“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” [1]
In the United States, tradition dictates that turkeys donated to the White House should receive a mock presidential pardon immediately before Thanksgiving day. Surprisingly, the tradition is of rather recent origin, though its roots do go back a number of years. Abraham Lincoln was the first President to forgo killing a holiday bird. His son had grown attached to a turkey destined for a Christmas meal and prevailed upon his father to spare the bird. John F. Kennedy didn’t use the term “pardon,” but he did comment that the family should forego eating the donated bird. The tradition of granting a presidential pardon for the turkey was instituted by President George H. W. Bush in 1989. Each President since that time has officially pronounced a presidential pardon for the birds donated by the National Turkey Federation. [2]
Last year, President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys named “Peanut Butter” and “Jelly.” The proclamation delivered at that time contains little with which God-fearing Americans may disagree. But neither is there much in the proclamation which would challenge Americans to remember a God whom the first president called “that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be,” and whom the sixteenth president referred to as “the Source … our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Tragically, for the majority of Americans Thanksgiving has become an excuse for a Bacchanalia. The day is characterised by men and women dazed and in a turkey coma lounging in front of a television as they pretend to watch two football teams exert themselves on the gridiron.
In Canada, our Thanksgiving observance has roots in the British Harvest Festival while yet recognising the arrival of the Pilgrims in the New World. Thus, our concept of Thanksgiving differs somewhat from that observed by our American cousins, though superficially the primary difference is in the timing of the observance. We do have the advantage of observing the feast we know as Thanksgiving at the conclusion of the harvest season, so that does make more sense than using the day as a kick-off for the Christmas season. Canadians have nothing of which to boast in this area, however; we take such great care not to offend any person that our neglect must surely give offence to Almighty God. When our Prime Minister issues a proclamation, it is equally vapid, if not more so as a proclamation that pardons turkeys from the chopping block.
The first Thanksgiving after Confederation was observed on April 5, 1872. It was a civic holiday rather than a religious observance, held to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from an illness. Thanksgiving became an annual event in 1879. The date for each of the following years was determined by Parliament. Consequently, the holiday occurred as late as December 6, though the most popular date for the observance appears to have been the third Monday in October.
Beginning in 1921, Thanksgiving and Armistice Day were celebrated on the same day, the first Monday in the week of November 11th. In 1931, in a move meant to give more recognition to veterans, November 11th was designated solely as Remembrance Day. Thanksgiving was again proclaimed annually and typically observed on the second Monday in October. Parliament proclaimed the observance of the second Monday in October as “a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest for which Canada has been blessed.” [3] This occurred on January 31, 1957. Thus, the national observance of Thanksgiving is relatively recent in Canada. And while this is a civic holiday, there persist religious notes to the observance. The emphasis in earlier days was gratitude to God for the harvest. It is obvious that the purpose has changed rather dramatically in this day. Thanksgiving has been transformed from a day of giving thanks to God to being observed as a day for family gatherings. The thanks that is given is almost always for the general well-being of the members of the family.
Whether for the family or for God’s provision, what is not heard often enough from the pulpits of this day is the teaching meant to remind us that gratitude is an indelible mark of the redeemed soul. If there is a plea for Christians to reveal a heart marked by gratitude, it does not appear to be an emphatic plea. Perhaps gratitude is suggested, but there is little emphasis on the necessity of being thankful. And we Christians do have so much for which we should be thankful. Despite this acknowledgement, we are prone to being influenced by the culture in which we are immersed. Almost unconsciously we adopt the view that we are the centre of our universe, failing to demonstrate gratitude for the mercies and the goodness showered upon us. We tend to become so engrossed in the moment, that we forget that we are living for eternity.
I am speaking of being thankful in the message today. Without apology, I am reminding each one who names the Name of the Risen Lord of Glory to cultivate a heart that reveals gratitude. I am urging each follower of the Lord Jesus to do all that can be done to ensure that he or she is recognised as one that is grateful. In order to address this great need, I refer you to the words which the Apostle to the Gentiles penned in a brief letter to the Christians of Colossae. The message will focus our attention on what is written in the fifteenth through the seventeenth verses of the third chapter. Join me in reviewing what Paul has written in these verses.
