Sermon: Happy Thanksgiving - A Season to Be Grateful
Scripture: Psalms 100: 1-5 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.”
Psalms 103:1-5 “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Introduction: This is the season to be thankful! These psalms of praise encourage the reader to bless the Lord for his compassion, which is described as forgiving sins, healing diseases, redeeming life, and showering his people with loving-kindness and tender mercies. It emphasizes God's mercy and goodness and concludes by calling on all of creation to join in praising him. Greetings, This is the season to be thankful. This has been a wonderful year of ministry. I served as guest presenters for 80 in-person events and over a hundred virtual events in several states. I shared ministry with so many Friends in the AME Zion Connection and several other denominations. Then on a special note Barbara and I were blessed to see God’s healing hand move in our family and in my life personally. Every day, I am blessed with new mercies and abundant grace. God has been moving mightily and I give thanks with a grateful heart. We had friends that have supported us and prayed for us along the way. Thank you all so much.
Today’s message is entitled: Happy Thanksgiving - A Season to Be Grateful
Psalms 100: 1-5 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Introduction: Psalm 100 was likely written and sang during the reign of King David. It was liturgical song for worshippers to sing as they were approaching the sanctuary for worship. It served as a processional hymn during festivals and was intended as a thanksgiving offerings, with a call for all people to enter the temple courts with praise. The language and themes of this psalm reflect the broader context of Israelite worship, emphasizing Yahweh's kingship and His enduring faithfulness.
The people were to "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" design to honor both God and His holy temple. Holy reverence should still be a part of our worship experience. The people dressed for worship and made themselves ready to stand in the presence of God. This worship song called on people to "serve the LORD with gladness", they were to reflect joy and gladness on their faces and in their singing.
In Exodus 23:14-17, the people were instructed to appear before God three times each year, listen, “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.”
Every male was required to appear before the Lord God for the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of harvest and the feast of ingathering and none were to come without an offering. This psalm provided lyrics for the Levites as they stood every morning to thank and praise the LORD. as recorded in 1 Chronicles 23:30–31.
1Chronicles 23:30–31 describes the daily duties of the Levites in David's time: to stand every morning and evening to give thanks and praise the Lord. They were also assigned to offer all burnt sacrifices on Sabbaths, new moons, and all appointed festivals, following the prescribed number for each service. This psalms provide the lyrics for the Levites and the response for the congregation. The people responded that "we are His; we are His people." The congregation or choir responding to the lead singers, a practice that continues in many traditions today.
Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. When I was in school, they always seem to teach us that Thanksgiving was modeled after the 1621 harvest feast as the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Indians shared a common meal. For Christians, Thanksgiving Day is a chance to ask God for forgiveness for our sins, repent for our disobedience, and express gratitude for all He has given us. How we need to give thanks to God with a grateful heart!
Jeremiah in Lamentation 3:22 Reminds us that "because of God's mercy we are not consumed." It is a declaration that despite trials of life, the hardships we have endured, the survival of God's people is due to His compassion, which never fails, and we can testify to God’s faithfulness and His loving devotion. We have survived a brutal election season in a divided country, and the longest government shutdown in history for no reason. We need to give thanks. Our broken world is filled with anger, distrust, and war, yet we choose to pray for peace and work to extend the love of Jesus to others. We need to give thanks. When many people have given up on government, politics and church, and you are able to keep on believing and trusting God, we need to give thanks. We choose to “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise” even though the church is not perfect. We choose to “be thankful unto him and bless his name” even though our way seems hard and our journey is uncertain. We choose to believe in the goodness of God. “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.”
This year, our ministry team is giving thanks for many things during this season. I refuse to use my time murmuring and complaining. I choose to be thankful. I pause to tell you how thankful I am for my healing and recovery. I thank God for friend like you who share this journey with me. I am thankful for how you serve and share the love of Jesus in your community and your place of influence. I am thankful to have the privilege gathered with you another year online as we have sought to serve our community with a common cause of sharing the love of Jesus with others. I am thankful to pursue with you the greatest cause on earth establishing the kingdom of God by making disciples for Jesus Christ. Together we are making disciples that make disciples who build up one another and plant churches in every nook and cranny of our culture.
The Psalmist, King David of Israel said it this way in Psalms 100 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalms 100 is a discourse of thankfulness to God for his goodness, gracious benefits, and abundant blessings. The psalm amplifies our privilege of access to God, our duty of thankfulness to God and the many wonderful reasons we must be joyful! Think about the privilege of access you have, the duty of thankfulness and the reasons for enjoying both. “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
God is good and worthy to be praised despite of our disappointment, delays and discouragements, despite of our missteps, bad decision and wrong turns. We should all be thankful that His mercies endure forever. Because of God’s great mercy we are not destroyed. Finally, what a joy that his truth endures forever. With deception and lies around every corner, scams all around, injustice and abuse on every side, as many using their power and position as a criminal enterprise, it is good to know that His truth endures forever. In the light of His truth, lies of this age will crumble. That’s a reason to be thankful! This year, we have provided ministry for 80 in-person events in several states, for various denominations, in many different settings such as banquets, prayer Breakfasts, school and college graduations. God has been good!
I thank God for every soul that was saved, life that was changed and every spark of hope that was lit. A special Thanks to my wife of 57 years who travel and assist with every presentation. The Dimensions of Praise, who helps me with the vocals and music. Team members Mrs. Tonia R. Dewar; Minister Joyce Elaine McIntyre, Minister Oscar T. McMillan, Brother Laconical Esthers, and Pastor Larry Carter of the Household of Faith World Outreach Center all assist with this ministry.
A special thanks to our consistent financial partners in Evangelism: Bishop George N. Matthew and the Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Leo and Gloria Barnwell of Lumberton, NC; Timothy and Michelle McMillan of St. Albans, Maine, Rev. Tonya Sims of Gautier, Mississippi, Rev. Stephen Vinson of Remnant, St. Paul, NC and a host of others who faithfully pray for us on this journey! There a promise for each of you in Matthew 10.
Matthew 10:41-42 “He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
All of you have demonstrated your support in a wonderful way. During this season, it is a joy to share ministry with you. May God continue to bless you and cause your ministry and endeavors to always be fruitful and give you all a full reward.
Dear Heavenly Father, we bow our hearts to You during this Thanksgiving season and pray. We thank You for all You've done, especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son. For beauty in nature, Your glory we see, for joy and health, friends, and family. You graciously share Your blessings for daily provision, mercy, and care. Thank You for inviting us to share Your love with the world by living generously—just like You. Show us how we can be generous with what You’ve given us right now. Remind us that it is not about how much we give but about surrendering to Your Spirit so You can work in and through us. Help us to surrender everything to You because everything we have comes from You. May our faith grow as we lean into Your generosity. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
