1. family and parenting
2. children

Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
NOVEMBER 2014 NEWSLETTER
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” [Saint John 10:27]
“Advice” There is no shortage of advice that comes your way, challenging you to become a better you. Here is a sample: “You need
to associate with people that inspire you, people that challenge you to rise higher, people that make you better. Don’t
waste your time with people that are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too important.”
It’s bad enough that the world peddles such egotistical nonsense. But it is far worse when such narcissism is peddled by a
Christian pastor. The above quote is from Joel Osteen, America’s most popular “preacher.” Taking to heart his advice, it
would seem that our calling is to be self-absorbed go-getters who look out for number one, feeding the vanity within.
Ignore this worldly garbage masquerading as advice. Imagine Jesus Christ becoming man to serve Himself and His own
destiny. If He had associated only with people that inspired Him, challenged Him to rise higher, made Him better, or
added to His growth, He would have lived a life of solitude. But “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus had compassion on the crowds. He healed every
disease and affliction among the people. He taught the lowly. He showed mercy to the least, the last, and the lost. And
then He died for poor miserable sinners like you and me.
Having been forgiven our sin, our selfishness, and our vanity, our calling as Christians is one of love and service to the
neighbor, even when that neighbor does not inspire us, challenge us, make us better, or add to our growth.
That’s why Jesus teaches us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:24) and to
“invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind … because they cannot repay you” (Luke 14:13-14). Why Paul
reminds us to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10), to “serve one another” (Galatians 5:13), and to “set the believers
an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Why Peter bids us to “have unity of
mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Peter 3:8). Why James exhorts us to “visit
orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27) and “show no partiality” (James 2:1).
Christ-like love reaches out to all those whom God places in your path—friend and
enemy, rich and poor, those who inspire you and those who don’t. As Joseph forgave
and provided for the very brothers who hated him, sold him into slavery, and brought
grief upon their father, so you are called to reach out in love and service to all. “Do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more
significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
That’s not advice. It’s your calling, your vocation, your joy. Forgiven by Christ, you forgive. Loved by Christ, you love.
Served by Christ, you serve. Not for your own benefit, but for your neighbor’s benefit and to the glory of God!
Pastor Mumme
An Apology
In a newsletter article a few months back, I looked at two of Jesus’ parables: the parable of the hidden treasure and the
parable of the pearl of great value (Matthew 13:44-46). After describing the interpretation that Jesus is the treasure and
the pearl, I concluded by stating that this interpretation is “not faithful to God’s Word.” This conclusion was wrong, not
factual, and had no basis in Holy Scripture. The interpretation that Jesus is the treasure and the pearl is a valid
interpretation. God’s blessings on our ongoing study of His Word and reception of His gifts!
Membership Update
Calendar
Please make the following update to your pictorial
directory and/or address books:
Louise Anderson
Heritage Woods
550 Kildeer Drive, Apt. 255
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
Week of Trinity 20
Sun, Nov 2, 9:00 am
Sun, Nov 2, 10:30 am
Tue, Nov 4, 5:00 pm
Tue, Nov 4, 7:00 pm
Wed, Nov 5, 4:30 pm
