In Everything Give Thanks
Sunday, November 16, 2008 – AM
By Pastor Jim May
On December 21, 1620, 102 men, women and children, sailed out of their homes and into the pages of history and dropped anchor on the shores of a New World. They came seeking deliverance from tryranny, religious oppression, slavery and fear of imprisonment. They sought for freedom, liberty, justice and equality for all men, and for a place where they could be safe to life their lives in harmony with both God and man.
Their little ship, the Mayflower, was no cruise liner. It was a cargo ship with little provision for the comfort of passengers. Though there are no details of how big the ship was, it is estimated that it was only about 100 feet long and 25 feet wide. That’s just a little longer than our Fellowship Hall and about the same width. When we get all of us together in there at once, the room is nearly full, but think about the fact that only about 1/3 of that space was usable for sleeping and living, and then add about 30 people and all their belongings in that space and you’ll gain a whole new respect for those 102 pilgrims that sailed for 3 months to get to a promise of freedom.
It’s no wonder then that they were so eager to step out into a cold winter day in what would later become Virginia. No matter what they faced it could not have been worse than being crammed in the hold of that tiny ship. With such tight quarters it’s a wonder that any of them survived.
Sometimes we get on one another’s nerves in spite of the fact that we all have love one for another. You Do have love don’t you? You’d better because that’s a primary characteristic of a true disciple of Jesus. Even so there are times when we just have to walk away and cool off. Oh, come on now, no look so pious and innocent – I saw some of you yesterday and last week, and the week before. No matter how much we care for each other there are times when we just need our space.
Well, these folks on the Mayflower didn’t have any space and for 3 months I can only imagine the tempers that would flare and the attitudes that would form. Like us, I’m sure there were times when they truly loved one another but couldn’t stand the sight of one another. Oh to be free, to be able to walk on the ground and find a moment of solitude with no one around.
The first thing they did was to get down on their knees and thank God in Heaven for delivering them from the perils of the sea and the miseries of the voyage. For a moment in time, they felt so blessed. Now that’s a lesson that we all should learn!
Before the first Pilgrim set foot on the New World they established a set of laws that be their first government. Their agreement was called the "Mayflower Compact”.
They scouted out the land and finally decided upon a place to build their new colony and on December 25th the first working party left the ship to begin construction of "New Plymouth." Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas because they considered it just an "invention" of the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate the Winter Festival of the Heathens.
But when they landed, the weather was cold and winter had only begun. Snow was already on the ground. It was too late to grow crops for food during the winter, and their provisions on the ship were running very low already. This was going to be a long, hard and deadly winter. Their first winter in the New World Promised Land would not be very pleasant, and yet the price of freedom and liberty was worth the risk.
They began to destroy the forest immediately. (It’s a good thing that the EPA and the animal rights people weren’t around then.) One forest creature after another became homeless as the trees fell and were then hewn by hand to form logs for a lean-to shelter or a small one room cabin, and a meeting hall. Even though the cabins were small and the land was harsh and cold, it was their cabin and their land. Finally, they each had a little piece of Heaven they could call home.
But they didn’t move off of the ship and into their new homes right away. There was safety in numbers and safety on the ship. To move on land alone was just too dangerous.
It was nearly three months later, on March 21 that some began to move off the ship and into their new homes. By that time over 1/2 of them were dead. In December, 6 had died; in January 8 more; in February 17 more and in March, 13 more had died. Sometimes two or three died on the same day. Four entire families were taken, and there was only one family that didn’t lose a family member. Of the 18 married women, 13 had died. Only three of 13 children perished. This was probably because the mothers were giving their share of food to the children.
It’s a testimony to the desire of man to be free that when the "Mayflower" was prepared to return to England in April, the captain offered to take any survivors with him at no charge, that none took him up on his offer.
These few brave souls were the foundation of our great nation, a nation formed so that men could be free, free to worship God as they chose; free to speak their mind and have the right to make their own choices as long as it didn’t infringe upon the rights of others; and free to do as he wished to created a legacy.
We have so much to be thankful for. Other than Israel, we are the most blessed nation on the face of the earth, and we, as Christians, are the most blessed people in our nation. And it’s all because of Jesus and what he has done for us on the Cross of Calvary.
We, like those Pilgrims of long ago, had sailed the seas of life in misery. At the time it may not have seemed so bad, simply because the devil had us blinded to the misery around us and we just accepted it as the normal way of life.
But now that Jesus has come and our eyes have opened to the truth, we can see what real life is all about and it’s hard to imagine that we once enjoyed living in sin.
The journey from sin and shame to the New Life in Christ was not an easy one. Satan had us penned up, locked away in chains of darkness. There was no lasting comfort there. One day passed in another, and then another, and life was passing us by with no meaning to our existence. The single greatest question that man has, and a question that the world has no answer for is, “Why am I here; and what is the purpose of my life?”
The world’s answer is, “Just to enjoy life and get all you can get, because when it’s over; its over!” Mankind then says, “Well, if this is all there is, then I might as well go for the gusto; throw caution to the wind; because you only go around once.” That leads to a fatalist mentality that says, “Whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see. Kay Serah Serah!”