PEACE PRECEDES GRATITUDE — “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” [COLOSSIANS 3:15]. I have preached from this one verse more frequently than I dare imagine over the course of my service among the churches. Admittedly, I have returned to this verse frequently because it has always seemed strange to me that the Lord would find it necessary to instruct His people to be grateful. Wouldn’t you think that redeemed people would be grateful people? Wouldn’t you think that those who are forgiven by God would be people noted for thankful hearts? And yet, the Master is compelled to stress our need to be thankful. Apparently, there is a danger that we Christians will forget to give thanks, especially to the God Who showers us with His rich blessings.
I’m about to make a startling statement; however, it needs to be said. The reason many Christians fail to express gratitude spontaneously is because they have no peace. Without the peace of Christ ruling over our lives and in our hearts, we can never be genuinely grateful. Therefore, it is significant, even essential, that the Apostle should begin the instruction given in the text by urging his readers to allow the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts. Without the peace of Christ reigning over us, all else that the Apostle would teach is rendered meaningless. Moreover, the peace of Christ which Paul anticipates reigning in our hearts reflects what the Lord expects to be true for all of us as His people. The Master called us in one body to both submit to His peace and to reflect that same peace through our response to the flow of life.
It has often been a source of astonishment to me that Paul would need to admonish followers of Christ to be thankful. Why should the Apostle be constrained to urge followers of Christ to do what should be expected. This is Christianity 101! Gratitude is foundational to the Faith. Do you remember when you first became a follower of Christ? I am almost certain that your heart was filled with gratitude at that time. You were thankful that God had received you, that He had forgiven your sin. Your heart was filled with gratitude that you were now numbered as one of the redeemed of the Lord. Bowing your head to return thanks to God was not a chore; rather, it was something that you were eager to do because your heart was full of gratitude.
Did you notice the manner in which the Apostle opened this portion of the Letter to the Christians of Colossae? Paul begins by commanding, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body” [COLOSSIANS 3:15a]. Did you catch what he said concerning God’s call in your life? When Christ called you, He called you in peace and He called you to peace. Even more significantly, the call of Christ was to your placement by Him within the Body! You were not merely called to enjoy being saved and left to wander about in the world, questioning who you are and wondering what you should be doing. Christ called you to invest yourself in the life of His Body, which is the assembly of the righteous.
I’m not going afield when I bring us back to consider the role you are given as a follower of Christ. To do this in the most efficient manner possible, I point you to what is written in the First Corinthian Letter. Let’s begin by focusing on the twelfth chapter of that Book. Paul writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-11].
What should be obvious is that the redemption you received has transformed your view of Christ. An unchanged attitude toward Christ indicates no redemption! Anything else the Apostle will say is irrelevant if there is no change in your attitude toward Christ. Is He Master over your life? Does His will figure in your decisions for how you live? Are you prepared to honour Him, even calling Him Master over your life and revealing His mastery in how you live?
The next thing Paul has told us is that if you are twice-born, you received a gift or gifts. What that gift may be will become apparent to you as you do what is natural following your conversion. Your gift will be an ability that was not apparent prior to salvation, but which now ensures you are blessing other Christians. The gifts God has entrusted to you become apparent as you serve other Christians. This knowledge draws us back to the text. You remember what Paul wrote as he opened this portion of the Letter to the Christians of Colossae? The Apostle began by commanding, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body” [COLOSSIANS 3:15a]. Here is the emphasis on placement within the Body.
Before leaving the passage we have just been examining, I must point out one further truth from the passage that is too often overlooked. It is the Spirit of Christ Who gives the gifts, apportioning to each one individually the specific gift(s) He has chosen. You don’t get to pick your gift! Since it is a gift, God gives what He deems necessary and best for the Body into which He places you. Not all are going to exhibit the identical gift. God Himself chooses what to give, and what is given is for the benefit of all. Later, in this same missive, Paul will testify, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:18]. You are essential to the health of the Body in which the Spirit has placed you because He specifically prepared you and equipped you to ensure that that particular Body is complete. Your presence in the congregation in which the Spirit has appointed you is essential for that Body to be whole and healthy. You have a vital role in the assembly of the righteous.
