Thanksgiving - Nov 2003 Message   by Rev. David McKinley

Dear Church Family,

This month ushers in the festival we call Thanksgiving. This holiday is really one of my favorites for several reasons. Yes, it is because of the food, and the time with family or friends. But most of all, because the day has great Biblical precedent. The very reason that it was founded was to center our attention on the blessings God has given us. Webster's Dictionary defines the holiday as, The fourth Thursday in November, set apart in the United States for recalling the goodness of God in blessing the Pilgrims with their first good harvest (1621) and, by association, for thanking God for all His bounty. So the holiday of Thanksgiving has historical value to you and me, in that it was established to honor God for blessing our ancestors.
But even if we did not have the story of the pilgrims and the Mayflower, we would still have reason to designate a holiday for thanksgiving. In fact, everyday ought to be an occasion for giving thanks. Take note of some of the Scriptures that teach us this valuable lesson. For instance, in I Chronicles 16:8 we read the instruction from King David to the Israelites, Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the people! Sing to Him, sing psalms to him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! These words would also be recorded again in Psalm 105 and used as instruction for worship among God's people. We see that the Christian has enough to praise God for everyday as Psalm 92:1 says, It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindess in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night….

The apostle Paul was a great advocate of thanksgiving. He often related his gratefulness to God for those he ministered to. While in prison for preaching the good news of Christ, Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you (Philippians 1:3). He would later add that prayer ought to include thanksgiving on a regular basis. Philippians 4:6 tells us, Be anxious for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

As you can see, it is a Biblical mandate to recognize what God has done for you. Our God supplies all of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. But too often we focus on the physical, and don't notice the spiritual gifts He has given us. As Christians, we have such treasures in Christ as the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the transformation from the old way of living to a new way. In our busy lives, there are times when we need to stop and thank God for His goodness to us. It was Charles Spurgeon who said, Giving of thanks is more noble and perfect in itself than petition; because in petition often our own good is eyed and regarded, but in giving thanks only God's honor. The Lord Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Now, a subordinate end of petition is to receive some good from God, but the sole end of thanks is to give glory unto God. Giving thanks guards us against being self-absorbed.

What are you thankful for? Can you recognize some areas of your life where God has uniquely blessed you in the past year, this past decade, even throughout your life? Let this be an activity for you, not just on Thanksgiving Day, but everyday as you live out your faith.

Yours In Christ,

Pastor David