A Message From Pastor Bob:

Thanksgiving – The True Story

How should Christians celebrate Thanksgiving? And I don’t mean the annual American holiday. Author David Mathis believes the Christian story – that began with creation and continues to this very moment – is the true story of thanksgiving. He calls this the Christian Gospel story “viewed through the lens of that often-undervalued virtue known as gratitude.” For those who follow Jesus, I believe giving thanks is something we can practice daily, not just once a year in November. (Note: Much of the content below is drawn from an article by David Mathis, Executive Editor at desiringGod.org. Thanks, David!)

So we give thanks to God, fully knowing it is Jesus who has manifested the perfect life of thankfulness. If you’ve ever tracked the texts where Jesus gives his Father thanks, you’ll know it’s quite an impressive list, and here are a few of them:

Matthew 11:25 [also Luke 10:21]: Jesus was saddened that in the cities where most of his mighty works were done, people remained unrepentant and unthankful. Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.’”

John 11:41: “…they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father,  thank you that you have heard me.’” [Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead.]

Matthew 15:36 [also Mark 8:6]: Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples…”. [See also John 6:11 and John 6:23, which refer to the location as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”]

Luke 22:17-20 [also Matthew 26:27 and Mark 14:23: “Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’”

See the pattern? Jesus is not only God, but was also the quintessentially thankful human. As our model for the godly life, he died to forgive our failures in giving God the thanks he’s due, and also lived the perfect life of appreciation on our behalf toward his Father. We cannot be perfect in our gratitude as Jesus was. But this passage helps us understand how we can strive to be persistent, not perfect, in giving thanks to God:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. [Colossians 3:15-17]

This Thanksgiving, may your dinner tables and bellies and hearts be full. And let’s be thankful all year long as we strive to love God, love others, and serve the world. 

Peace,

Pastor Bob