Grateful to the Giver - Thu. Nov. 24, 2022

Grateful to the Giver - Thu. Nov. 24, 2022

Nov 24, 2022

Preacher: John Martin

Category: Worship Services

Notes:

Grateful to the Giver

TV shows and movies portray a Thanksgiving custom that is easy to copy. All around the table take turns sharing what they’re thankful for. They seem delighted to do it. It isn’t hard for them, and their stories bring smiles and warm feelings to others at the table. Maybe you have used this custom. It’s a good start for a civic holiday. True, Thanksgiving is a civic and secular holiday. But those who are disciples of Christ can also make it a holiday that celebrates our God, the giver of all things.

How you ask? I suggest it’s as easy as not forgetting the true “main course!” Our scripture readings remind the community of faith to center on the one who generously provides all the persons, places, and things we are thankful for. It’s God who gives all the good gifts! There would be no gifts without the giver, no blessings without the one “whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from age to age” (Ps. 100:5).

John 6:25-35 tells how God the giver moves even closer, becoming the gift himself. The people didn’t understand this at first, but Jesus quickly set them straight. Embodied in Jesus, God nurtures and fulfills people with the bread of God’s own life. This thanksgiving, let us all enjoy our meal with family and friends but make sure that the “main course” is not just the turkey, but the giver himself –Christ. Let this Thanksgiving be the one where we are grateful to the giver!

Digging Deeper:

As I was preparing this message, I discovered that the word “eucharist” came from a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.” I didn’t know this before and it made me think that when receive communion, it is an opportunity to think about all that we are thankful for and that we receive the greatest gift of all – salvation and new life through faith in Christ, the bread of life. Let us live a life, not just a day, of thanksgiving.

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