If you accept God’s mastery over your life, accepting that He placed you where you now serve and among those with whom you now share your life, you will seek to build the saints through investing your life in them to the glory of God. Your purpose in the church wherein the Spirit of Christ has placed you is to build up others, to encourage your fellow saints, and to console them in times of sorrow [see 1 CORINTHIANS 14:1-5]. You fulfil this purpose as you invest your gift(s) in your fellow saints. In the process of fulfilling your purpose, you experience growing peace within because you are honouring the appointment you received from the Spirit. Your peace grows more intense because you are demonstrating in a tangible fashion the wisdom God demonstrated through the appointment you received and through the service you are now providing. As others are benefitted by your service, you realise in ever greater measure the peace of Christ.
I will be very bold in saying that if you are not part of an assembly into which the Spirit of God has placed you, it will be an impossibility for you to fully know the peace of Christ. You may experience episodic periods when gratitude is expressed spontaneously, moments when you feel a sense of transient gratitude, but until you allow the Spirit of Christ to reign in your life, fulfilling the ministry to which He has assigned you, gratitude will always be a forced action. To become a thankful person, you will be required to fulfil the service for which God prepared you and for which He equipped you. And if you are a twice-born child of the Living God, He has entrusted you with the means by which you are to serve and given you even the place where you are expected to serve. Now is the time to become a thankful person. Amen.
GRATITUDE LEADS INTO SERVING — “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” [COLOSSIANS 3:16]. Filled with gratitude, we are guided by the Word of Christ which is witnessed through interpersonal interaction with our fellow saints. We are engaged in teaching and admonishing one another, just as we are united in praising God through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The emphasis is on “one another!”
In the text, we witness a divine progression, a progression that is essential for our spiritual health. We can ignore the progression, but we do so at the peril of our growth in Christ. We move from fulfilling the ministry that God has assigned to experiencing Christ’s peace. Then, filled with the peace that Christ along can give, we move to the broadest imaginable opportunity to service within the assembly wherein God placed us. In the verse we examined earlier, though Paul was addressing the congregation as an entity, his emphasis was primarily focused on the individual role each Christian plays as people who have been integrated into the Body of Christ by the Spirit of the Living God. Now, take note that Paul is no longer focused on the individuals who make up the Body of Christ, rather, he is addressing the assembly—the Body of Christ. The emphasis has changed from the composition of the assembly to the assembly as an entity of its own. The Apostle began with a focus on the responsibility each of us has as a member of the Body, and he now invites us to see the work we perform collectively.
To be certain, the assembly is composed of individual Christians who have covenanted together to meet for united worship, to advance the Faith of Christ the Lord through evangelistic outreach and through missionary efforts, to build one another in this most holy Faith, and above all to glorify the Lord Jesus. However, the place in which service is expected first and foremost is in the assembly as the people of God are gathered. Here, in assembly as one body in Christ, we serve one another and in doing this, we are serving the Risen Lord. It is precisely because we are a thankful people that we serve. Here is what is often forgotten—our gratitude finds expression in service, especially service to one another. The surest evidence that God’s people are functioning as He means for them to function is that they serve one another.
Look at this admonition from the Apostle, noting especially the progression revealed in the things Paul has written. This particular verse reminds us that gratitude is fostered and enhanced as we feast on the Word of Christ. This raises the question of how we know that the Word of Christ dwells in us in all the richness of Him Who freely gives us all things? The text informs us that our relationship with the people of God, our interaction with the redeemed saints of Christ, is a gauge of how richly the Word of the Lord dwells in us and directs us in our lives.
We are responsible to be constantly engaged in teaching and admonishing one another. Christ’s Body does need teachers, and Christ the Head does provide those who are able to teach. Elders, also known as overseers, are expected to be able to teach. Allow me to emphasise that truth by referring you to several passages of Scripture. Writing Timothy in his first missive, Paul has taught Christians, “An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” [1 TIMOTHY 3:2]. Overseers are to be recognised as able teachers, men who are able to communicate the truths of God.
