Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Sermon Title: Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Good News Statement: God deserves our thanks in all circumstances

Preached: Sunday, November 21, 2021 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Luke 1:39-53:  Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke chapter one verses thirty-nine thru fifty-three. Listen to the words of Mary:

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, Amen.

 

Introduction:

Thanksgiving is one of America’s oldest and most beloved and fulfilling holidays. As a matter of fact, it is recorded in most, if not all, history textbooks, that the very first Thanksgiving meal took place in December of 1621 in the Plymouth Colony of present day Massachusetts. A letter written by Edward Winslow in 1621 verifies this event by noting that both the English and Native Americans gathered to eat a meal that lasted three days. This meal was to celebrate the end of a successful harvest (www.history.com). According to Tom Begley, “The three-day celebration included feasting, games, and military exercises….”

While it’s not known whether the Plymouth colonists repeated the 1621 celebration in subsequent years, the tradition of giving thanks to God merged with celebrations of the harvest to become a fall tradition. As a matter of fact, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the final Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving holiday for the first time (www.history.com).

Here are some other interesting facts about Thanksgiving: President John F. Kennedy was the first President to pardon a turkey, and George H.W. Bush made pardoning a turkey an annual event. The first President to receive a ceremonial Thanksgiving turkey was President Harry S. Truman. President Thomas Jefferson refused to celebrate Thanksgiving, while another founding father, Benjamin Franklin, considered making the turkey our national bird. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much does the heaviest turkey on record weigh? 86 pounds! On average, about how many turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving in America each year? About 46 million turkeys! How many Americans prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to Thanksgiving dinner? About 80 percent of Americans! About how many people attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year? About 3.5 million people! (And lastly, what popular song’s real title is “The New England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day”? “Over the River and Through the Woods.”)

From its roots in the Plymouth harvest celebration to Lincoln’s attempt to mend a divided nation during the Civil War to millions of Americans gathered to eat leftovers, we can trace the origins of the annual celebration of family, food and gratitude we know today; and in doing so, we find that the ultimate root of our ability and willingness to give thanks rests in the hands of our Creator. Because of God’s work of bringing people together, we, in turn, are called to give thanks to God for all that He has done, is doing, and will do in our life. The time has come, as the Psalmist proclaims, to give thanks to our LORD eternally (Psalm 30:12).

                         

 

 

Opening Prayer:

            Let us pray… Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you giving thanks for everything that you have blessed us with in our life. We pray today that you remind us to pause and to give thanks for you, for our family, for our friends, for our neighbors, and for the necessities of life. We pause to give you thanks. I pray that my words fall to the ground as your words settle in the hearts of all those before me. In your name we pray, Amen.

Body:

Normally, either on the Sunday before or after Thanksgiving, the Pastor will stand before his or her congregation and recite Psalms of Thanksgiving. The Pastor will read Psalm 95:2 “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” and Psalm 92:1, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD…” and Psalm 100:4-5 “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 faithfulness to all generations.” The Pastor will read these verses and many more from the Book of Psalms because of the 143 times that the word “thanks” appears in the Bible, fifty-five of those “thanks” appear in the Book of Psalm.

As a matter of fact, the word “thanks” that is offered to God in the Book of Psalm is often translated in Hebrew as ‘toda’ (toe-dah) meaning confession. The Psalmist is confessing before God and to each of us that whatever God has done, is doing, and will do deserves to be recognized: to be lifted up with praise, in gratitude and thanksgiving, and by adoration. Like the Psalmist, we are to confess to God that we thank Him for what He has blessed us with and how He has blessed us in our life. Based upon the information that we learned a couple of weeks ago, of the 7,000 to 20,000 words that we speak per day I challenge you to think to yourself how many of those 7,000 to 20,000 words are words that offer praise and give thanks to God. How often do you simply say, “Thank you?”

Needless to say, though, you may be thinking to yourself that it is not always easy to give thanks. Things don’t seem right, life is against you, the world has placed you in the corner, the kids aren’t listening to you, the oven has decided to no longer work and you need it because you are hosting this year for Thanksgiving, and the list goes on and on and on. It’s hard to give thanks when it seems like you can’t get any thanks in your own life. Even when life seems chaotic, unpredictable, problematic, unfair, or just simply joyless, we still have to find the courage to give God thanks for the positive things in our life. We must realize that God deserves our thanks in all circumstances.

In situations like this, we must act like Mary did when she found out that she was going to give birth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Even though her plans for life were disrupted, she still found it within her heart to give thanks to God. Like I said earlier, most Pastors will preach on the Psalms around the time of Thanksgiving, but today we are taking a different path. (I invite you now to turn with me to the Gospel of Luke chapter one. We are going to read verses thirty-nine (39) thru fifty-three (53).

