Thanksgiving Time
INTRO: Thanksgiving! Ah yes, so special to us, right? Turkey, dressing, cranberry dishes, pumpkin pies, whipped cream, etc. Do we really treat Thanksgiving properly in our lives?
Are we truly thankful for the things we have? Does it really matter? Does God expect us to say thanks? Let’s look in God’s Word today and deal with THANKSGIVING.
Genesis 4:1-7(NKJV) 1Now Adam knew Eve his
wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from
the Lord.”
2Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a
keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an
offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
4Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
5but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very
angry, and his countenance fell.
6So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen?
7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do
well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should
rule over it.”
One of the first instances of thankfulness in the scripture is found here in Genesis 4 where Eve recognized God’s blessing in bearing children. – vs. 1
Attitude of thankfulness
Recognize where good things and blessings come
Hard work?
Great God!
1 Peter 2:9(NKJV) 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Show thankful - actions
Stay thankful - thoughts
Remember daily God’s blessings
Prayer
Meditation
Worship
So many times we know (truly know) in our hearts that God is blessing our lives, yet we fail to do what is needed to properly give God the thanks and praise He deserves. We often get to thinking and believing we deserve this or that, we have earned this or that, when the truth is God has helped us and blessed us. We need to have an…
All should be thankful
Psalms 67:3(KJV) 3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
All should give thanks
Reserving a time of thankfulness
A time of preparation was done by both brothers
An attitude of thanksgiving was promoted in both brothers
An offering of thanksgiving was presented by both brothers
Rendering a time of personal thankfulness
Psalms 107:22(KJV) 22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
An appreciation of God’s greatness is helpful
Luke 2:20(KJV) 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
An act of thoughtful worship is proper
Psalms 9:11(NKJV) 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
Hebrews 13:15(NKJV) 15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Thankful for things that gives and maintains life
Deuteronomy 8:10(NKJV) 10When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
Thankful for lives around us
Family
Friends
Neighbors
Church family
Psalms 100:4(KJV) 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Colossians 1:12(NKJV) 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Thankful for a God who is in control and willing to help us
Colossians 3:15(KJV) 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18(KJV) 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I have some here today, that I have asked if they would share a couple of things they are thankful for in life.
If you were not picked, it is because of the luck of the draw. So for the sake of time today, I placed these requests in your handouts today. So by chance you have an opportunity to give thanks.
If you do not get a chance to say thank you Lord in this service, come back tonight and I will give you time.
Let us be respectful as these give their thanks.
My thanks:
I do thank God for life. That He chose to give me breath and life brings to my lips a thank you Lord.
I do thank God for His plan for salvation. A plan that I can afford because it comes through His only begotten Son, Jesus’ sacrificial death.
I am also thankful that I found His plan, and for all my loved ones and friends that have trusted in Him.
I thank God for my family. All of them, as God gave them to me:
My parents, my siblings, my wife, my sons, their wives, and their children.
I thank God for my church family. To modify Forest Gump’s quote, “Special is as special does.” You are special to me.
I thank God for my friends.
I thank God for my country and the liberty God has blessed us with.
And lest I forget, I thank God for the health He has given.
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 112110am
The Origin of Thanksgiving Day
In August 1620, the Mayflower, a 180-ton ship, set sail from Southampton, England. After difficulties with the vessel, resulting in her return to port, finally the voyage began. Her 102 passengers were to become some of the founding pilgrims of the United States of America, and the initiators of one of this nation’s most popular holidays.
After weeks of plowing through the tumultuous Atlantic waters, battling strong winds, pounding waves and a number of problems with their vessel, the pilgrims spotted Cape Cod, off the coast of Massachusetts. The stormy weather was brewing so strongly that they had arrived there by accident. Their intended location was off the Virginia coast, where other pilgrims had begun colonies.
Before anchoring at Plymouth Rock and disembarking to explore the territory, the pilgrims devised the “Mayflower Compact.” This was to serve as the basis for governing their new colony, where all would have the freedom to worship God as they chose.
The compact stated, “We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James…Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names; Cape Cod, the 11th of November…” (Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth).
The next few months would prove to be difficult and trying. More than half of the original pilgrims did not survive the first, long, bleak New England winter. Often, two or three people would die in one day due to infection and sickness.
But, with the approaching of spring came new hope. The survivors built homes and planted crops. They made friendships with local Indian tribes, and traded with them. The passing of winter allowed the pilgrims to labor and produce, causing the colony to flourish.
After reaping their first harvest in the fall of 1621, the pilgrims dedicated a day for thanking God for the bounty with which He had blessed them. They had endured the many hardships that came with pioneering a new land. They toiled through building an entire colony from what was simply wilderness. They were at peace with their neighbors. And they were especially grateful for their harvest. This allowed them to gather and store plenteous food and crops for the long and brutal winter ahead.
Their governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving toward God. They prepared a great feast to enjoy with family and friends—both from within the colony and with neighboring Indian tribes.
The following quotes from America’s God and Country demonstrate Bradford’s and the colony’s thankfulness for God’s protection and blessings:
“Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”
In reminiscing upon the colony’s success, Bradford continued, “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of [God] have all the praise” (ibid.).
Clearly, pilgrims of the Plymouth colony gave God credit for all that they had. Notice the many references to God, and their acknowledgement of how He granted them so many blessings. The pilgrim’s beliefs were firmly entrenched in the realization of God’s presence and intervention in their everyday lives. Thanksgiving Day began because of this belief. It is a day dedicated to giving thanks to God for the many things we often take for granted.
Over the years, many colonies did keep Thanksgiving, but they kept various other days of thanksgiving, at different times of the year. It is a popular misconception that the pilgrims kept Thanksgiving on the same day each year following the first celebration in 1621, and that the other colonies began keeping that same day. In truth, it was a tradition always used to highlight and show gratitude for important events, such as bountiful harvests, victories in battle, etc. Whenever these took place, the colony called for the celebration of a day of thanksgiving.
In the late 1700s, during the American Revolution, the Continental Congresses suggested the yearly observance of a day of national thanksgiving, in hopes to unite factious states.
In 1817, the state of New York adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual holiday. By the mid-1800s, other states likewise adopted the practice. In 1863, President Lincoln appointed it as a national holiday, and gave a Thanksgiving proclamation. Each president since then has issued a proclamation, announcing the celebration of this day.
Above from:
thercg.org