Later, in the second letter he wrote to Timothy, we witness Paul teaching, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” [2 TIMOTHY 2:2]. He will make the case for the necessity of teaching stronger still when he writes in a few verses, “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil” [2 TIMOTHY 2:24]. Those who serve among the churches as pastors and teachers must be competent to teach, and that competence is continually judged by the assembly itself. Incompetence is grounds for dismissal as a pastor!
Nor are these the only instances in the Pastoral Letters when the Apostle emphasises the necessity of the elder being equipped to teach. To Titus, Paul has written, “[The elder] must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” [TITUS 1:9]. The elder must not only be able to provide sound instruction in the Word, but equipped to refute those who oppose the truth.
I must pause to note that one who is divinely equipped to serve as an elder will be gifted by the Spirit of Christ to fulfil that spiritual duty of teaching. While the gift conferred by the Master may be refined through education, no one can be made to be a teacher of the Word if the Spirit of God has not gifted them to serve in that capacity. Graduation from a seminary or from a Bible college is not a suitable qualification for eldership. Those who are gifted to teach should be encouraged to consider training at the seminary level to make the exercise of their gift more powerful, but no one should ever imagine that merely passing through training at a theological institution is a qualification for eldership.
Woe betide the congregation that accepts as an elder that individual who is incapable of communicating the will of the Father, woe to the church that receives someone to stand behind the sacred desk who is unable to teach regardless of how many letters they append after their name. That assembly that accepts as an elder one who is unwilling or unable either to teach the truths of God’s Word or to refute those who disseminate error ensures that the members of that congregation shall shortly be bereft of God’s blessing on their service. However polished their services may appear, they will never know the blessings that attend the presence of the Lord. Nevertheless, though we know this to be true, we must emphasise the fact that in the healthy congregation that would please God, each member of the Body is to engage in the teaching ministry according to what is written in our text. The congregation of the Lord needs teachers, but that does not obviate the necessity of each member accepting responsibility to teach.
This is the point I am making. We are to teach one another, to admonish one another. This is the clear teaching presented in the text. How do we teach one another? How do we admonish one another? The foundation for teaching and admonishing is to encourage each member to ensure that the Word of Christ dwells in them richly. This is nothing short of divine encouragement for each Christian to dive into the Word, feasting on the Word, filling the mind with what God has given. Then, filled with the Word, we walk according to what has been written, holding one another accountable to the will of God as revealed in His Word.
Whenever a fellow Christian is beginning to drift away from the Way of the Lord, he or she knows they are drifting because the Spirit of God is reminding them of the will of the Father. James alludes to this when he reminds us, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’” [JAMES 4:4-5].
This is the point Paul makes when he cautions the Christians of Galatia, “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” [GALATIANS 5:16-26]. Quite obviously, the Word of God anticipates that the Spirit of God is holding us to account before the Father.
However, if we refuse to listen to the Spirit God has caused to dwell within us, choosing to go our own way and ignoring His will, there is another means by which we will be taught. And this means of teaching is ongoing as we are always being taught by this means. It is this ongoing means of instruction that is in view in the text before us this day. And the means by which we are being taught is dependent upon our union with the Body of the Lord. If we are to be taught, it will be because we have invested our life in the life of the assembly wherein the Spirit has placed us to the praise of Christ’s glory.
As we witness the godly lives of fellow saints who are walking in the Way of Christ, we are being rebuked by their lives. Moreover, because they love us and because they are concerned for us, they will warn us of the consequences of the sinful path we are beginning to take. They will admonish us in love. Because we are members of one Body, and because we love one another deeply from the heart, we will hold one another accountable to the will of the Father as revealed in His Holy Word. Do you not see, then, that we are teaching one another all the time by living holy, righteous lives and encouraging one another?
There is another teaching method that is too often neglected for the instructional value this particular method imparts. I am now speaking of the music that is a part of our worship. Among some churches, the musical performance has become the worship. For many churches, music is the sole expression of worship of the Lord Christ. The one leading the music will say something along the lines, “Let’s worship before the preacher brings the sermon,” as though worship consist of listening to a team sing repeatedly the words of a chorus, while the ministry of the Word is considered to be an adjunct to the performance the team is presenting. Whether this is what is meant or not, this is what is conveyed by such statements. What should be said is something along the line of, “Join us in worship as we sing; then, we will worship in the Scriptures, in the testimonies, and by receiving the message of God.”
