Sermon: Thanksgiving Meditation: Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Sermon: Thanksgiving Meditation: Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Scripture: Psalm 100: 1-6 “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.”

Psalm 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: Happy Thanksgiving Greetings to you, this is the season to be thankful. This has been a wonderful year of ministry. I served as guest presenters for 75 in-person events and 105 virtual events in several states. I shared ministry with my Friends in Goldsboro District of the Cape Fear Conference and the Fayetteville District of Central NC conference. Bishop W. Darin Moore and Bishop Dwayne Walker led a spirit-filled productive annual Conference at the Simon Temple AME Zion Church, Fayetteville, NC. Then I went to Bridgeport, CT for their annual Revival and presented two evangelism workshops with Pastors Elvin Clayton of Walters Memorial AME Zion Church. Then Barbara and I were invited to participate in the 75th Anniversary celebration of the Foundation for Evangelism, in Charlotte, NC. I had a wonderful leadership celebration with Chief Apostle William T. Ford and the Kingdom Impact Global Ministries headquartered in Fayetteville, NC. God has been moving mightily. We had friends that met us in several of the locations. Thank you all so much.

Today’s message is entitled: Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Psalms 100: 1-6 “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.”

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!Sermon: Thanksgiving Meditation: Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

After surviving a brutal election season in a divided country, we need to give thanks. Our broken world is filled with anger, distrust, and war, so I choose to pray for peace and work to extend the love of Jesus to others. This year, our evangelistic ministry team is giving thanks for many things this season and wanted to pause to tell you how thankful we are for you.

We are thankful for how you, our partners and listeners serve and share the love of Jesus in diverse communities in the United States and throughout the world. We are thankful to have 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.

We are thankful to pursue with you the greatest cause on earth establishing the kingdom of God by making disciples for Jesus Christ, who make disciples who build up 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 endures to all generations.