Psalm 100 serves as a fitting threshold to our Season of Thanksgiving. It inspires jubilant singing, worship, prayer, and gathering. Verse 2 unfolds with more meaning when we explore the original Hebrew. The root word, עבד (avad), translated in the NKJV as “serve” has many definitions. Besides serving, it also expresses the command to worship the Lord, and work for the Lord, with gladness. All these actions apply to the sentence and can define our focus in this coming season.

Furthermore, as the psalm continues (verse 4), we are called and beckoned through gates and courts into His presence, with thanksgiving. Here we arrive at the foundation for our October sermon series.

The first Sunday’s sermon will further explore how we can attend to Psalm 100 as a song of praise that inspires each one of us to lift up your voice in thanksgiving.

In the second sermon we will again return to the theme for 2025 in considering how doing good and sharing requires sacrifice.

The third sermon for the month returns to the book of Psalms, this time to Psalm 36, where we will be confronted with the contrast of what sin offers to mankind, and what God offers. We are called to be satisfied with God’s presence, safety, provision, and illumination.

In the final sermon for the month, we will dig into the story of four men who bring their paralytic friend to Jesus for healing. Here we come to understand what it means to care for one another.

Finally, our midweek sermon for October takes us to the final chapter of the book of Jonah, where we encounter a story different from the one we might remember from Sunday School. This glimpse into the conversation between an angry Jonah and a gracious God will push us toward self-reflection and encourage us to extend grace.

I wish for you a joyful entry into this special season, with thanksgiving. Let us look forward to and prepare ourselves even now for the celebration of Thanksgiving Sunday, November 23.