A True Thanksgiving Service
Ephesians 5:19-20
Intro: Several years ago there was a Charlie Brown cartoon about Thanksgiving in the paper. the cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl.
Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world today is eating turkey with all the trimmings and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog," he said, "all I get is dog food." He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."
. There is always something to be thankful for isn’t there.
. There was a young man feeling very proud of himself. As a brand new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams and passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant.
His father had been an immigrant to the U.S., and now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books. He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts and you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much money you’ve made.”
The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home. We have a car and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants and all the rest is profit.”
ADD IT UP! That’s exactly what we need to do at Thanksgiving. Add it all up. We came into this world with nothing but the eternal soul that God gave us. Everything else is profit. We can never give too much thanks to God!
. That’s what our scripture tells us this morning. Give thanks for everything.
. Lets read our scripture. Ephesians 5:19-20
19singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
20And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
. In context here, Paul is telling anyone who is a Christian how they should live and celebrate and be thankful for the gift that God has given them .
. First we give thanks through praise of our Lord through song and psalms.
. We are to give thanks to God through singing of his mighty power and love and strength and guidance.
. In Psalm 105: 1-3 we read:
. 1Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
2Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
. In Psalm 149:1- 5
. 1Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
2O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
3Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4For the LORD delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
5Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.
. In Leadership Magazine Volume 3, Donald Hustead once wrote: “Somehow about 40% of churchgoers seem to have picked up the idea that ‘singing in church is for singers.’ The truth is that ‘singing is for believers.’
The relevant question is not, ‘Do you have a voice?’ but “Do you have a song?’’
. In a true Thanksgiving service, we all have a song. We may not be great singers but God doesn’t say give thanks if you are a great singer. He says sing and rejoice and be thankful.
. Paul and Silas showed us that no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, we should have a song of thanks.
. Paul and Silas were in Philippi and Paul cast out a demon from a slave woman who was a fortune teller. She made her masters a lot of money and when the demon came out of her, so did her ability to see the future. So they had Paul and Silas thrown into prison.
. The could have thrown themselves a pity party but they didn’t. Look at what they did.
.Acts 16:24-25
. 24So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, …
. They had a song of Thanksgiving for their God.
. When we have a true Thanksgiving service, there will be songs of praise and thanks to the Lord.
. We have done that here this morning.
. Verse 20 tells us what else we should do this morning.
20And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
. We are to give thanks for everything to God, Paul writes.
. A man made a list of what he was thankful for. I would like to share it with you.
. I am Thankful for.........
....the taxes I pay because it means I’m employed.
....the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
....my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.
....a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
....the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
....my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
....all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.
....the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.
....the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
....the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I’m alive.
....the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.
. Several years ago some German immigrants to America told this story of a woman living on a farm in Germany who brought to her minister an amount in German money equivalent to about $10 in American money.
As she laid down the money she said: “In former years I have had to pay about this amount in medicine. This year there has been no sickness in our family. I want to show my gratitude to the Lord in this way.”
Some time later this same woman again came to her minister with about $5, explaining that many of her neighbors had suffered some losses in a recent windstorm, but that her farm had been spared. “I bring the church this donation as an offering of thanks.” That’s gratitude!
. I want to stop right here in the sermon this morning and ask you, What are you thankful for?
. I give you an opportunity to share with the congregation but most of all, the opportunity to tell God just what you are thankful for.
. Will you share this morning?
. Give the people the opportunity to testify. (have someone ready to start the process)
Praise God for all of the testimony.
. You know, I am thankful for many things in my life, my family, friends, church family but I am most thankful for Jesus.
. I am thankful that He died for someone as unworthy as I.
.On this thanksgiving celebration, can you say the same thing. Can you say that you are thankful for your relationship with Jesus Christ?
Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
Illustrations from sermon central
B Joyful, Jeff Strite
Commitment To Thanksgiving, Steve Shepherd