Wed, Nov 5, 7:00 pm
Sat, Nov 8, 4:00 pm
Divine Service
Bible Study & Sunday School
Youth Catechesis (1st Year)
Elders Meeting
Youth Catechesis (2nd Year)
Adult Choir Practice
Chili & Game Night
Tom Novy
[email protected]
Maredith Robertson
[email protected]
Week of Trinity 21
Sun, Nov 9, 9:00 am
Sun, Nov 9, 10:00 am
Sun, Nov 9, 10:30 am
Sun, Nov 9, 12:00 pm
Tue, Nov 11, 1:00 pm
Tue, Nov 11, 5:00 pm
Wed, Nov 12, 4:30 pm
Wed, Nov 12, 7:00 pm
Sat, Nov 15, 8:30 am
Sat, Nov 15, 9:00 am
Sat, Nov 15, 10:00 am
Sat, Nov 15, 11:00 am
Prayer Service
Thrivent Meeting
Bible Study & Sunday School
Council Meeting
Women’s Bible Study
Youth Catechesis (1st Year)
Youth Catechesis (2nd Year)
Adult Choir Practice
Men’s Bible Breakfast
Youth’s Christmas Practice
Altar Guild Meeting
Ladies Aid Meeting
Week of Trinity 22
Sun, Nov 16, 9:00 am. Divine Service
Sun, Nov 16, 10:00 am Voters Meeting
Sun, Nov 16 10:30 am Sunday School
Tue, Nov 18, 9:00 am Pastor @ Circuit Meeting
Tue, Nov 18, 5:00 pm Youth Catechesis (1st Year)
Tue, Nov 18, 7:00 pm Book of Concord Study
Wed, Nov 19, 11:00 am Pastor @ NICL Study
Wed, Nov 19, 4:30 pm Youth Catechesis (2nd Year)
Wed, Nov 19, 7:00 pm Adult Choir Practice
Sat, Nov 22, 9:00 am Youth Christmas Practice
Final Week of the Church Year
Sun, Nov 23, 9:00 am
Sun, Nov 23, 10:30 am
Tue, Nov 25, 5:00 pm
Wed, Nov 26, 4:30 pm
Wed, Nov 26, 7:00 pm
Wed, Nov 26, 8:00 pm
Thu, Nov 27
Sat, Nov 29, 9:00 am
Divine Service
Bible Study & Sunday School
Youth Catechesis (1st Year)
Youth Catechesis (2nd Year)
Thanksgiving Eve Service
Adult Choir Practice
Thanksgiving Day
Youth Christmas Practice
Week of Advent 1
Sun, Nov 30, 9:00 am Divine Service
Sun, Nov 30, 10:30 am Bible Study & Sunday School
November Birthdays
01
01
02
02
03
06
08
08
09
12
15
16
19
20
21
22
26
Cris Ruisz
Conner Schilling
Laurrie Bingenheimer
Carolyn Stronczek
Kristina Learnahan
Jill Olifirowicz
Jolene Delaney
Tom Novy
Cassie Cruz
Diane Weaver
Kim Stache
Edward Cruz
Teri Novy
Dolores Bauman
Lori Mumme
Anthony Simonetti
Louis Pallek
Baptismal Anniversaries
02
05
12
14
18
19
26
26
28
Gregory Mazurkiewicz
Robert Thornton
Spenser Fox
Meghan Zeller
Paula Weberling
Linda Shurhay
Katie Olifirowicz
Kyle Olifirowicz
Quentin Parmenter
Wedding Anniversaries
02
06
13
24
Mike & Jill Olifirowicz
Ron & Cris Ruisz
Mike & Kim Stache
Bob & Cindy Simonetti
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All Saints’ Day
We will be celebrating All Saints’ Day on Sunday,
November 2. Concerning this feast day, Treasury of
Daily Prayer states:
This feast is the most comprehensive
of the days of commemoration,
encompassing the entire scope of that
great cloud of witnesses with which
we are surrounded (Hebrews 12:1). It
holds before the eyes of faith that
great multitude which no man can number: all the saints
of God in Christ—who have come “out of the great
tribulation ... who have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9,
14). As such, it sets before us the full height and depth
and breadth and length of our dear Lord’s gracious
salvation (Ephesians 3:17-19). It shares with Easter a
celebration of the resurrection, since all who have died
with Christ Jesus have also been raised with Him
(Romans 6:3-8). It shares with Pentecost a celebration of
the ingathering of the entire Church catholic—in heaven
and on earth, in all times and places—in the one Body of
Christ, in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Just as we have all been called to the one hope that
belongs to our call, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). And the Feast of All
Saints shares with the final Sundays of the Church Year
an eschatological focus on the life everlasting and a
confession that “the sufferings of this present time are
not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed
to us” (Romans 8:18). In all of these emphases, the
purpose of this feast is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, that we might not grow
weary or fainthearted (Hebrews 12:2-3).
