Thanksgiving: The Action That Heals

Welcome to our annual post Thanksgiving Holiday Sermon, a time when we pause for 25 minutes, or at least that's the goal, to reflect on gratitude. As we gather here, ignoring the clamor of notifications vying for our attention about Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals, plaguing us to acquire possessions that supposedly guarantee a happier life.

Its time to talk about thankfulness for 25 minutes before returning to the truly important chatter about the next must-have items, jobs, events, or circumstances that purportedly are the gateways to fulfillment. Lets makes sure we are thankful for a short time before whispering to each other about "what's wrong with people today," and about how to return to the good old days, or what we need to do to fix our country and God's church, both locally and globally.

You see, it's a time to talk about being thankful without actually being thankful; to discuss the blessings of God out of the corner of our mouths while complaining about the devil's curses with the with the fullness of our lips. this might seem like a stark and somewhat blunt portrayal, but this is an image of a soul wound that bleeds incessantly—a reality we all grapple with.

Consider this: Have you ever attempted to be grateful and negative simultaneously? Can you recall a moment when you tried to be grateful while submerged in sadness, anxiety, or anger? The truth is, positive and negative emotions rarely coexist in the same space.

Allow me to paint a couple of vivid scenarios. How frustrating is it to be told to be grateful when you're not feeling thankful at all? It's an experience that often leaves us more annoyed and angry than appreciative. Being instructed to be grateful in the midst of expressing our frustrations can make us feel unheard. Gratitude doesn't easily share space with anger; they are like oil and water.

However, we've all experienced those moments when something positive unexpectedly eclipses a bad mood. I recently encountered such instances in the last month, both while playing golf. Now, I know it might sound like I'm boasting about my golf game, but bear with me. Golf, for me, is a spiritual experience, swinging between the extremes of a penitent soul and a jubilant believer.

Picture this: On two separate occasions when my golf game was far from stellar. I had day shifting events happen. While golfing with Joseph Molina and David Glynn, I for the first time chipped in for par. At this moment an inside joke began. That nothing else mattered for the day, because I, had chipped in for par. Hit an errant golf ball? “Doesn’t Matter You Chipped In For Par.”

A following time The golfing was going even worse. The previous hole I had just shot 10 strokes. On hole 3 however, the miraculous happened, thanks to Joseph's encouragement, I chipped in for birdie and the phrase evolved. “Doesn’t Matter You Chipped In For Birdie.” Gratefulness emerged, and suddenly, the mishaps on the course faded into insignificance. Seven balls in the water, three in the road, and a stray golf club in the street I wouldn't have have mattered, I chipped in for Birdie. And just like that, a disposition of gratitude replaced frustration, leaving me smiling amid the chaos of misplaced shots and lost golf balls.

Now if Chipping in for Birdie Can Do That, What Can Being Forgiven of Every Mistake You Have Ever Done or Ever Will Do, Do For You? What would true Gratitude, to the God who loves you, do to your disposition? I think, and with good biblical evidence, It would heal your deepest wounds. replace your most malignant thoughts, and move your heart to the fruit of the spirit which are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. But don’t take my word for it. lets look at what scripture has to say about thankfulness.

1 Chronicles 13: 1-11, 14:8-15, 15:1-4, 16:1-18 comes on the heals of a difficult series of events to understand.

In 1 Chronicles 13 A man named Uzzah, dies because he placed his hand on the Ark of the Covenant while trying to stop the Ark from hitting the ground due to Davids command that the ark be carried by oxen rather than the Levite tribe, all while the people of God worshiped around the ark of the covenant.

A side note, I don’t think that it was the sin of Uzzah that caused his death, but the Sin of David, who disrespected God by having his vessel be carried by animals rather than His chosen people, but more on that later.

Afterwards David did not want to bring the ark back to Jerusalem and was wary of God. He was confused and angry at God for how and why He had killed Uzzah who was seemingly trying to do good, but in a wrong way and did not understand what God was doing.

The Ark ends up staying in the house of Obed-Edom and his whole family is blessed by presence of the ark.

In 1 Chronicles 14 David faces the Philistines. Despite his new found fear of God he still seeks God’s counsel, wisdom and favor on how to fight and deal with his enemy. God delivers the Philistines into Davids hands. David’s mistrust begins to be replaced by confidence in God’s steadfast love.

By 1 Chronicles 15 David realizes that the mishaps with the Ark were likely a result of his own mistakes and not God’s. That God had been graceful in dealing with his people and with him and that David had ignored God’s explicit instruction for how to approach the Ark of the Covenant and which tribe in Israel was to be in charge of interacting with the presence of God.

Now we arrive in 1 Chronicles 16:7-18 David has come to an understanding that the way that we approach God matters. That the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be handled by the tribe of Levi, God had given specific instructions on how to approach Him and even worship Him for the people of that time. In Chapter 13 David originally had the audacity to think himself the injured party and God the wrong doer, but look at what shifts the attitude in the passage. Look at what heals the wound.

1 Chronicles 13:1-11, 15:1-4, 16:1-18

1 Chronicles 13:1–11 ESV

1 David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4 All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 5 So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim. 7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. 8 And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets. 9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. 11 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day.

1 Chronicles 15:1–4 ESV

1 David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever. 3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. 4 And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

1 Chronicles 16:1–18 ESV

1 And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord 3 and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. 4 Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers. 8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, 13 O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! 14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance.”

How Has Your Gratefulness To God Healed You?

David felt that he had been wronged by God and was even scared of God for a time in chapter 13 after Uzzah died. He didn't understand at the time what God was doing and why. But he trusted God in Chapter 14 verses the Philistines and sought to fix his relationship with God in chapter 15. By the time he got to chapter 16 David was full to the brim in thankfulness and it showed in the way he worshipped and praised God. Today for us as Christians its a little bit easier for us to understand how to worship God for God has made a way through Jesus Christ by faith to worship in righteousness as we see in Romans 14:1-13

Romans 14:1-13 (ESV)

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Rather than through rituals or specific practice we must all come to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice. Through Him we have become the righteousness of God in Jesus. 2 Cor 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4–7 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

1 Thessalonians 5:14–18 ESV

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hebrews 12:28-29

Hebrews 12:28–29 ESV

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.