Churches that restrict “worship” to the performance of a team of musicians have impoverished their members through their failure to recognise the primary purpose of music. Clearly, such attitudes are a failure at meeting the responsibility to serve one another within the Body of Christ. To be certain, music is a part of worship, even an essential part of worship, but music is only one part. Worship of the Risen Saviour also includes the reading of the Word, the prayers of God’s people, the testimony of those who have known the grace of our Lord, and the teaching of the Word. Everything done in our service is expected to be instructional; but worship is not unidirectional! Worship is offered to God, and in the process of offering to God the praise that is due His Name, He instructs us through the elements of worship. All the elements are necessary for worship to be complete.
Now, returning to considering the matter of the music included in our times of worship, it is vital to read again the words of the Apostle so that we have a foundation for our study. Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” [COLOSSIANS 3:16]. Congregational singing is one part of our worship, but we must not neglect the fact that the songs that we sing are to be instructional. To be sure, the psalms and hymns and spiritual songs of our services are expressions of our gratitude to God, but they are also to be instructional. Through the songs we sing as a congregation, we are reminding one another of and encouraging one another to remember the deep truths of the Word through what is sung. As we sing the songs chosen, outsiders who share in our service will hear—perhaps in a manner that is especially empowered by the Spirit of Christ—the great truths of the Faith. Hearing these truths, the errors taught by the world will be challenged, compelling them to weight what we teach.
I am stepping aside for a brief moment to state that there is a reason why in our services we do not sing a chorus mindlessly repeating the words over and over as though we are seeking somehow to induce a trancelike state which will be a substitute for worship. The reasoning behind our decision in this matter is that we are here to worship the Risen Lord of Glory—we are not seeking to exalt ourselves; we are not seeking some faux feeling. The hymns that are to be sung have been chosen with the specific goal of equipping those who worship with us to receive the message that is delivered from the pulpit, to prepare us to offer prayers before the heavenly throne, and to enable us to ensure that the Word is firmly fixed in our minds. In other words, the songs we sing are chosen first for the message! The presentation—the rhythm and the melody of a given song and even the instrumentation—is secondary to the message presented by the song! Music leaders must be encouraged to choose congregational music with a view to the message presented. What is sung is far more important than how it is sung.
Now, getting back on track, it is important to say that we followers of Christ are expected to be a joyful people, and our joy is often expressed through the music of the Faith. It is fair to say that our psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs should express our joy, the joy that is ours because of the presence of the Lord in our life. Our singing should be lively, vibrant, reflecting the joy of the Living Saviour in our lives. That joy should be characteristic of redeemed people.
Because we are joyful, we will inevitably share our joy through serving God’s people. And that desire for others to share our joy will be directed first toward our brothers and sisters. We want those who are members of the Body to know the joy we have experienced, and thus we will actively engage in service with them to the praise of God. We serve one another in love—love that flows from the joy of the presence of Christ in our life.
GRATITUDE TOUCHES EVERY FACET OF LIFE — “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” [COLOSSIANS 3:17]. This is a sweeping admonition based upon the fact that gratitude touches every facet of life. I suppose some would be inclined to say that gratitude is reflected through every aspect of life, but the point I am making is that people who are truly grateful reveal their character in almost everything they do or say. If you’re thankful and you know it, serve the Lord. Gratitude cannot be hidden; it breaks forth to touch every facet of life. Every relationship, every interaction, will be affected positively by your gratitude. Everyone will know you are thankful, and you will never even need to tell anyone that you are thankful.
There is so much for which you can be thankful. If you slept through the night, you know that God gave you the rest you required. If your sleep was fitful for some reason, He nevertheless awakened you and enabled you to arise, laying before you the opportunity to serve Him another day. Therefore, if you woke up this morning, you can give thanks that God permitted you to see this day. He gave sleep to your eyes, as taught by the Psalmist, who has written,
“It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for [the LORD] gives to his beloved sleep.”
[PSALM 127:2]
The Lord gives you not only the rest you needed to be refreshed this day, but He has awakened you by His grace after you were rested.
