A TURKEY’S PERSPECTIVE
VARIOUS PASSAGES
INTRODUCTION... A Turkey’s Perspective (http://www.wrensworld.com/turkyperspective.htm)
When I was a young turkey, new to the coop, My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow, And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,When he told me of the horrors of..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me, Each day you’ll get six meals instead of just three
"And soon you’ll be thick, where once you were thin, and you’ll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin;
"And then one morning, when you’re warm in your bed, In’ll burst the farmer’s wife, and hack off your head;
"Then she’ll pluck out all your feathers so you’re bald ’n pink, And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin’ in the sink;
"And then comes the worst part" he said not bluffing, "She’ll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing.
"Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat, and I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat.
I decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked, I’d have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola, High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes, I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes;
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half, And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But ’twas I who was laughing, under my breath, As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around, I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I’m a pet in the farmer’s wife’s lap; I haven’t a worry, so I eat and I nap;
She held me today, while sewing and humming, And smiled at me and said
"Christmas is coming..."
I suppose that is Thanksgiving from one turkey’s perspective. I can understand why the turkeys themselves
might term it Black November because they are facing their death. I think the turkey industry terms it "Black November" as well because that’s when they make their profits and their finances go from the red to the black. I would like to reflect a moment on the turkey’s perspective of Thanksgiving. I am not thinking of the turkey in the farmyard, but the turkey that will be sitting on your table... ready to be devoured. What will that turkey see on Thanksgiving? What will the atmosphere be that this turkey will experience?
It is my hope and prayer that the turkey on your table sees a celebration. It is my hope and prayer that the turkey on your table sees an old fashioned party. It is my hope and prayer that the turkey on your table sees a celebration that thanks God for His goodness and mercy. It is my hope that you have a wonderful festive time with your family and friends.
I want to share some passages with you this evening because I think that we have lost our ability to really celebrate. Maybe we think its not godly to celebrate... I am not sure. Maybe we think that parties always involve sin and so they are bad. I want you to know that God loves it when we celebrate and we give Him the glory.
I. DAVID AND HIS CELEBRATION (2 SAMUEL 6:11-22)
READ 2 SAMUEL 6:11-22
This passage is probably the most well known ‘party’ passage in the Bible. King David was celebrating the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. This Ark symbolized the presence of God and so David was really celebrating the return of the presence of God to Jerusalem. Verse 14 tells us that David danced before the Lord with all his might. He was celebrating the return of blessings and God’s presence to his people. There were shouts and trumpets by the people as they watched. Verse 16 tells us that his wife was watching and she was disgusted at his behavior... not because it was sinful... but because she thought a king should not act in that way. Verse 21 tells us that David worshiped his God and would do anything that honored Him no matter what anyone else thought. God was to receive the glory this day and all other people needed to be humbled. God was to receive the thanks on this day and all the people needed to focus on God and not David. David celebrated before the Lord and gave Him all the thanks and praise and focused all the people around him towards God. Sounds like a Thanksgiving plan to me!
II. SOLOMON AND HIS CELEBRATION (1 KINGS 8:65-66)
READ 1 KINGS 8:65-66
Solomon had a celebration not just for one day in November, but he had a festival for fourteen straight days. What were they doing that whole time? They were eating and celebrating and giving God glory. How do we know that? Look again at verse 66. They had been praising God for all the good things that He had done for the people of Israel. They celebrated who God was and what He had done for them. Sounds like Thanksgiving to me!
III. EZRA AND HIS CELEBRATION (NEHEMIAH 8:17-18)
READ NEHEMIAH 8:17-18
The thing that we have to understand about this passage is the amount of time it had been since the people had a celebration like this. The people of God had been in captivity for 70 years and had not celebrated. They had a huge celebration and God was at the center of it. They had a party of such a magnitude that the author states that it had been since Joshua’s time that they celebrated like this and I would assume that was the celebration of entering the Promised Land. Well, now the people have returned to the Promised Land after captivity and they held a celebration and it focused on God. How do we know that? Look again at verse 18. The prophet Ezra read from God’s Word the whole time from day one of the feast until day seven. Then on the eighth day they had a huge gathering of all the people. They celebrated God and His faithfulness and reflected on His Word. Sounds like a Thanksgiving plan to me!
CONCLUSION
What do I want you to know? What do I want you to reflect upon this Thanksgiving Eve? I want you to have a wonderful festive fun blowout tomorrow and I want you to give God glory while you do it. Our God is honored and praised when we celebrate who He is and what He has done for us!
