Order of Worship

Opening Voluntary – O God, Our Help in Ages Past” (William Croft)

Welcome/Greetings

Choral Introit

*Opening Hymn #694 – “Come Ye Thankful People, Come”   

*Call to Worship

Leader: Give thanks.

All: We give thanks for the harvest.

Leader: Give thanks.

All: We give thanks for the blessings of family and friends.

Leader: Give thanks.

All: We give thanks for the blessings of our faith, for Jesus Christ, and the freedom to share these blessings to those in our family, our church, our community, and the world.

*Opening Prayer

Good and gracious God, thank you for being the faithful God that you are.  Thank you for always providing our needs.  Thank you for always watching over us.  You are in the brightest of days and the darkest of nights.  So may our worship today echo our gratitude and our steadfast love and faith in you.  In Christ we pray, Amen.

Prayer of Confession

In the midst of our thanksgiving, we so often lose sight of the gifts of each day and of their Giver.  We forget to love you, forget to help our neighbors, and forget to thank you.  Forgive us and restore us.  Help us live this day and always with gratitude toward you and compassion for those in need.  Amen.

Words of Assurance

God did not send Christ into the world to condemn the world, but to be its Savior.  We can trust God’s word.  We are a forgiven people.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Passing of the Peace of Christ

Each of us dwells in the realm of God.  Let us greet one another as friends and family in the peace of Jesus Christ!

Children’s Message      Rev. Eumin Kim

Scriptures

Old Testament – Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (NIV)

When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, ² take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name ³ and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”  ⁴ The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.  ⁵ Then you shall declare before the Lord your God:  “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.  ⁶ But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor.  ⁷ Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.  ⁸ So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.  ⁹ He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; ¹⁰ and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.”  Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him.  ¹¹ Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

L:  The Word of God, For the People of God.  P:  Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading – John 6:25-35 (NIV)

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”  ²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.  ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”  ²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this:  to believe in the one he has sent.”  ³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?  What will you do?  ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written:  ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”  ³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  ³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”  ³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

L:  The Word of God, For the People of God.  P:  Thanks be to God.

*Hymn #77 – “How Great Thou Art”                              

Sermon – “Giving Thanks for the Bread of Life”      Rev. Eumin Kim

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to Tithes and Offering

God is the giver of all good things.  In gratitude for all we have received, we offer our lives back to God and we say “yes” to join in building God’s kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

Anthem – “Give Thanks” arranged by Vicki Tucker Courtney

*Hymn No. 95 – Presentation of the Offering

*Prayer of Dedication

God of our salvation, we are grateful that we can bring our fears, uncertainty, and suffering to you in relationship, leaning on your strength to carry us through.  In this season of Thanksgiving, we offer up our gifts to you in a spirit of gratitude and hope.  We trust that you will use them and us to bring healing and restoration to our world. I n Jesus’ name, Amen.

*Closing Hymn #98 – “To God Be the Glory”              

*Dismissal with Blessing

Closing Voluntary – “Toccata on ‘Amazing Grace’” (Arranged by Christopher Pardini)