If you had food on your table for breakfast, know that it was God who gave you opportunity to live in a land of plenty. And whatever He provided, you can give Him thanks that He gave to you the appetite and the capacity to enjoy what He gave. By the way, did you pause to give Him thanks for what you had?
Have you given thanks for God’s mercy in placing you in the congregation wherein He has placed you? Did you remember to thank Him for the instruction you have received through the ministry of those who share this service with you? The Lord has blessed you by giving you a thirst for His Word and a desire to know Him.
Truly has Isaiah spoken, saying,
“The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.”
[ISAIAH 50:4]
How richly we are blessed by the mercies of our God. Surely we have reason to be thankful.
And as you offered up your thanks, did you thank Him for what you don’t have? We live in a land of peace. Did you thank God that we aren’t in the midst of a war? We have warm homes in which to live. Did you thank God that you aren’t compelled to gather wood and start a fire on the bare ground in order to have a bit of warmth to warm yourself? You are clothed, and I should imagine that for most of us, we had options when we dressed ourselves. Did you thank the Lord that you aren’t restricted to one item of clothing? There is always something for which we can give thanks.
I’m reminded of the old deacon who was noted for always being cheerful and always being grateful when he came to the House of the Lord. One particularly cold day, he was late in coming to church. He had slid off the road and into a snow-filled ditch. Freeing his truck from the drift had required considerable effort of his part. The entire time, wet snow was falling, ensuring that he was drenched by the time he freed his vehicle and was able to again make his way to the church building.
On the way, his heater quit working, and he had to drive with a window open just to ensure that his windshield wasn’t fogged over. Of course, this meant that the drive was cold and the conditions were miserable.
Arriving at the church building, he was informed that the furnace had quit, so the building was cold and many of those in attendance were compelled to keep their overcoats on to maintain a bit of warmth.
On top of everything else, the preacher wasn’t able to make it due to the terrible conditions on the road. So pulpit duties fell on the old deacon. Obviously, there wouldn’t be a sermon, and it would be an abbreviated service. He stood and prepared to lead the congregation in prayer. The people wondered how he might pray. Would he complain? How would he manage to be cheerful and grateful under these conditions?
As the old deacon opened his prayer, he lifted his eyes toward Heaven and said, “Lord, I’m grateful that not every day is like this one.”
You can always find something for which to be thankful. My prayer is that as you gather to observe the Thanksgiving meal tomorrow, that your life will be marked with deep gratitude to the Lord Who loves you and Who gave Himself for you. Even more, I pray that you make every effort to be grateful for the entire coming year. I pray that each of us cultivate a thankful heart as we enjoy the rich blessings of God, Who is gracious and Who is kind.
Here is a truth that must not be overlooked. If you are not a follower of the Risen Christ, you have little for which you can be thankful. You face a Godless future that must end badly for you. You are, as the Apostle has said in another context, “without hope and without God in the world” [see EPHESIANS 2:12 CSB].
But you need not be excluded from the mercies of the Lord. Even now, the Living God stands ready to receive you, forgiving you of all sin and accepting you into His Family of those who are born from above and who live forever. This is the promise of God. Christ, the Son of God, died because of your sin so that you need never be turned away from the Father’s love. Now, the Saviour calls inviting you to believe this message. He says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:9-13 CSB]. Receive this Jesus as Master so that you may be saved. Then, you will have a reason to be truly thankful. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Information garnered from the following sources: Sean Neumann, “President Trump Just ‘Pardoned’ the Thanksgiving Turkeys–What Happens to Them Next?”, people.com, November 26, 2019, White House Turkey Pardon: What Happens to Bread, Butter? | PEOPLE.com, accessed 28 June 2022; Betty C. Monkman, “Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey,” The White House Historical Association, Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey - White House Historical Association (whitehousehistory.org), accessed 28 June 2022; Christopher Klein, “A Brief History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon,” History, A Brief History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon - HISTORY, accessed 28 June 2022; William Kennedy, “The History of Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey Explained,” Grunge, The History Of Pardoning The Thanksgiving Turkey Explained (grunge.com), accessed 28 June 2022
[3] “Thanksgiving in Canada,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, July 5, 2019, Thanksgiving in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia, accessed 6 September 2022
