It has been a while since I've posted here, so here is a little something I came across in an old TLH Liturgy/Agenda from 1921. I gently updated the language from the King's English. I especially appreciated the mention of thanking God for our liberty to serve God according to His Word. Happy Thanksgiving, and a Blessed Advent! ~Papa
Thanksgiving Day
Almighty God, Heavenly Father, we praise and
magnify Your holy name for all the temporal and earthly spiritual mercies You
have given to us at all times. You did
cause Your holy, saving Word to be preached to us in purity and truth, comforting,
admonishing, warning, and reproving us by it, clearly telling us how to turn
from our evil ways, to obtain salvation by faith in Your dear Son, and to walk
before You in righteousness and holy obedience.
You cause us to live in an abundant land that You care for, and Your
eyes are forever upon it from the beginning of the year to the end. You have given to us our Government, and you
grant to those in authority wisdom to rule over us, that, being safely kept under
their governance, we may pass our days in peace and quietness. You grant to us the priceless blessing of
liberty, so that, without restraint or hindrance, we may freely serve You
according to Your Word, be strengthened in our most holy faith by the Word and
Sacraments, confess Your name, and spread abroad Your Gospel among us and all
those of the household of faith, and in our homes and churches and schools
teach our children the knowledge of the saving truth, and bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. You richly forgive us all our
daily offenses, and You do not deal with us according to our sins. As high as the heaven is above the earth, so
great is Your mercy to us.
We
beg You, give us truly thankful hearts, that we may not forget all Your
benefits and Your never-failing mercies.
Enable us to realize that Your goodness should lead us and our country
to repentance, and that we are not worthy of the least of all Your mercies and
of all Your truth, because we have repaid Your many blessings with all manner
of sin and unrighteousness, and completely deserve that You should cause
Your loving-kindness to altogether cease among us. As You have delivered up Your only-begotten
Son for us all, and with Him also freely give to us all things, through Him
granting Your abundant blessing upon our land, its government, and its
inhabitants, that all men might seek and find You in this acceptable time and
the day of salvation; do not turn away from us, but for His sake be gracious to
us always. With the finger of Your Holy
Spirit write in our hearts the perpetual remembrance of Your faithfulness. Open our lips, that we may praise Your grace
and mercy, and confess Your name and Word.
As You have prepared us with earthly possessions, make us willing and
ready to praise You by our works and to honor You with our prosperity for the
extension of Your kingdom. Let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ
Jesus, that we have compassion on our neighbor in need, even as You have had
pity on us. Keep us from arrogance and
false belief so we do not say: “Our power and the strength of our hands has
gotten us this wealth”; but let us remember You, the Lord, our God, by whose
power and benediction our beloved Church, our
congregation, our country, and our Government are preserved, to the end that we
may teach our children and our children’s children as a memorial forever, that
You have done great things for us, and we rejoice in You.
Our
soul shall bless You at all times, and never forget all Your benefits. Let us walk in Your ways, until we shall
glorify You and exalt Your name in the new Jerusalem; through Jesus Christ,
Your dear Son, our Lord. Amen.
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