Thanksgiving Day Sermon

November 26 , 2009

By : Pastor Mike Stahl

Brothers and Sisters ; 

It seems that each year around this time , we all - and I mean WE ALL - INCLUDING MYSELF - have a tendency not to be thankful for the things we have been given by God . I mean ,how terrible not to be grateful to God, and yet in America all around we can find those who are grumbly hateful rather than humbly grateful.

In a nutshell: Thanksgiving must be given to the one responsible for whatever it is that we are thankful for. Regardless of our blessings, everyone who has a relationship with God can give thanks to God for these three things: The Lord is Good; His love endures forever; and His faithfulness endures to all generations.

If you all don't mind , allow me to give a brief history of Thanksgiving , especially for those school kids who are attending our public schools , as I seriously doubt they're taught the TRUTH about Thanksgiving - if indeed AT ALL !

In the Spring, after their survival of that first difficult winter, the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony began planting their first crops. In the Fall, with help from their Indian neighbors, they gathered in their first harvest. With a spirit of excitement, the Pilgrims invited the Indians who had helped them to join them in a three day feast of wild turkey, venison and vegetables, to celebrate God's faithfulness. This first thanksgiving feast in the new colonies took place in 1619. In 1623, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colonies made this proclamation...

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all you Pilgrims, with your wives and your little ones, do gather at the meeting house, on the hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since you Pilgrims landed on Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to your pastor and render thanksgiving to Almighty God for all His blessings."

On November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation for a nation-wide day of thanksgiving. He made it clear that this day should be one of prayer and giving thanks to God.

Later, President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation in 1863, designating the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day, a day for the nation to give thanks to Almighty God. The date was later changed to the fourth Thursday of November, by President Franklin Roosevelt, in order to encourage holiday shopping.

But things in the United States of America, started to change in 1962. That was the year the Supreme Court banned state-directed prayers in the public schools. Then in 1963, the Supreme Court banned Bible reading for religious purposes in the public school. Seventeen years later, in 1980, the Supreme Court said schools could no longer post the Ten Commandments. The High Court classified them as "plainly religious". Their ruling said that the existence of the Ten Commandments in a classroom might prompt children... "to read, ponder, revere, or obey these commandments."

And that's how our national religious heritage began to be eliminated from public life.

William Bennett who served as secretary of education under President Reagan wrote this about these anti-religious court decisions...

"In too many places in American public education, religion has been ignored, banned or shunned in ways that serve neither knowledge, nor the Constitution, nor sound public policy. There is no good curricular or constitutional reason for textbooks to ignore, as many do, the role of religion in the founding of this country or its prominent place in the lives of many of its citizens. We should acknowledge that religion–from the Pilgrims to the civil rights struggle–is an important part of our history, civics, literature, art, music, poetry, and politics, and we should insist that our schools tell the truth about it."

Now , in the year 2009 , I can just imagine IF a public school allowed anything to be said about thanksgiving day - a fourth-grader might have to say something like this . .

" The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what.
When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who.
Because of them, we can worship each Sunday, you know where. "

Every year, beginning about now, many of us send out Christmas cards to friends and relatives all over the country. The purpose for these cards is to send holiday greetings and messages of love and appreciation to people who matter significantly to us. But the United States postal service will tell you that the messages of many of these cards and letters will not reach the intended people if they are addressed wrongly. I've read that the postal service estimates that over 2 million letters will be stamped, "Return to sender, addressee unknown" this year alone because they have the incorrect address printed on the front of the envelope. And no matter how sincere the sentiments of those cards and letters are, if they aren't addressed properly, they will not get delivered, and the messages will not be received.

Well, that's something like Thanksgiving has become in the last 30 or so years in this country. We have a lot of people all over these United States who spend time on this holiday sending messages of thanks for things they have, or relationships they enjoy, or situations in which they live, or blessings they experience... but the messages are not received because the message has been stamped "Addressee Unknown". You see, when God has been taken out of the realm of their thankfulness, thanks is not delivered to the one to whom it rightfully belongs.

By definition, thanks is a gift of words or deeds that is given to someone for a favor or kindness received.

And the Bible has much to say about to whom we are to give thanks. One particular verse that comes to mind is found in James 1:17 ; " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. "

James clearly tells us that God is the one who gives every good and perfect gift to human beings. Therefore, God is the one who ultimately deserves our thanks. But when we take God out of the equation of thankfulness, as many are doing in our increasingly un-Christian culture, we are left with something like mailing a letter with no address on the outside. So the message doesn't get delivered.

Thanksgiving is foundational .

Many of you have seen a three-legged stool. There is an interesting thing about a three-legged stool. It will not stand on two legs, and it will not stand on one leg. It will only stands on three legs. But when it stands on all three legs, that stool becomes a very firm foundation for sitting and resting your weight when you're tired.

Well, that's how I've come to understand giving thanks. If I were to ask you what you were thankful for, many of you would name things like family or friends or jobs or pay checks or our church or leaders who are in our lives. But what if all those things were removed from your life ?

Most of those things that I've just mentioned have a chance of changing–just read about Job in the Old Testament. In a short period of a few days, he lost his crops, his home, his family, and everything he had worked for–even his friends turned against him. Could he have celebrated Thanksgiving Day ?

What I'm getting at, is that none of the things that we are traditionally thankful for, are foundational to what should be our real thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, being thankful for those things I mentioned is something that is good and proper. But it isn't the foundation for our thanks.

What would happen if we didn't have friends, or family, or jobs, or pay checks, or a church, or leaders in our lives ? Could we still be thankful ? The answer is YES ! Because regardless of what is going on in our lives. Regardless of the circumstances. Regardless of what we have or don't have... We all can give thanks for three things. And these three things make for a three-legged stool that I call the "foundation for thanksgiving." This idea is expressed in Psalm 100. Look at verses 4 and 5...

