If You Give Anything Please Give Thanks

11-23-2021

Psalm 100

Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with joy! Enter his presence with joyful singing! Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give him thanks! Praise his name! For the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations.

Ephesians 5: 18c-21

...be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Thanksgiving Day, more often than not, gets overshadowed by Christmas in store aisles, porch decorations, radio stations, and people’s priorities. Ironically, I (Steve) am listening to old-time Christmas radio while preparing this reminder that thankfulness must be, should always be, a priority of the community of faith.

We feel safe in saying not many recall the origins of our nation's day of giving thanks. Do you remember why we celebrate the final Thursday in November every year?

Extremely short version: In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast, inviting the colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. The feast lasted three days!

Fast forward to 1789. George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation, calling all Americans to express their gratitude to Almighty God for the joyous ending to the war for independence and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Still not a national holiday, in 1827, magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale - “Mary Had a Little Lamb” ring a bell? - launched a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. For almost 40 years she wrote numerous editorials and sent thousands of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians, earning her the nickname the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

Proving persistence pays off, Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863. At the height of the Civil War, in a presidential proclamation, Lincoln sought for America to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”

He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November 1863...

And that is where we find ourselves almost 160 years later. Now that the history lesson is finished, what does Thanksgiving, with its place in our nation’s history and culture, actually have to do with you and I - believers in God and followers of His Son, Jesus the Christ?

Well, for lack of a better word, everything! And following in the footsteps of the mother of Thanksgiving, Sarah Josepha Hale, let us - like a journalist - dive into the pertinent questions that will guide us in our investigation into the relevance of giving thanks as a community of faith.

I Chronicles 16 gives us the clues to follow to reach our destination. As a result of the Ark being placed in the midst of the people David gives the command for the people to enjoy a time of feasting and celebration. So, they brought the Ark of the Covenant of God in and feasted, celebrated, and gave thanks. And, that our friends, is truly the first Thanksgiving. Therefore, let us return there and see what we can see, learn what we can learn, and emulate what we can in order to be a faithful community that gives thanks.

Who? Who is worthy of our thanks?
I Chronicles 16:8-10 - Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD.

When? When is it necessary to give thanks?
I Chronicles 16:11&23b - Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him...Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

What? What are we to be thankful for?
I Chronicles 16:12-15 - Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. Remember his covenant forever—the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

Where? Where do we give thanks?
I Chronicles 16:19-20&23a - He said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan. They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another…Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!

Why? Why do we give thanks?
I Chronicles 16:28-36 - O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong. Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!” Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.” Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the LORD.

Happy Thanksgiving! And, “Amen!”

Missy and Steve