But you and I, and everyone who comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, knows that there is more to life than that. We are people with a purpose. The Love of God inside of us and the passion for Christ inside of us; and the love of our fellowman inside of us, put there by God himself, all serve to give us a real purpose for living.
My purpose is first of all to worship and serve the Lord my God, whom I revere and love with all my heart. God is my focus point and all that I do is based upon his will for my life.
Secondly, my purpose is to serve and love my fellowman within the limits that God has given me because his love for man is transferred into my heart so that I may love others as well.
How much love can you have for God and for your fellowman? Is there a limit to that love? No – because no matter how many people you learn to love, or how much you love God, there is always room for more love. The reason for this is that God dwells in you, God is Love, and His love knows no bounds, for God is limitless. Therefore, love is limitless. Love is the greatest power on earth; why? It’s because God is Love and he is omnipotent.
When we come to Jesus and invite him into our heart, we are like those pilgrims who step out of that ship into a whole New World. We leave behind the old man, locked away in sin and shame, and take on the identity of a New Man, free from sin and shame.
Ephesians 4:22-24, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
That doesn’t mean that life will be a bed of roses, for we still live in a cold, dark and dangerous world. We live in that world, but we are not part of this world. We are a blessed people, a holy people, a people that have been set apart.
Yet we also must sometimes suffer along with the people of this world for the Bible tells us in Matthew 5:45, "… he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Not every Christian will have the good life and make it through this world without suffering, in fact few will. Many will give their lives in service to the Lord. Some will give up family, friends, safety and most of the comforts of life, for the sake of the Gospel. We do not know the path that God has laid before us, but we walk that path by faith, knowing that in the end, the reward is well worth any price.
In spite of the hardships of life and even the pain of life, we are still the most blessed people on earth, for God is with us and in us, living through us. Jesus has given us liberty and his justice will serve make all things right in the end.
Like Joshua in Joshua 24:15, I have made my own “Mayflower Compact” with God. We have all stood and said, with him, "…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
The world invites us to go back to that old life. That old serpent, the Devil, tries to invite me to come back on board his ship and sail off into the sea, leaving this New Life behind to go back into the world of bondage to sin. But I’m in a new ship now – It’s the Old Ship of Zion; and I have a brand new Captain now – Jesus pilots my ship; I’ve got a new Home now – it’s in Glory land and it will outshine the sun.
I’ve been set by Jesus Christ the Son of God, to live life to the fullest; to enjoy the blessings of the Lord; to bask in the sunlight of his great love; and to rule and reign with him forever. And according to John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
So no matter what life may be like for you today, or on this Thanksgiving, we all have so much to be thankful for. If I were to stand here and try to remember everything that I am thankful for, no doubt we would be here a very long time, and still I would forget something.
The idea here is not just to thank God for each individual things in our lives, but that we should live a life that is thankful to God all the time, for all things, even those things that sometimes seem not so good.
You may be facing some sad times through the loss of a loved one. Your table at Thanksgiving this year may have an empty chair and we all mourn your loss. But still you are so blessed. The economy is bad, money is tight, good jobs are hard to find, and yet no one here is going hungry and God is supplying your need. And regardless of what’s happening right now, there’s always hope in Jesus for a better tomorrow.
Psalms 30:4-5, "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
On that Great Triumphant morning, when the dead in Christ shall rise, we shall rise to meet him, we will on go to greet him and we will have that Marriage Supper in the skies.
If you woke up this morning – you are blessed with life so live it with thanks to the Giver of Life.
If you woke up this morning with strength to get out of bed – you are blessed twice, so give thanks to the Lord who strengthens you
If you woke up this morning with strength and health – you are tripled blessed, so give thanks to the Great Physician who gives you that health
If you woke up this morning with all of these and with a desire to come to the House of God and worship God – you are absolutely blessed for 6 Billion people and more on Planet Earth aren’t as blessed as you are because Jesus dwells in your heart.
If you woke up this morning and the thought came to your mind that Jesus may be coming soon to take you home with him – then you are blessed beyond measure for Jesus has given you eternal life and a promise of eternal glory with him, so thank Him.
And, if you woke up, but you don’t know Jesus, and you aren’t adopted into the family of God yet – you too are so very blessed today – because today can be the greatest day that you have ever lived, and the first day of a truly blessed life.
Jesus is here today to give you the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive, the Gift of Eternal Life. He doesn’t promise you a perfect life on earth, or a life without troubles, sickness or pain – but He does promise an eternal life that will be perfect forever.
If you wonder what there is to be thankful about today – then you need to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Give your heart and life to him and then you’ll know what real thankfulness is all about. All of us who know the Lord will soon be stepping off this Old Ship of Zion. It’s sailing through the sea of time right now but it won’t be long until we drop anchor on that other shore and we step off into a whole New World, A new City and a new home.
“…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Therefore let us be like the Apostle Paul as he says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
