Prayers for all People

November 19, 2024 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Thanksgiving Organ and Tissue Donation Sunday Prayers for all People Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship L: Come, let us celebrate the wondrous gifts that God has given us. P: Throughout all our lives, God has blessed us with love and hope. L: Praise be to God who provides for us. P: May our hearts be truly grateful, and may we show our gratitude by the ways in which we live and care for others. L: Hallelujah! P: AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Opening Prayer Lord of bounty and blessing, we come to you this day in gratitude for all that we have been given. We are grateful for the blessings and for the opportunities to be of service to others in your holy Name. Bless each of us here, that we may become truly blessings to others. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Song Great is Thy Faithfulness UMH 140 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Message What is an organ? A musical instrument? What is a tissue? Something in which to sneeze or to wrap a gift? And what is a donor? In The United Methodist Church, we celebrate Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday. In this case, an organ is a group of tissues in a living organism that has a specific form and function. Examples are your heart, kidneys and lungs. Sometimes, perhaps because of disease, a person’s organ quits working effectively, and they become very sick. That’s where the word “donor” comes in. A donor is an individual who shares an organ or tissue so that someone else can have a fuller life. On Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday, United Methodists encourage people to help others in this way. Newsletter Nugget “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age.” —Ruth 4:15, NRSVUE Most of us take our health and our bodies for granted. We check that little organ-donation box on our driver’s license and, most likely, forget about it. But when we, or someone we love, is in need of an organ, cornea or tissue transplant, the situation becomes personal. That’s why Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is so important. One of five special days without a churchwide offering, Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is viewed as a time for United Methodists to come together around the issues of life and thanksgiving. Congregations are encouraged to include the topic in their worship services. Worship resources are available from nonprofit donor programs in the United States. Jesus said, “I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest” (John 10:10b CEB). Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday is an opportunity to consider new ways to follow Jesus and to help others find abundant life. Adapted from Donate Life America website. Prayer of Thanksgiving (note that the prayer is in bold) Bounteous God, you have lavished your finest gifts on each one of us. We thank you for the many ways in which you have blessed our lives--with love, hope, friends, our church, and so many other things that we cherish. Help us be a blessing for others--that they may come to know you and rejoice in your love. Give us hearts of courage and confidence to step out into the world in service, bringing hope where there is doubt, peace where there is strife, love where there is discord. These things we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Scripture 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Sermon Prayers for all People Thanksgiving did not become a national holiday for the United States until 1942, when president Roosevelt declared it as the 4th Thursday of November. I am told that he did that for economic reasons, so that Christmas shopping could begin the next day. So not only did he start Thanksgiving, but also black Friday. By the way, it is also no accident that election day is always in November. It was established in 1842 to have elections after harvest time. On a Tuesday, so that farmers had time to travel to the polls after church on Sunday. But back to the harvest festival - We know that it was president Lincoln who introduced the idea of thanksgiving to the nation. In 1863 I think he made a proclamation of a national day of prayer and thanksgiving. Yet did you know that a national day of prayer and thanksgiving goes all the way back to our first president, George Washington. First National Thanksgiving Proclamation Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; Whereas, both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness!" Now therefore, I do recommend next, to be devoted by the people of the states to the service of that great and glorious being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country. George Washington, 1779. Washington declared that We are a safe and happy nation under God, that God is the protector of our country, so we should have a public say of Prayer and Thanksgiving. Today – I think that we do well with the Thanks part of the holiday. We remember to say thank you to those around us. We even do well with the giving part. This is the beginning of giving season. We remember those in need, we make sure everyone has a table to go to on thanksgiving. It is the time of year to remember end of the year giving for the organizations that we care about. But I wonder how we are doing with the prayer part of Thanksgiving. Other than the grace, how much do we pray at Thanksgiving? Giving Meaningful Thanks I have noticed that at Thanksgiving time it is difficult for people to give God thanks and praise. You hear people say on that day that they are grateful but that is where it ends. They rarely direct their thankfulness to God. One year my daughter's school had a Thanksgiving day program for the parents. I was so saddened that during the program all they could sing about was "Tom Turkey." You would have thought that it was a poultry holiday. Not only is it difficult for us to give thanks, but it seems that we can not graciously receive thanks. If we listen carefully to various conversations we will notice that sometimes someone will say, "Thank you," only to have the other person say, "No, thank you." Obviously, giving thanks has become a meaningless exercise for many people. We have reduced it to the level of telling one another to "have a nice day." This is nothing new; in our text Jesus was having the same problem. So was one young mother who was preparing a dinner party at her home. She had spent all day in preparations for the big event. She was nervous and wanted everything to be just right for her guests. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, polished the silver, arranged the flowers, and even made little name cards for each guest. Finally, the guests arrived and were eventually seated at the dinner table. The young mother turned to her daughter and asked her to offer the prayer. The daughter said that she did not know what to pray. "Just pray what Mommy would pray," the mother said. The little girl thought for a moment and then prayed, "Dear Lord, why did I invite all these people to dinner?"" John R. Steward, Lectionary Tales For The... Our scripture reminds us to pray for all people. To bring everything to God in prayer. This year I am sure that there are a lot of people who will bring our nation to God in prayer. There will be lots of discussions around the table about God overseeing our nation. But let us remember to bring all of our petitions to God. Before gathering, before the food, while we are alone, when we start our day – let us start our day in relationship with God. To put it easily, someone said The attitude of gratitude is important for several reasons: Thankfulness acknowledges that God is our provider. Thankfulness prevents a complaining spirit. Thankfulness creates a positive outlook on life Thankfulness invites joy to dwell in our hearts. Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, pp. 161. 1 Timothy reminds us that there is only one God, On mediator, and at the heart of the matter, we are one people when we come together in prayer. At its heart and beginning, Thanksgiving is a political holiday. My prayer is that God spares us all from political talk at the thanksgiving table this year. But let us remember, that when we bring everything in prayer to God – we are all loved, protected, and united. Let us pray….. Song Come, Ye Thankful People, Come UMH 694 Pastoral Prayer God of infinite patience and power, how it must try your patience to watch us hurl ourselves into a season of greed and grumbling. Your blessings, your bounty, have been poured out to us that we may be strengthened to be your people in service to others. Yet we persist in attaching ourselves to the great “gimmies” of our world--“gimmie toys, gimmie wealth, gimmie power.” Today we have gathered here with an opportunity to step out of the race to possess, to praise you and thank you for the wonderful ways in which you have blessed our lives. We spend a lot of time looking for the big blessings, when all around us are the delightful blessings of everyday living--family, home, friends, the ability to enjoy laughter and share tears. There are so many ways in which you have touched our lives with your love. Help us develop for all of our lives an attitude of gratitude, never failing to thank you each day for your love and your blessings. Help us reach out to one another and to all those in need with this compassionate love. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name, AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Special Presentation by Traci Brownlee (check spelling) Stewardship Moment On this Thanksgiving Sunday, perhaps someone in your congregation who attended a Disciple school could invite people to share a special day offering to support the work of Disciple colleges and seminaries. Or, you could use resources from Disciples Mission Fund by clicking here. Or, ask 3 different people to each share 1 minute to finish this sentence: “I give money to this congregation because I’m thankful for _________.” and share a closing sentence – “with thankful hearts, please share your financial gift as a sign of your gratitude for the ministry of this congregation.” Prayer of Thanksgiving With gratitude for all the blessings you pour into our lives, Generous God, we offer these gifts back to you. We pray they will be used to increase your Realm of peace. Bless all who have given gifts this day, that they may truly be part of the Way you showed to a yearning world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, Ruler of all. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook One: Go into the world showing a gentle attitude toward everyone. Be joyful and thankful! Fill your mind with those things that are good and deserve praise: things true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you have heard here. And may the God who gives peace be with each of you. All: We go in the peace of Christ to love and serve all creation. (ReWorship.com, Kevin Little) Community Time – Joys and Concerns BENEDICTION Beloved of God, place your whole trust in God’s absolute abundant love. Feel the powerful presence of God in your life and know that God’s blessings are with you. Go in peace, and may God’s peace always be with you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - In All Things Be Thankful - Ephesians 5:20 Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of Thanksgiving in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, what was there was to be thankful for? But it was Dr. William L. Stiger, pastor of a large congregation in the city that rallied the group. This was not the time, he suggested, to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving, just the opposite. This was the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and thank God for blessings always present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship. I suggest to you the ministers struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound. Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving. Half their number dead, men without a country, but still there was thanksgiving to God. Their gratitude was not for something but in something. It was that same sense of gratitude that lead Abraham Lincoln to formally establish the first Thanksgiving Day in the midst of national civil war, when the butcher's list of casualties seemed to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival. Perhaps in your own life, right now, there is intense hardship. You are experiencing your own personal Great Depression. Why should you be thankful this day? May I suggest three things? 