4)  " Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. "

5 ) " For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

The three things everyone of us can be thankful for, regardless of what is going on in our lives are...

1. The Goodness of God
2. The Steadfast Love of God
3. The Faithfulness of God

I came across this little story or parable in a book and I would like to share it with you today.

         One afternoon a shopper at the local mall felt the need
         for a coffee break.  She bought herself a little bag of
         cookies and put them in her shopping bag.  She then got in
         line for coffee, found a place to sit at one of the
         crowded tables, and then taking the lid off her coffee and
         taking out a magazine she began to sip her coffee and
         read.  Across the table from her a man sat reading a
         newspaper.

         After a minute or two she reached out and took a cookie.
         As she did, the man seated across the table reached out
         and took one too.  This put her off, but she did not say
         anything.

         A few moments later she took another cookie.  Once again
         the man did so too.  Now she was getting a bit upset, but
         still she did not say anything.

         After having a couple of sips of coffee she once again
         took another cookie.  So did the man.  She was really
         upset by this - especially since now only one cookie was
         left.  Apparently the man also realized that only one
         cookie was left.  Before she could say anything he took
         it, broke it in half, offered half to her, and proceeded
         to eat the other half himself.  Then he smiled at her and,
         putting the paper under his arm, rose and walked off.

         Was she steamed.  Her coffee break ruined, already
         thinking ahead of how she would tell this offense to her
         family, she folded her magazine, opened her shopping bag,
         and there discovered her own unopened bag of cookies.

I like that story - it makes me think about how well God treats me even when I am not treating him well or thinking all that kindly about him.

It also makes me think about how, sometimes, I do not really appreciate what I have or act like I know where it has come from. It serves as a kind of reminder to me - like when Moses, after telling the people of Israel how they will prosper in the promised land that they are about to enter, how, after so many years of slavery and then of wandering in the wilderness, they will eat their fill, and have fine houses and large herds, and that their silver and gold will multiply, says in Deuteronomy 8:17-18 ; " And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. "

Chapter eight of Deuteronomy is really one of my favorite chapters of the Old Testament. It speaks so well of what we all know somewhere in our hearts, but often seem to forget in our actions and our attitudes.

It speaks of how everything we have is a gift from God, a gift worked upon by our hands, most certainly; a gift perhaps even enhanced by our own strength, but a gift nonetheless, for God gives us the hands we need, and God gives us the strength we have.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us , " In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. "

and in Ephesians 5:20 , " Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . "

The norm and the standard of the early church of the disciples and the apostles was really incredible and it had incredible results in the lives of those disciples and apostles, and in the lives of all those around them.

They lived happy and triumphant lives, they rejoiced even when they were being afflicted and persecuted, and their fellowship continually grew until it reached the ends of the earth.

Give thanks in all circumstances. 
Give thanks for everything.
Give thanks at all times.

This is a step beyond remembering God and thanking God for all the wealth that we enjoy in this our promised land.

This is a step beyond remembering God  and obeying his commands because he has given us fine houses and filled our bellies.

This is even a step beyond thanking God, as the leper thanked God, for healing him through Jesus of his disease.

Now , I'll confess ,sometimes when I'm feeling pressed to wall I find it difficult to fulfil the word in Philippians 4:6 ; " Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. "

And when I am feeling struck down by some affliction or angry at my teenagers for doing something that seems to me to be thoughtless; or upset at my dog for his having escaped out the door in the morning , I have difficulty feeling grateful to God for the circumstances I am in .

Instead of wanting to praise God - or to pray to him about the situation with thanksgiving ; I want to feel sorry for myself and the trouble I am in ; I want to yell at the kids for being whatever kids are when they are thoughtless ; and I want to smack the dog on his butt because I know darn well he knows not to run out the door .

How about you ? Do you have a faith that is thankful in everything ?

It's something to think about , especially when you consider the power of thanksgiving and of how not only are we blessed or rewarded for it, but so is God and all those around us.

We all should try to thank those around us , and those we come in contact with - EVERY DAY !! Thank your wife for fixing a nice dinner , or making the coffee , or doing the grocery shopping . Thank your kids for clearing the dinner table , doing the dishes , cleaning their rooms , etc . . Thank your co-workers , neighbors , the mail carrier , your boss , etc . .

You see , giving thanks blesses the person who is thanked and it transforms the person who gives thanks.

It works the same way everywhere, with everyone, even with God --
when we remember..

When we forget - hard things get harder.

When we allow the situation we are in to swallow us up and to swallow all thought of God's power and goodness up; when we begin to think we have earned and deserve all the good things we have, and when we forget that God is able to help us in the midst of all the bad things that occur, well - life becomes bleaker and true virtue becomes harder to find.

God wants us to celebrate His love. God wants us to give thanks in everything. God doesn't want this because He is greedy for praise, the Lord doesn't want it so that He will feel better about Himself, He wants it because it will bless us and because it will bless the world He has made.

He wants us to remember what He has done so that we will not be afraid when we are in need of help, and so that we will not grow arrogant or rude when we are prospering .

He wants us to remember and give thanks to Him, and to those around us so that our lives will be full of light and hope and so our actions full of tenderness and love.

As the psalmist declares - "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to his name"

So , my friends , this Thanksgiving , let us truly be thankful for God's blessings upon us , and let us all say , " Praise be unto you God and Thank-You for your many blessings -in Jesus' name , Amen. "

May you and yours all have a blessed Thanksgiving Day - and I want to take this opportunity to say "THANK-YOU" for your prayers , words of encouragement , and support to my ministry .

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."  ( Numbers 6:24-26 )

Your brother in Christ ; Pastor Mike