In this text, we learn that Mary has travelled to the house of Zechariah to be with Elizabeth, who has become pregnant after being barren for many years. And we know from our knowledge of this text that when Mary arrived and greeted Elizabeth, the child inside of Elizabeth “leaped in her womb,” and that Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41).  We also know, that prior to visiting Elizabeth, Mary, herself, was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:30-33 reads, “The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

After receiving what may have been dramatizing and unbelievable news, Mary responds by asking, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34): “How can I possibly be pregnant?” Now, I have never been in this situation: the Lord has never appeared to me and said, “Daniel, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.” However, I have received news in which has disrupted my life. I don’t know about Mary or many of you, but when I received this news, emotions of concern, worry, doubt, dread, and uncertainty filled my mind. I was asking God more than “How can this be?” I was screaming out loud, “Why God? Why God? Why have you allowed this to happen to such an innocent person? Why have you allowed this person to be become hurt? Why didn’t you direct this person out of harm’s way? Why God? Why God? Why God?” Have any of you found yourself in a situation where you are screaming to God asking for answers?

I asked God these questions the minute I found out that my grandmother was in an accident. She was 91 years old at the time. While driving to band rehearsal, she was T-boned on the driver’s side by a teenage driver, who recently just got her license. My grandmother was taken to the hospital. At the hospital it was reported that she only had a few bruises and was experiencing a headache. Although she was able to walk away from this accident, I couldn’t help but question God. I wonder if Mary was secretly experiencing the same thing I was: uncertainty and ungrateful.

I can picture this teenage girl, baffled in disbelief, that she is pregnant even though she is a virgin. Mary is stomping around in her room, stirring up dust; the straw roof is shaking; her parents are yelling at her trying to calm her down; and neighbors are stopping what they are doing as Mary’s voice echoes throughout Nazareth. She’s upset. Maybe she had plans of becoming an artist, of staying at home, of just living a normal teenage life. And now, God is telling her through an angel, that her plans don’t matter and that she is to bear a son and name him Jesus. If I were Mary, I would be asking God why me; and I certainly wouldn’t be pausing to thank God for what has just happened. But, Mary does. She not only gives thanks, but she writes a song that praises God for what He has done for other people. Mary writes what is called “The Magnificat” in Latin. In English, Mary’s song is called “The Magnificent” which is similar to Psalm 34:3, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together;” and Psalm 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Even though Mary could have responded in a negative way, she chose to respond to God by offering praise and thanksgiving.

Mary’s “Magnificat” begins in verse 46: And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty” Luke 1:46-53). Did you catch all things that Mary is giving praise for? Did you notice that her song wasn’t filled with anger or regret? Did you hear the undertones of happiness and joy? Did you absorb the melody of love and gratitude?

Mary gives praise and thanks for the great things that the Mighty One has done for her. Mary gives praise and thanks that the Mighty One has provided mercies to those who fear him—those who love him, respect him, trust him, and obey him. Mary gives praise and thanks that the Mighty One has provided her with strength. After giving praise and thanks to the Mighty One for the things that she, personally, has received, Mary gives praise and thanks for what the Mighty One has done for others. Mary gives praise and thanks that the Mighty One has brought down the powerful, lifted up the lowly, and has filled the hungry with good food. Mary gives praise and thanks even though her life has been turned upside down.

Mary has just proven to all of us, through her song and confession, that even when life seems difficult, unbearable, unplanned, and uncertain there is still time to pause and give thanks to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We are called to give thanks in all circumstances. It may be tough at first to give thanks for something that has altered our life, that has challenged us, that has scared us, that has turned us away from God and caused us to ask God, “Why.” But in circumstances like this, we must act like Mary. We must find the good in what appears to be bad. We must find the strength and mercies to overcome what has brought us down. We must give thanks in all circumstances. When we do so our life will be blessed and our thanksgivings will fill our heart with love and hope.

Conclusion:

In The Faith We Sing, a contemporary United Methodist Hymn, there is a song titled “Give Thanks.” The lyrics are as follows: “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his son” (#2036). Forty-three years after its publication, the words of this song still remain true. Whatever life throws at you know that you are called to give thanks with a grateful heart—a heart that says yes to God, yes to Jesus, and yes to the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Like Mary, sometimes when life seems unfair and we want to scream out and say, “Why God? Why God? Why God?,” we are to give thanks for the life that God has given us.

This Thanksgiving, as you see family or friends that you don’t agree with, when the oven stops working, when the turkey isn’t thawing fast enough, or when you go to the store for last minute groceries only to find that what you need is out of stock, I challenge you to think about how you can respond like Mary and give praise and thanksgiving to God and to others even when things don’t seem right. I challenge you to incorporate the word “thanks” into the already 7,000 to 20,000 words that you speak per day. I challenge you to share with others that even though Thanksgiving has a history, its meaning and foundation rests in the power of God. God deserves our thanks in all circumstances.

So now is the time to truly ask yourself, “What am I thankful for?”

Closing Prayer:

Let us Pray…Dear Heavenly Father, help us to remember to give you praise and thanksgiving. It is because of you that we are here today, so let us be thankful for everything that you have done, are doing, and will do for us. Help us to thank you for what we are thankful for. In your name we pray, Amen.

Benediction:

As you pause this holiday season whether to eat more leftovers and just to relax, take time to give thanks. Truly think about what you are thankful for. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, go in peace and thanksgiving as you live wisely and well in God’s world. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


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