Eve of National Thanksgiving
“Remember, to
Give Thanks”
Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Philippians 4:6-20
Grace, mercy,
and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Amen.
“Remember to give thanks.” That is the mantra of thanksgiving. And truthfully, we need it. We need to be reminded each year, each day. For we are a people who
have forgotten how to give thanks.
We demand and expect service instead of thanking others for it. Thank you notes are becoming a thing of the
past. Feelings of entitlement produce not
thanks but resentment, when we do not get what we
think we had coming.
But we are not the first. The people of
And so Moses tells them:
remember the Lord’s
leading in the wilderness;
remember His testing;
remember His provision
of bread and meat and water;
remember your clothes
and shoes lasting far longer than they should have!
remember His discipline;
remember His Word and
His promises.
Remember, Moses says, and
you will bless the Lord. Moses
doesn’t use the word “thanksgiving” there, but bless – a word which includes
thanksgiving, but means much more. For it
also includes faith, trust, worship, praise, honor, and glory. It is to acknowledge the gifts received and
to make known the goodness of the Lord, who gives such gifts to men. For such is the highest form of thanksgiving
– not just to thank the Giver, but to make known what He has done.
And notice, all
the things the people would remember were not just pleasant memories!
They
would remember the rebellion that caused the additional 40 years of wilderness
wandering.
They
would remember the episode with the fiery serpents.
They
would remember the fears, the hunger, the humbling, the
struggle.
All was not a bed of roses.
And isn’t that what we find in our lives
as well? When you look back and remember
this past year, or through your life, you will remember such times as
well.
Not just good
times, and times of plenty and joy;
but also times when
things were difficult,
when there was fear
and doubt;
times of sadness and
testing and humbling.
In your life too, all has not been a bed
of roses.
But
you are here because through it all, the Lord is faithful. Perhaps you too grumbled and complained, like
the people of
For provision
not good enough.
For help that
did not come speedily enough.
For humbling and
discipline that you would rather not have received!
Yes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree, does it? From
Adam and Eve, to the people of
But with such remembering – of things
both good and bad – we remember what is most important of all: and it is not our remembering at all! What is most important is that the Lord remembers us.
He remembers His promises. He
remembers to have mercy. He remembers to
provide. We are never far from His
mind. He never forgets us. And though He may seem to delay, or not act
fast enough; though we may not always
understand His ways, or get answers to all the “why” questions we want answered – His love never fails.
His
love
in providing our daily bread: food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land,
animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout
workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace,
health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and
the like. (Small Catechism, Explanation to the Fourth
Petition)
His love in defending us against all danger, and
protecting us from all evil. (Small Catechism,
Explanation to the First Article)
And most of all, His love in sending His Son
to ascend the
cross in our place;
to lay down His
life for us;
to atone for our
sins. For all our sins, including our forgetfulness, our ingratitude, our
rebellion, our grumbling and complaining.
He knows the desperate condition of both our bodies and our souls, and
promised and did something about it. And
not just once did He send His Son, but now over and over again, as we receive
the body and blood of Jesus here. A
sacrifice once made, a gift constantly given. Do this in remembrance of Me, He
said. And as we do this, yes we remember
Him, for He remembers us.
And then we too then bless the Lord. We acknowledge the gifts of forgiveness,
life, and salvation here received, and we make known the goodness of the Lord,
who gives such gifts to men. For such is
the highest form of thanksgiving – not just to thank the Giver, but to make
known what He has done.
And this then leads to one other
blessing, whose importance should not be underestimated – the blessing and gift
of contentment and peace. It is as we
heard from
Indeed, all things, for the Lord
remembers us. And in and under His
watchful eye, His powerful hand, His loving heart, and His merciful mind, He
will supply every need. No cry
of His children unheard, no pain unknown, no trouble too great, no enemy too strong. His forgiveness and love enduring forever,
until the day He brings us into the Promised Land of Heaven.
So remember. Remember the way the Lord your God has led
you and provided for you and saved you, these nine, or twenty, or forty, or
eighty years. Remember Him who remembers
you always. Remember, and give thanks.
In the name of
the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.