God’s House: Your Home
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!” [Psalm 122:1]
God’s house is our true home, for here our Father
through His Son and in His Spirit gathers His children
together to speak to them, feed them, and care for them.
Join us on Sunday, November 9 as we extend the
hospitality of Christ to our congregation, preschool, and
community under the theme “God’s House: Your
Home!” Who will you invite? Let’s fill God’s house
with members, family, friends, and neighbors. What’s
more, let us continue to pray for our community and
reach out in love and service to our neighbor.
“O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and
the place where Your glory dwells.” [Psalm 26:8]
Thanksgiving Eve Vespers
Join us on Wednesday, November 26, beginning at
7:00 p.m., for a Thanksgiving Eve Vespers service in
which we thank and praise God for all His blessings of
body and soul. He has given
us His Son, forgiveness, life,
and salvation. He has given
us countless physical
blessings as well. Join the
lone Samaritan in returning
to Christ to thank Him for
His grace and mercy.
Advent
The new church year begins with the First Sunday in
Advent. Accordingly, our Advent focus on Christ’s
threefold coming will begin on Sunday, November 30.
Christ came in mercy to save us. Christ still comes in
mercy to deliver His good gifts of forgiveness, life, and
salvation. And Christ will
come again in glory to take
us home. Join us on Sunday
mornings and Wednesday
evenings this holy season
and be built up in Christ.
Bible & Lutheranism Studies
Sunday Bible Class
Topic: Hebrews
When: Sunday mornings @ 10:30 a.m.
Where: Luther Hall
Men’s Bible Breakfast
Topic: Ecclesiastes
When: Saturday, November 15 @ 8:30 a.m.
Where: Steak & Shake
Women’s Bible Study
Topic: Lutheranism 101, chapters 22-23
When: Tuesday, November 11 @ 1:00 p.m.
Where: Luther Hall
Book of Concord Study
Topic: Large Catechism, Lord’s Prayer, 7th Petition
When: Tuesday, November 18 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: Luther Hall
3:fifteen Youth Study
Topic: Christmas Study & Party
When: early December
Where: Luther Hall
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Hymns of the Day
Each Sunday we sing a hymn of the day, which
summarizes the Scripture readings and anticipates the
sermon. As many Christians like to use this hymn in
their devotions during the week leading up to a given
Sunday, we are including them here for you
convenience. You are encouraged to read through or sing
these hymns at home (even with your children!).
Sunday, November 2
All Saints’ Day
LSB 677 “For All the Saints”
Sunday, November 9
Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
LSB 605 “Father Welcomes”
Sunday, November 16
Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
LSB 611 “Chief of Sinners Though I Be”
Sunday, November 23
Last Sunday in the Church Year
LSB 515 “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers”
Sunday, November 30
First Sunday in Advent
LSB 332 “Savior of the Nations, Come”
Sunday School Update
Thank you to everyone for bringing your children to
Sunday School. Our goal is to help prepare your kids to
learn and understand our faith and become prepared for
confirmation.
A quick glimpse into our service:
We open with the invocation and
Luther’s Morning Prayer (I am
impressed how quickly the
children learn this wonderful
prayer). If a child has a birthday
that week, we have them count
their pennies (one penny for each
year old) and then sing “Happy Birthday.” Then we
collect an offering—children usually are playing with
their offerings so we limit the distractions early. A song
is then sung, accompanied by Mr. George (church
organist). We’ll discuss the Bible story from last week,
recite one of the Ten Commandments, and talk about
what we’ll be studying that day. We close with the
Lord’s Prayer and then dismissal to the individual
classes, where the children study the Bible story more
in-depth at an age appropriate level. Sunday School ends
at the same time that the adult Bible Study ends (so you
can stay and learn while your children learn, too). Please
ask me if you have any questions about the program.
Thank you and THANK YOU to the teachers and
substitutes.
Congregational Voters Meeting
Join us on Sunday,
November 16, for a
congregational voters
meeting. We will be
electing four officers
to the Church Council,
two members to serve
on next year’s
nominations
committee, and
approving the 2015 budget. As a reminder, all those who
meet the constitutional criteria for voting membership
must ‘sign’ the constitution in order to vote. Signature
forms will be available before the meeting and remain
valid as long as one remains a voting member.
