Sunday Bulletin – Knox Presbyterian Church

Sunday, October 13th, 2024
Thanksgiving Sunday
Minister of Word and Sacrament – The Rev. Dan West

Prelude All Good Gifts
(All rights reserved. Used with permission. From “Godspell”. Stephen Schwartz)

Gathering Song Praise and Thanksgiving
(All rights reserved. Used with permission. Words: Albert F. Bayly. Tune: Bunessan. Traditional Gaelic melody)

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship
God blesses us with gifts of love.
in relationships that bring joy and gratitude.
God blesses us with talents and opportunities to serve
all we need for faithful living.
God protects us in times of danger
and guards us from the time of trial.
So, we gather to offer thanksgiving to the Lord our God.
Praise be to God for all good things, now and always!

*Hymn # 625 Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
1. Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!

2. Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
seek and ye shall find;
knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia!

3. We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Allelu, alleluia!

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

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.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

*Hymn # 441 Can A Little Child Like Me
1. Can a little child like me
thank the Father fittingly?
Yes, oh yes! be good and true,
patient, kind in all we do;
love the Lord and do our part;
learn to say with all our heart:
Refrain:
Saviour, we thank you,
Spirit, we thank you,
Great God our Maker, we thank you!

2. For our playing, for our rest,
for the earth in beauty dressed,
for the moon and sun so bright,
for the day and for the night,
for your patient, loving care,
for your bounty everywhere:
Refrain:
Saviour, we thank you,
Spirit, we thank you,
Great God our Maker, we thank you!

3. For the laughter, for the tear,
for the love that meets us here,
for the lessons of our youth –
honour, gratitude and truth –
for the great gift of your Son,
for your work in us begun:
Refrain:
Saviour, we thank you,
Spirit, we thank you,
Great God our Maker, we thank you!

Children’s Time

Anthem Celtic Thanksgiving
(All rights reserved. Used with permission. Words: J. Paul Williams. Music: Joseph M. Martin)

Scripture Readings

Old Testament
Joel 2:21-27 RSV
21 “Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the LORD has done great things!
22 Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 “Be glad, O sons of Zion,
and rejoice in the LORD, your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will restore to you the years
which the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again
be put to shame.

Responsive Psalm 126
Refrain # 1
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices.
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Refrain # 1
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Refrain # 1
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 6:25-33 RSV
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Response to the Word of God
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God for this word to us today.

*Hymn # 457 Now Thank We All Our God
1. Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom God’s 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 all with 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
who reigns in highest heaven,
the Father and the Son
and Spirit now be given,
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore,
for thus it was, is now
and shall be evermore.

Sermon Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Offering

Offertory For the Fruits of All Creation
(All rights reserved. Used with permission. Traditional Welsh melody (Ar Hyd Y Nos))

*Doxology We Praise You O God
We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;
in grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
we bless your holy name; glad praises we sing.
(All rights reserved. Used with permission. Book of Praise #425)

Offertory Prayer

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession

*Hymn # 802 For the Fruits of All Creation
1. For the fruits of all creation, thanks be to God;
for the gifts to every nation, thanks be to God;
for the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth’s safe keeping, thanks be to God.

2. In the just reward of labour, God’s will is done;
in the help we give our neighbour, God’s will is done;
in our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is 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.

Benediction

Response Go Now in Peace
Go now in peace.
Never be afraid.
God will go with you
Each hour of every day.

Go now in faith,
Steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you
In all you do.

Go now in love,
And show you believe.
Reach out to others
So all the world can see.

Scripture Readings for Next Week

Hebrews 5:1-10
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35
Mark 10:35-45