Trampling Thanksgiving

Trampling Thanksgiving

(Run, Turkey, Run)

Psalm 100:1-5

I know some of you will find this hard to believe, but I don’t like to be controversial and cause a stink or alienate people.

I will. And I have, and I probably will again… today… but I don’t like to do it… I like to be liked.

BUT……………..I have a problem.

I have a big problem, really… with Torence Inman, head of the Chamber of Commerce.

I doubt he is listening, but if he is… I also have a problem with our mayor, Harold Thompson.

I doubt they are listening either, but I have a problem with Arthur State Bank, with Graham Cash, with Smith’s Jewelers and with the other businesses on Main Street.

What is my problem? They have decorated downtown streets and the stores for Christmas.

Don’t call me Scrooge… it is not that I do not like Christmas

It is not that I don’t like Christmas decorations

Hey Listen: I love Christmas. It is, by the way, a Christian holiday.

I love Christmas decorations… I hate putting them up… but I love them.

Then why are you upset with the city and stores for decorating?

The problem I have with the decorations is… it was just the first day of November when they put them up.

Or did they already have them up for Trick-or-Treat on Main?

Well, let’s be honest about why they did it. GREED!

Crass Commercialism.

Because the economy is so bad that stores are starting their Christmas shopping season… which accounts for the lion’s share of their annual sales… and which they hope will pull their sagging sales numbers up for this year… they want to stretch the buying season so that we will buy more.

Are they hanging Christmas decorations on the lamp poles in November because they are so evangelistic they want to see the Gospel spread and more people saved?

NO… they want to see more profits…

and Christmas = profit

Now…I don’t begrudge them profits, big profits. I hope the stores on Main Street have record setting sales and profits and stores begin to move back to main street and it become the hustling-bustling center it used to be.

But now hear me… mark this and write it down

IT WILL NOT HAPPEN BY STARTING CHRISTMAS EARLY

Why? If we start celebrating Christmas at the beginning or middle of November…

that is just like putting Santa on a steamroller and running right over Thanksgiving…

… leaving nothing but a greasy spot in the road, which only vaguely resembles a turkey.

What does it say- to God- when we trample all over Thanksgiving because all we want to do is to get to Christmas

Turkey… Thanksgiving = thankfulness

Santa… Christmas = greed and desire for MORE

What does it say to God when we rush right past thankfulness in our mad dash to get to MORE

Now listen to this too: This is a TRUISM… Something that is so obviously true that it cannot be missed.

It is true for individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, etc.

“The key to getting MORE is

giving thanks for what you have.”

You know what I’d love to see… I don’t believe I ever will, but what I would like to see…

ONE STORE on main street where the owner is a Christian and goes into their store tomorrow, takes down all the Christmas decorations and replaces them with THANKSGIVING decorations and keeps them up until Nov. 23.

Last year our church participated in Christmas on Main. This year we did not. Why?

Because I refuse to have Thanksgiving trampled by Christmas… especially crass commercial Christmas

This church starts the Christmas season NEXT Sunday… the Sunday AFTER Thanksgiving. Today we have Thanksgiving decorations.

Why are we, Americans, are so ready to forget Thanksgiving?

Have we forgotten Thanksgiving because we don’t have anything for which we can be thankful?

Here is the Monday paper… the Union County News

A quick scan reveals that we do have much for which we should be thankful…

Page one… one of our own… Jay Allen who completed an Iron Man Triathelon… ((((take top stories and show what we should be thankful for)))

With all my heart I believe we are a people & a nation that has truly been blessed by God. And of all those who "give thanks to Him & praise His name" our name should be at the top of the list!

And one would assume that because of the example of our forefathers, & because today we have so much, that we would be an extremely thankful people.

But it is often just the opposite, isn’t it? The more we get, the less thankful we become, the less mindful of God we are, & the more we want.