Daylight Savings Time
Remember to “fall back” by setting your
clocks one hour backward before you go
to bed on Saturday, November 1.
Tim Parmenter, Superintendent
Sunday School Christmas Program
November is here which means it is time to think about
Christmas. This year our program is titled, “For the
Glory of the King.” Practices will begin on Saturday,
November 15 at 9:00 a.m. and we will meet each
Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. until the day of the
program. Practices should only take one hour.
Our program will be on Sunday, December 14 at 2:00
p.m. (The time may change since we are still very early,
but the day will remain the same) and will involve
Sunday School children and Little Lambs children. I am
hoping to have scripts and music available by November
2, if you would like to start learning the music and words
early. If you have not talked with me yet, and would like
your child to be involved, please contact Terri Kreier at
630-248-6708 or [email protected]. Children starting
at age 3 to 12+ are invited to participate. I am looking
forward to sharing this tradition with your families!
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Little Lambs Preschool
The month of November begins with our Little Lambs
singing in church on Sunday,
November 9. We look forward
to including our preschool
families in our church service.
We will also be collecting items
to send to our service men and
women as we discover the
symbols of America early in the
month. Later we will be learning
about the first Thanksgiving.
Little Lambs will also be participating in the Lutheran
Child and Family Services Toy Drive for Christmas. We
will be collecting toys, games and books for children in
their foster care programs. Church members are also
invited to participate. Look for the box marked ‘Toy
Drive’ to place your donations. We will accept donations
through Sunday, December 7.
Chili & Game Night
Our youth group invites you to join them for Bingo,
Texas Hold’em, and a delicious chili dinner in Luther
Hall on Saturday, November 8,
beginning at 4:00 p.m. Prizes will
be awarded for Bingo winners, and
gift cards will be awarded for the
Texas Hold’em champion and
runner-up. Money raised from this
fundraiser will help our youth
attend next summer’s Higher
Things youth conference.
Cookbook
The Youth Group is putting together a church cookbook
to raise funds for their
conferences and activities and
would love your help. Please
drop off or email us a copy of
your favorite recipes in the
next few weeks. A digital
photo of the finished item to
accompany each recipe is also
welcome. Let us know if you
have any questions.
•
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•
Ladies Aid
In lieu of gifts we are asking for monetary donations for
the Rev. May family, missionaries in Africa. (There is a
huge duty tax on all gifts received.) Please give all
donations to Liza Cruz via cash or check (made payable
to Divine Shepherd Manna). Thank you.
Please continue to support
the Manna Card Program.
Not only are these cards
good for gift giving, but
also for everyday purchases
(food, gas, etc.). Profits
from this fundraiser are
used to supplement various church projects. Turn in
dates are November 9, 16, 23, & 30 and December 7 &
14 with pick up the successive Sunday(s). December
14th is the last order date until mid January. It’s not too
early to order gift cards for the upcoming ‘Giving Tree’
that helps those less fortunate in our congregation.
In early November Ladies Aid will
sponsor the ‘Giving Tree’ for
Christmas. If you know of someone in
the congregation or immediate family
in need, please give his/her name(s) to
Pastor Mumme or Lisa Cruz.
Manna gift cards help the person in
need and benefits our Ladies Aid
group and church.
We have pre-purchased Starbucks, Walmart, and
Maggiano’s gift cards. We will have them on hand on
Sunday mornings.
Anyone ordering Manna cards or pre-purchased cards
may direct half of their profits to a church fund of their
choice. They could email the info to
[email protected] or just write it on the order
form.
If you have a relative or friend serving overseas in the
military, please give their name and address to Karen
Moritz by early November so we can send them a
‘goodie box’ this holiday season. Monetary and/or
goodie donations are always accepted.
All women are encouraged to attend the November 15
meeting at 11:00 a.m.
