On the special day of Thanksgiving, we give a special sacrifice to the Lord. We do this because we know and believe that it is Him who created the earth and everything in it. He takes care of all the living things and non-living things, said Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider as he led the 2023 Thanksgiving Divine Service in Augsburg on Sunday, 1st October, 2023.

He based the sermon on the text word Genesis 8:22, ‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day, and night shall not cease’

Thankful for His grace and mercy
Through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, we have received pardon for our sins. We do not take it for granted, but rather we want to value this grace and treat it with care.

Thankful for fellowship
We want to express our thankfulness to the Lord for giving us the Church. It is also a gift from God. Through the fellowship in the congregation, we can share the Spirit of God. In the congregation, we can assist and support each other, we can make it easier for our neighbour to experience the love and grace of the Lord.

Thankful for His covenant
God has loved and cared for us through time despite our sinful nature, and He continues to love and care for us today. Through Jesus, God speaks to us and shows us His covenant. He gives us His grace and salvation. He offers His grace and salvation to everybody, including the ruthless sinner.

Thankful for His provision
We give this special thank offering to the Lord because we have received everything from God without merit. We depend on Him, He is the giver. He gives the seed and the harvest, day and night. He is the Creator, meaning everything comes from Him.

Thankful for His promises
Ending the sermon the Chief Apostle said God is the truth; all that He has promised He will do. Being thankful for the fulfilled promises in the past and the expectations of the promises in the future means that we must remain faithful to the Lord and be patient in waiting on His future promises.

The Chief Apostle was assisted by Apostles Jeannot Leibfried, Dirk Schulz and District Apostle Michael Ehrich.