Reason for the Season
Thanksgiving • Sermon • Submitted
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Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good because it is good, if bad because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.”
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good because it is good, if bad because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.”
Lewis reminds us—despite the culture and context of current events—why we should, like Paul exhorts (strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something.) , “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18).
Here are Bible verses about thanksgiving and gratitude to meditate on this Thanksgiving to help refocus us as we, like Lewis, long for our “eternal country.”
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Gratitude.
Gratitude.
Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced/forced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God.
In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed.
For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life.
The Hebrew people thanked him for the magnificence of the universe
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made; by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created.
7 He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses.
8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord! Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came into existence, he issued the decree, and it stood firm.
When they received good news they thanked God for his goodness and great deeds
8 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
When they received bad news, they also gave thanks, trusting that he was a just God
21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
The people of Israel thanked God for his faithfulness to covenant promises:
(1) for deliverance from enemies (Pss 18:17; 30:1; 44:1–8) and from death (Ps 30:8–12;
18 For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.
(2) for forgiveness of sin
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
99:8; 103:3; Is 12:1);
(3) for answers to prayer
6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
(4) for compassion toward the afflicted and oppressed (Psalm 34:2; 72:12);
(5) for executing justice (Dt 32:4; Ps 99:4);
(6) and for continuing guidance (Ps 32:8; Is 30:20, 21).
Gratitude was such a vital part of Israel’s religion that it pervaded most ceremonies and customs. Thank offerings acknowledged blessings from God (Lv 7:12, 13; 22:29; Ps 50:14).
Shouts of joy (Ps 42:4), songs of praise (145:7; 149:1), and music and dance (150:3–5) all added to the spirit of thanksgiving in worship.
Feasts and festivals were celebrated in remembrance of God’s steadfast love throughout their history (Dt 16:9–15; 2 Chr 30:21, 22).
King David appointed levitical priests to offer God thanks
4 He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel:
This custom was carried on by the kings Solomon (2 Chr 5:12, 13) and Hezekiah (31:2), and by those who returned from the exile (Neh 11:17; 12:24, 27).
In the NT, the object of thanksgiving is the love of God expressed in the redemptive-work of Christ.
The apostle Paul thanked God for that gift of grace
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
and the ability to preach the gospel
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.
Paul thankfully participated in the spiritual gifts
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
Gratitude for love and faith among believers pervades his letters
17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.
3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because the expression of gratitude is tied so closely to the response of faith, Paul encourages believers to give thanks in all things
6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
He commanded Christians to pray with thanksgiving in the name of Christ, who has made all thanksgiving possible
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
in the name of Christ...
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In his teaching on how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Paul specified that Christians should give thanks, just as the Lord “had given thanks”
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
What are you thankful for?