Carolynn Mazurkiewicz ([email protected])
Lori Mumme ([email protected])
Nadine Parmenter ([email protected])
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Thrivent Financial
Thrivent would like to thank everyone who attended the
Oktoberfest and contributed to the bounty of delicious
food. $267 was raised and will be given to the youth
group for their upcoming Higher Things conference.
Thank you for your generosity.
If you have not taken advantage of donating your Choice
Dollars yet, here is information from Thrivent in
Appleton on how to have funds transferred on a
continual basis. Either on a quarterly or annual basis you
must donate your Choice Dollars or they will stay at
Thrivent. If a donation is requested this month all
monies held will be transferred. If you are unable to
make the transfer on the computer, you can phone
Thrivent directly and they will do as you request them to
transfer. The phone number is 800-847-4836.
This is why we give generously of our income to the
work of the church. Through the working of the Holy
Spirit, we are strengthened to emulate the generosity of
our heavenly Father by being generous ourselves. We
give to the work of the church because we have
witnessed the generous giving of our Father in heaven.
More than that, we are recipients of it. It is because we
have received God our Father’s gifts that we desire to
give ourselves. And His gifts are not just spiritual. They
are temporal and earthly as well. His generosity knows
no bounds.
Therefore we sit down at the beginning of the year, the
beginning of the month, or the beginning of the week,
and set aside a generous portion of God’s daily bread for
His work in the church. Not because He has commanded
us so to do. But rather because we, as His children by
grace, want to emulate His generosity in our own lives.
He is our Father; we are His children. And children want
to be like their parents.
LCMS Stewardship Ministry
Prayer Chain
Several members of our congregation
are part of a church prayer chain. If
you would like to join them in praying
for our congregation’s special needs,
please contact Bobbie Light at 630251-7860 or Pastor Mumme.
Generosity
Financial Peace University
Have you ever noticed how children emulate their
parents? Children watch their parents and they do what
they see them doing. This is how they learn to speak.
But children copy their parents even on a more mundane
level. They watch how their parents cross their legs, how
they fold their hands, how they stand and sit and walk,
how they do and say most everything.
We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace
University (FPU) is a nine-week class on money taught
by America’s most trusted financial guru, Dave Ramsey.
FPU presents biblical, practical guidelines about
handling money, as well as the basics of budgeting,
dumping debt, spending and saving, planning for the
future, and more. We plan to bring FPU to Divine
Shepherd in early 2015. Watch for more info.
We are the children of God by grace, through faith. In
Holy Baptism, God the Father declares of us what He
declared of Jesus at His Baptism in the Jordan, “You are
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God the
Father claims us as His own. He takes away all our sins,
and in exchange He gives us His righteousness, His
purity, His holiness, and His Spirit, by which we cry out,
“Abba, Father.” We are born again, born from above,
born of water and the Spirit, to a new life in Christ as
His children.
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Poinsettia Orders
Sunday Treats
Please consider ordering a poinsettia
to beautify the sanctuary during the
Christmas season. Cost of either a
white or a red flower is $12. In lieu
of a poinsettia, you may make a
monetary donation to the Altar Guild
fund. Order forms with payment
(checks made payable to Divine
Shepherd or cash) must be turned in to Karen Moritz by
Sunday, November 16.
Do you enjoy treats and fellowship after Sunday
services? If so, please consider signing up on any given
Sunday(s). Empty slots means no treats. Consider
bringing fruit and/or crackers and cheese for our diabetic
members. The 2014 signup sheet is posted on the Luther
Hall bulletin board. Monetary donations are accepted to
defray the cost of drinks and supplies.
Bulletin Covers & Altar Flowers
The November–March bulletin chart is posted in the
narthex. Sign up for any open Sunday(s) to celebrate a
special occasion or to honor or remember someone. Cost
of bulletin covers is $10.
The 2015 flower charts are posted on the bulletin board
in the narthex. This is a wonderful way to help beautify
God’s house, celebrate a birthday or anniversary, or
remember a departed loved one. Traditionally flowers
are not used during the penitential seasons of Advent
and Lent. We typically have special floral arrangements
for certain festivals: palms on Palm Sunday, spring
flowers on Easter Sunday, red bouquets on
Confirmation, and poinsettias on Christmas. That leaves
nearly 40 open Sundays. If you would like to contribute
flowers to help beautify the sanctuary on a Lord’s Day,
please add your name to any open Sunday on the flower
charts.
