Thanksgiving 2021

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who loved you with his very life. Amen.

It seems that as our society as a whole has grown increasingly unhappy, it is fitting for us to gather here and give thanks. To pause and be genuinely grateful for all of the blessings that we so freely enjoy. Even the day of “thanksgiving” itself has come under intense criticism, it’s origins hotly argued over. The pilgrims were not perfect, fair enough, but neither where they monsters. The American Indians that they interacted with, were also not perfect, nor where they monsters. They were simply all of them, men and women, trying to live off the land, trying to lead peaceful and quiet lives in the midst of challenging situations.

And again, as our culture continues down the path of increasing unhappiness, there seems to be a new tradition added to the thanksgiving meals: conflict. Lots and lots of conflict. Like, all new organizations have these guides to help you wade through the conflict that will develop around the turkey and mashed potatoes. Parents and children, brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews. Something has changed in us that causes us to use a day dedicated to gratefulness and turn it into an opportunity to complain about someone else. As we gather its healthy to keep in mind that those who share the same bowl of stuffing with you are not perfect, nor are they monsters. There are simply men and women trying to live in a land that is strange to them, trying to lead a peaceful and quiet life in the midst of a challenging situation.

The text that I have chosen for our meditation this evening is Psalm 67. This psalm speaks well to what we experience in our lives today, even to what the pilgrims experienced back at Plymouth Rock, and indeed to the psalmist who wrote it literally thousands of years ago. This psalm redirects our focus. It speaks to all people, men and women who are trying to lead peaceful and quiet lives in the midst of challenging situations.

So let’s look at it together and see what the Holy Spirit has to teach us on this Day of Thanksgiving. We’ll be looking at it a couple verses at a time, so go ahead and follow along if you wish in the service folder. Psalm 67 “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”

Right out of the gate we can see that this is a special song. One of great joy, it’s one for Easter Sunday with the choir and all the instruments. This psalm is a song of praise! Meant to be sung with gusto and joy in the heart of the singers. To emphasize this more, the psalmist tells us one of the greatest joys of scripture. A blessing from God himself.

The Psalmists reminds us of the words spoken over God’s people since Moses and Aaron, wayyyy back when. It’s the benediction! I say it every time we gather for worship and it’s easy for something repeated to become mundane, but think of it again. God has asked his clergy to bless you, God’s people, God’s people, with these words, that God might bless you. That the Lord would bless you! And keep you! That God would keep you in his family, in his grace, that he would guard your ways and steps to honor him. That the Lord would bless you and keep you and make his face smile upon you.

God has asked his church to ask him to be happy with you. To look on you with favor. With grace! With mercy! With love and compassion! The psalmists wants us, the men and women who are trying to lead peaceful and quiet lives in the midst of challenging situations, to rejoice in this. To rejoice in God and what he does for us. In fact, the psalmist straight up tells us as much.

The psalm continues, “ Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah” Rejoice in God, if for no other reason that for the benediction. But there are so many other things that we can rejoice in. We can rejoice that the pilgrims came over and founded a colony. We can rejoice that tomorrow our families are going to gather again and share a meal that only kings could have hoped for in centuries past.

But above all, we can rejoice in Christ. In Jesus! Hopefully you saw this coming. That we rejoice in the Son of God who took on flesh in order to save us from our sins. That Jesus came to earth so we can live with God forever. Jesus came to fulfill and extended the benediction. Jesus is why God is pleased with us. Jesus is why God’s face smiles upon us. Jesus is why God gives us favor and peace. And God gave us Jesus because he loves us! All of this is worth rejoicing in, every day! And especially on this day when we set aside a whole day just to rejoice and be thankful for what God has done for us!

And thinking in those terms makes us want to praise God again. The psalmist knows this, so he continues, “ Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

God has created this world as a place of abundance. Not just in stuff, of which we in the United States are unfathomably blessed. But this word will have an increase! In increase in those who trust in God for salvation. An increase of those who know the joy of God’s blessings, of those who live under the benediction. An increase of men and women who, while they are trying to live quiet lives, also see that all of their lives are lived under a God of love. A God of Blessings, A God of grace who has given us mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.

So with the pslamist, let us rejoice! Hear again the final words of our text. “God, Our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us. Let all the ends of the earth fear him.” Rejoice. God shall bless us even more than he has. Becuase God has given us Jesus. Let us rejoice. Amen.