruitful order move;
Sing to the Lord of Harvest
A joyous song of love.
God makes the clouds rain goodness,
The deserts bloom and spring,
The hills leap up in gladness,
The valleys laugh and sing.
God fills them with His fulness,
All things with large increase;
He crowns the year with blessing,
With plenty and with peace.
Bring to this sacred altar
The gifts His goodness gave,
The golden sheaves of harvest,
The souls Christ died to save.
Your hearts lay down before Him
When at His feet you fall,
And with your lives adore Him
Who gave His life for all.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
0 Comments