Thanksgiving Monday, October 11, 2021
What Will You Give Thanks For Again This Year?
For This Shore,
The Fog,
Or the Glorious Future
Provided by Hope?
Jeremiah 31:33
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Luke 21:33
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Words of Grace For Today
What will you do, or have you done, for Thanksgiving this year?
Will your celebrations reach all in your family?
Will your celebrations reach anyone beyond your family?
Will you pause, reflect and consider why you celebrate as you do?
Will giving thanks be the centre of your celebrations, or just a small piece, or even an aside to all the other activities?
As we celebrate Thanksgiving year after year, it loses it’s meaning for many of us. Instead it takes on as its purpose, the immediate experience of our Thanksgiving foods, football games, and family gatherings. We learn to identify Thanksgiving with the warmth of these traditions, with the results of our own efforts. Giving God thanks has become an obligatory part of our weekend.
Doch, the true warmth of Thanksgiving remains the spirit on fire God gives us humble saints, so that, by our labours, we can share that warmth with those struggling to survive the coming cold, and all evil. (KAS sermon for Thanksgiving 2021)
(‘Doch’ is that wonderful word from German that means ‘but rather’, a word that encapsulates God’s response to our sinful ways.)
God’s Word will endure forever. God’s Covenant with us will survive forever even if heaven and earth come to an end. God will always be our God, and we will be God’s people.
Since God does this for us though we certainly deserve nothing, each day gives us opportunity to give God thanks in thought, word, and deed.