1. We must learn to be thankful or we become bitter. 2. We must learn to be thankful or we will become discouraged. 3. We must learn to be thankful or we will grow arrogant and self-satisfied. ____________________ How to Be a Pilgrim The Pilgrims had the courage to act on their commitments, no matter what. Do we? Sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, is impressed by the power of religion. He once said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision (and act on it)." Christians make up far more than two percent of our town, far more than two percent of Massachusetts, far more than two percent of Americans. So, why don’t we have a greater effect: on issues of the environment, on justice for the needy, on the quality of life on Cape Cod? Could it be we need more courage to act on our commitments? To be a Pilgrim means to stand up for what you believe, no matter what. To be a Pilgrim also means sharing what you have, and turning thanks into giving. The Pilgrim colonists willingly shared all they had. During their first three years, all property was held in common. At one point, they were down to five kernels of corn per day for food. Still, they divided the corn kernels up equally. And, the original group of fifty that survived the first winter shared their limited food with the sixty newcomers who arrived in the spring. One of their finest moments came in 1623, at the first real Thanksgiving. The small colony hosted over ninety Native American braves for three days. There was eating and drinking, wrestling, footraces, and gun and arrow-shooting competitions. It was the Pilgrims’ way of saying "Thank you" to God, and to the Native Americans who had helped them survive. To be a Pilgrim means sharing and turning thanks into giving. How thankful and giving are we? Alex A. Gondola, Jr., Holidays Are Holy Days: Sermons for Special Sundays, CSS Publishing Company __________________ The Source of Thanksgiving I will remind you of that wonderful Children's holiday classic "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." It was released a few years ago as a movie staring Jim Carrey. You'll recall in the story how the Grinch enters all the homes by way of their chimneys disguised as Santa Clause. He takes all the presents and ornaments, the trees and stockings, and even their food down to the last morsel. He drags his loot up to his mountain and then looks down upon Whoville with a sinister grin. He is listening for the cries and wailings of the people to start as they wake up on Christmas morning to discover a Christmas lost. What he hears instead surprises him. Up from the town of the Whos comes a joyful Christmas carol. They are singing. "Why?" he asks. It is because, he learns, Christmas resides not in things but in the heart which is thankful. He could not steal their gratitude. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Too Much Turkey In 1953, the Swanson food company found themselves with too much turkey on their hands after disappointing Thanksgiving sales. One innovative employee came up with the idea of packaging individual servings of turkey and vegetables in an oven-safe aluminum tray. Thus was born the first TV dinner. Reader’s Digest, June 2003, p. 26. Thanksgiving Sermon Opener This morning I would like to hold up for you three different scenes. The strange thing about these scenarios is that when you first hear them you will be hard pressed to understand why I selected these stories to exemplify Thanksgiving. On the surface they will seem to be the antithesis of Thanksgiving. Yet, I am convinced that at the heart of these stories is the real Biblical understanding of what it means to be thankful. The first scene comes from the Old Testament. It is the familiar story of Job. Job has come to represent for us the epitome of suffering. Near the end of the story we see that all of his children have been killed in an accident; he is facing financial ruin; he has been stricken with illness. In fact, it seems that if any person is justified in saying: Let's just skip Thanksgiving this year it would be Job. Yet, in the midst of all of this immeasurable suffering the voice of God comes to Job and says to him a very interesting statement. We read it in the 37th chapter the 14th verse. God says to Job: "Hear this O Job. Stop and consider the wondrous works of God." From all outward circumstances it seems as though Job has nothing at all to be thankful for yet here is God coming to him in the midst of it all and saying in effect, Job, it's time to count your blessings. Let's leave that story for a moment and take a look at a second. This one comes from the New Testament, the book of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul now finds himself squarely in the midst of a dingy Roman prison and facing serious charges. Things seem very bad indeed for Paul. But this is only one of a series of mishaps that has occurred during his stormy ministry. He has been shipwrecked, beaten nearly to death, imprisoned, and even many of his fellow Christians are now openly opposing him. Now he faces what surely seems to be a death sentence. In the midst of this situation Paul writes the Christians in Ephesus. Listen to what he has to say, "Thanks be to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every blessing." Strange words from a man facing execution. Like Job, we are forced to ask the question What has he to be thankful for? Staff, www.eSermons.com Helping Others, Showing Gratitude A man named John Canuso made a deal with God. His nine-year-old daughter, Babe, had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and as he knelt at her bed, he swore: "You save my kid, I'll dedicate my life." God did indeed save his daughter. Babe is now 26, married and the mother of a one-year-old boy, a child she thought she'd never have, after all the radiation and chemotherapy. John kept his promise. John was a builder by trade. In 1974, the year his daughter became ill, he reached into his own pocket to renovate and furnish a rundown Philadelphia home that became the first Ronald McDonald House, a place where families could stay while their youngsters were being treated at Children's Hospital. John said, "Thank you, Lord. I'm glad you asked me to do something in my profession." Helping others was John's way of saying "thank you." King Duncan, ChristianGlobe Illustrations