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Thanksgiving Day • Year C
October 13, 2025 • Canada
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Historical Collect
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, your mercies are new to us every morning, and you abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul, though we have not deserved your goodness. Give us your Holy Spirit, that we may heartily acknowledge your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy, 1894)
Thematic Collect
Heavenly Father, our lives are filled with the abundance of your grace and mercy. We thank you for the good things of your creation that fill our lives. May our gratitude be so abundant that it flows into radical generosity that reflects your boundless love for all; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
Take time to give to the Lord; and take time to do it first. Waiting until later, when you are sure you have enough for yourself and God too, requires calculation but no faith. Do not be anxious, but bring your thankful offering to God and see that he will be faithful—as he has been in all generations. God will demonstrate his faithfulness so that trusting in his fatherly goodness, you may have peace. Believe in the one who sent heavenly manna into the wilderness, and the Bread of Life to starving sinners. Those who believe will neither hunger nor thirst but instead, feast on Christ, that heavenly food that continues into eternal life.
First Reading • Deuteronomy 26:1–11
Imagine that you have spent a generation, eating the manna and fowl that the Lord has provided in the wilderness. Now you are about to enter the land promised to be flowing with milk and honey. You have also heard reports of grapes, pomegranates, and figs that are so large that the fruit has to be carried by two men. What will you want to do after decades of of fowl and manna, but eat some fruit from the promised land? But first, God says, each of you give me a basket of that fruit. Does God actually eat grapes (Psa 50:13) or does he want his people to learn to trust him in the midst of such abundance? God has given his word to provide. He has shown his faithfulness in the wilderness. You may trust him.
Psalm • Psalm 100:1–5
There is something special about entire nations setting aside a day for thanksgiving. But to whom are they thankful? Sadly, some folks are just plain grateful—not to someone but for something. They are thankful that they have enough to feed, clothe, and shelter their families. But real thanksgiving is so much more. It is not general appreciation for one’s pleasant or sufficient lot in life; it is thanks to God no matter one’s circumstances. Give thanks to him and bless his name!
Second Reading • Philippians 4:4–9
The Lord is in the vicinity (Phil 4:5). That is a cause for rejoicing, surely; but it is also a supremely comforting thought, something that should remove all anxiety for those who fear, love, and trust the Lord. It seems like I have always read him being "near" as meaning his return is imminent. That too. But it is reassuring to remember he is near enough to hear us and answer our prayers—and give us his peace. Thinking about such things and practicing a lifestyle commensurate to his nearness promise the continued abiding of the God of peace.
Gospel • John 6:25–35
Whoever looks to God by coming to Christ will never hunger. God has supplied in his Son the true bread of heaven. We must gather each day that heavenly food that eternally endures. In other words, we are to keep believing on the one whom God has sent, his only Son. God gives us the faith to do so. We may trust him completely to continue drawing us to himself, the source of real life.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
