Introduction

At Thanksgiving time, I like to remember a diary entry from the great Bible commentator, Matthew Henry. He was once mugged on the streets of London. The entry in his diary for that day recorded the following thoughts:

“I was mugged today. But Lord, you have taught us to be thankful in all circumstances. So, I want to thank you for several things: I thank you this was the first time I was ever mugged. I thank you they took my money, but not my life. I thank you that even though they took all my money, it wasn’t much money. I thank you that I was the one mugged, not the one doing the mugging.”

We usually think of Thanksgiving as the great, all-American holiday. The tradition goes deep into our historical roots. It’s been nearly 400 years since the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The actual date for the celebration shifted around over the years until President Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order that settled it on its current date. On October 20, 1864, President Lincoln wrote:

“Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.”

Main Idea

Thanksgiving assumes the idea of remembering, a looking back in gratitude for where we have been, what we’ve been through, and how God’s faithful presence has sustained us. As we look back, we celebrate and rejoice in all that God has graciously provided in our lives.

Father God, thank you for the gift of memory, which connects us with the past and gives us hope for the future. Help us this day to be careful not to forget all your benefits toward us this past year, and many years before that. And may our hearts be filled with thanksgiving when we pause to remember all your goodness.

Main Teaching

But it turns out that the practice of setting aside a day every year for giving thanks to God did not originate with President Lincoln, or even the pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Let’s look at our text from Deuteronomy that records Moses’ instructions to the people of Israel just before they entered the Promised Land.

Thanksgiving is a day for remembering. Moses said, “Be careful that you do not forget…” But what shall we remember?

1) Remember God’s amazing grace.

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