Thanks-Giving

Thanks-Giving

Selected Scriptures

Introduction- Good morning everyone, glad you joined us.

We have just come out of one of the most popular eating holidays. Thanksgiving! Where we all get around the trough…I mean the table and eat till we cannot eat anymore.

For some of us, we then go to the easy chair and pretend to watch a football game but the TV ends up watching you because you are dead to the world.

For many, we forgot how much prep time it took to get that meal on the table- except those who did the prep. They know how long it took. They also are the ones that most of the time end up with the clean-up.

Like God, those people are not usually thanked for what they have done for us- we have our belly’s full, we are blessed and when we are satisfied, we take a nap.

We forget to say thank you to the ones or ones that have provided the blessing.

So to those who gave us that great meal, to those that made enough we will enjoy it a few more times… thank you!

But also this morning… Let’s all say and mean thank you to the Lord who ought to get some praise for what He can do, has done, will do in our lives.

We want to blame the turkey for our sleepiness…. Why we forget to thank the hands and God for the things He has done.

Really, that is a myth. Turkey does contain Tryptophan, an amino acid that produces Serophan, a neurotransmitter that helps you sleep, but so does a lot of other foods.

Truth is, you over ate, got comfortable, crawled up into your lazyboy and took some Z’s…all by yourself!

I want to look at being grateful. Thanks-giving.

The set aside day of Thanksgiving is mostly a United States holiday. The words evokes images of football, family get-togethers, turkey, stuffing, lots of desserts, sleeping in the chair for some, lots of work for others.

Turkey was not even on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. It was probably deer meat, lobster, wild berries, corn. No pumpkin pie and no potatoes!

The food and the get together are good, but this morning we cannot forget the reason for it.

Pilgrims were giving God thanks for seeing them through tough times, 66 days, 2750 miles heading for what is now New York City, blowing off course and landed in the cape of Massachusetts.

We as Americans ought to give God thanks everyday, at every meal, and for every gift that we have received because we are a blessed nation.

The poorest person in America lives better than most in other countries. It is the reason that they risk their lives floating in makeshift rafts and rubber tires across an ocean to get here to be free.

Lots of debate and for sure America is not free of problems, but I am glad that I live here and not anywhere else in the world today. Amen.

As a kid growing up, my thanksgiving was food and people- little of gratitude. One time I remember taking a moment to give thanks, but that turned into one line jokes that quickly went south. It was suggested that I sit down so we could eat.

Till this day…almost everytime I give the blessing for our thanksgiving meal- someone will in some way remind me to keep it short pastor because they are hungry.

It was said in jest, but really what it is saying about us is that we want the blessings but not want to thank the blesser of the food!

Henry Ward Beecher-

“Pride slays Thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. (Think about that a moment)

We see 2 elements to thankful- humbleness and gratefulness.

1 Peter 5:5-

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

God comes against the haughty and give grace to the humble.

I think one of the biggest sins of America is being ungrateful.

So much has been given to us, and a long time ago we decided that we don’t have to say thank you.

To God or each other.

Please and thank you were words as a kid I was use too.

If you needed something it began with “May I please” and when someone gave you something, it ended with “Thank you.”

You looked that person right in the eyes and you meant every word that you said.

If your parents had to remind you to respond correctly you were in trouble.

Culture today struggles with humbleness and gratefulness. These two things will keep you from being thankful. Most are not humble and most are not grateful.