You may have heard this story
before, but I think it’s worth hearing again.
A couple days before Thanksgiving, a father living in Phoenix
telephones his son in New York
and says: “I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your
mother and I are divorcing. 45 years of
misery is enough.” “Dad,” his
son shouts, “what do you mean, what are you talking about?” “We can’t stand the sight of each other
any longer,” the father says. “We’re
sick of each other and I’m tired of talking about this so you can call your
sister in Chicago
Thanksgiving, our national fall
festival, will soon be upon us, a day set aside for our nation to pause and
give thanks. Let’s go back for a moment
in history. We remember the Pilgrims, who
sailed from England
to Plymouth Mass, in 1620. A year later
they celebrated a feast in the autumn of 1621, after a year of sickness and
scarcity. They celebrated together with the local Indians, to give thanks to
God for their first successful harvest. Half
their number had died, they were people without a country, but to these people
of strong Christian faith, this was a joyous outpouring of gratitude to God.
In the midst of a brutal Civil
War, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, established a special day called
Thanksgiving. He wrote: “I invite my
fellow citizens in every part of the United States
Clearly, the origin of
Thanksgiving Day was not merely a generic day of gratitude, but a day to
specifically give thanks and praise to God and to seek God’s intervention in
bringing reconciliation and healing amidst our War Between the States.
I, like you, am grateful for many
things. For my wife, for my family, for
friends, for serving as pastor at PBPC.
What are you thankful for? I am
also thankful for our American time tested process of changing the highest
office of the land, the President of the United States . It is an orderly and peaceful transition. Yes, the campaigns by both candidates were
spirited, to say the least. But rather
than power being changed by a coup, by assassination, by wars, by violence, we
heard how President Obama and President-elect Trump met for a private
conversation for over an hour. Power is
handed over from the current president to the incoming president. And now as one administration is moving out
of the White House and another is moving in, we await the final step, the
inauguration scheduled for January 20, 2017.
However you feel about the outcome of the election, you must respect the
orderly and smooth transfer of power in some 73 days.
The Bible exhorts you and me as
people of faith to give thanks to God. Psalm
100 says: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise, give
thanks to him, bless his name for the lord is good, his steadfast love endures
forever.” We are to give thanks
because the God we worship is good and because his love is steadfast. In Psalm 138, listen to how this poet
jubilantly expresses his faith: “I give you thanks O Lord, with my whole
heart, before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple, and
give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness. On the day I called, you answered me; you
increased my strength of soul.” This
psalmist had prayed to God for inner-strength, for God to lift his soul, and
deliver him from some ordeal and God answered his prayer. Has God answered a prayer you have made for
inner-strength and courage in a difficult situation? Has God ever delivered you from a threatening
or troubling situation?
In the letter of I Thessalonians,
we hear this exhortation: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks
in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Why have a thankful heart in all
circumstances? God knows that giving
thanks and being thankful is good for our character as human beings and for our
faith as God’s people. If we have a
thankful spirit, we can perceive special blessings, small miracles, new
possibilities, second chances, hints and flashes of God’s amazing grace through
unexpected people and events. If we
lack a grateful heart, we miss these things.
How does God desire for us to
give thanks? To worship Him, to pray, to
express thankfulness in words and actions.
It is after-all Thanks-giving, not Thanks-taking. One example is churches which are planting
community gardens all around the country including Northminster Presbyterian
Church in Clairemont. Some churches in New Jersey have become
part-time farmers, growing more than 300,000 pounds of food for needy people
last year. Christians are supplying a
critical need for families who rely on food banks and soup kitchens, where
fresh fruits and vegetables are often in short supply. What a glorious way of giving thanks.
Reflect for a moment on these key
biblical truths. First, a thankful heart
can reduce stress in your life by making you more content with who you are and
what you have. You will be freer from
the anxiety that goes with being resentful and dissatisfied. Second, a grateful heart can increase joy by
enlarging your sense of God’s abundant blessings. Focusing on blessings, for which you are
grateful, helps to develop a sense of just how much there is to be thankful for. Third, a grateful heart builds relationships. Thank-less, ungrateful people repel; thankful,
appreciative people attract other peoples.
Expressing our gratitude to others draws us closer to people and them to
us. Fourth, giving thanks for the gift
of life brings us ever closer to the Giver of life, to God. Fifth, if we cannot learn to be a thankful
person, we can become bitter and callous and insensitive toward others. Further,
we can become totally self-absorbed and thereby develop an attitude of
entitlement and narcissism. Praying
steadily to God, walking humbly with God, sharing with others builds a thankful
spirit.
A thankful heart can positively
affect the people around you. It can
influence their attitudes, their identity, their spirit, their self esteem, their
behavior. Like the story about a couple
named Larry and Jo Ann. The author
writes:
“One day, a most
extraordinary event took place. The
husband Larry said to his wife: “Jo Ann, I’ve got a magic chest of drawers. Every time I open them, they’re full of socks
and t-shirts and underwear. I want to
thank you for filling them all these years.
Jo Ann stared at her husband over the top of her glasses. “What do you want, Larry?” “Nothing, I just want you to know I
appreciate those magic drawers.” This
wasn’t the first time Larry had done something odd, so Jo Ann pushed the
incident out of her mind until a few days later.
Jo Ann, that was
a great dinner,” Larry said one evening.
I appreciate all your effort. Why,
in the past 15 years, I’ll bet you’ve fixed over 14,000 meals for me and the
kids.” A few days later, Larry said: “Jo
Ann, the house looks spiffy. You’ve
really worked hard to get it looking so good. Thanks Jo Ann, for just being you.”
Jo Ann was now
growing worried. Where’s the sarcasm, the
criticism, the impatience she wondered. Whatever
was wrong, Larry didn’t get over it. Day
in and day out he continued focusing on the positive. Jo Ann’s step was now a little lighter, her
self-confidence higher and once in a while she hummed. She didn’t seem to have as many blue moods
anymore. She rather liked Larry’s new
behavior. That would be the end of the
story except one day another most extraordinary event took place. This time it was Jo Ann who spoke. “Larry, I
want to thank you for going to work and providing for us all these years. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I
appreciate it.”
The author
continues: “Larry has never revealed the reason for his dramatic change of
behavior. No matter how hard I pushed
for an answer; it will likely remain one of life’s mysteries. But it’s one I’m thankful to live with. You see, the author writes, I am Jo Ann.”
“Enter His gates with
thanksgiving, and his courts with praise, give thanks to him, bless his name
for the lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness
to all generations.” May God bless
you and yours on this Thanksgiving! Amen
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