Prices are $40, $45, or $50 for two bouquets (subject to
change). If you sign up, Karen Moritz will contact you
to get your price range, flower request, and a brief note
to place in the worship bulletin. When the worship
service is over, you are welcome to take your bouquets
home or you may leave them at church for the following
Sunday or for pastor to take to homebound or
hospitalized members. Contact Karen if you have any
questions.
Altar Guild would like to thank everyone who purchased
flowers to beautify the altar during 2014.
Printer Cartridges & Mobile Phones
Our youth group is collecting used toner and ink
cartridges (from all types of printers), old mobile
phones, etc. Check to see if your employer is willing to
donate their items no longer in use. Items should be
placed in the marked container in the bookshelves near
the Luther Hall entrance door. Not only will these items
will be recycled, our youth will receive a few dollars for
them as well. Thanks!
Cleaning
Unfortunately, we do not own self-cleaning toilets or
sinks, our carpet does not eat crumbs, and our trash bins
have not been trained to walk out to the dumpster and
empty themselves. That is where your generosity comes
in! We are looking for 1-3 additional volunteers to come
in and do some light cleaning (dusting,
vacuuming, emptying trash bins, etc.) one
Friday or Saturday per month. You will be
paired up with another volunteer. Contact
Talma Krause if you are willing to help.
A big thank you to the volunteers who have cleaned the
church this year.
Important Phone Numbers
Church Office:
630-759-5300
Preschool:
630-759-3995 (Terri Kreier)
Pastor Mumme:
815-676-4444
Prayer Chain:
630-251-7860 (Bobbie Light)
Newsletter:
630-759-3188 (Karen Moritz)
(items are due November 26)
Treasurer’s Report
As of Sep. 30
Income
Expenses
Actual
$113,387
$143,039
Budget
$143,683
$146,243
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Organ Concert & Hymn Festival
A Hymn of Thanks and Praise
Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Lemont, as part of
their 140th anniversary celebration, is hosting an organ
concert and hymn festival on Sunday, November 16 at
3:00 p.m. This is being led by Jason Randall (organist at
Saint Matthew) and Christine Stocker (assistant
organist here at Divine Shepherd). Saint Matthew is
located at 305 Lemont Street in Lemont; parking is
available on the surrounding streets.
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
Has blest us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
Veterans Prayer
Lord, we lift up all the veterans and
the loved ones left behind who
have answered the call to duty on
land and sea and in the air. Because
of Your kindness toward us, we
live in freedom today through the
sacrifices our veterans have made.
We thank You for letting us live in
this beautiful land, where only love
of You and family take precedence
over love of country. We thank You for the victories that
have been given to us and the liberty we now enjoy
because of the courageous service of our veterans. Bless
us and bless our land, that we always may be the “land
of the free and home of the brave.” In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
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 in His grace
And guide us when perplexed
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns
With them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.
[LSB 895]
Thanksgiving Prayer
Father, we are overwhelmed by Your bounteous love
and mercy. You have provided us with food, homes,
clothing, family, friends, and freedoms. You have
blessed us with Your Word. Through Baptism, we are
blessed to be Your children. We have this blessing of
forgiveness from Your Son, through His body and blood.
We are blessed to receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Thank You for all of these blessings. Amen.
Portals of Prayer
Our Sincere and Humble Thanks
American’s citizens, especially Christians, can be very
grateful that this nation has chosen a time for annually
giving thanks.
We know about the pilgrims’ first celebration with help
from their Native-American neighbors. However, it was
George Washington, the “father of our great country,”
who issued the first official presidential proclamation.
Washington assigned November 26, 1789 “to be devoted
by the people of these 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.” He called
upon the people to offer “their sincere and humble
thanks” to God. He also asked citizens to pray to “the
great Lord and Ruler of Nations” that God might
“pardon our national and other transgressions.”
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