Sermon Illustrations for Thanksgiving Day (2016)
Illustration
Object:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
As they had on every May 1 for a long time, they gathered around the oak tree in the back field. The entire family was there. Grandparents, great-grandma, parents, kids, and grandchildren; 40 people circled the old tree. The patriarch moved to the center of the circle. Every conversation stopped as he cleared his throat. He said a few words, and then the entire family bowed their heads. What is this strange ceremony? Years before, when the family was still back east, an old man decided that what was best for his family was to move them west. There they would have opportunities and chances for wealth. It was not going to be easy. Moving westward in those days was done at considerable cost. Along the way, somewhere in central Missouri, the old man became ill. The traveling party stopped. They waited three days for his health to improve, but it didn’t. Everyone knew he was dying. As he lay on his deathbed, he implored his son to carry on with the journey. He asked him that when they arrived, that they remember him. Just take a few moments to remember an old man. His son promised he would. The man died and was buried under an oak in Missouri. His son led the family on. They arrived on a bright, sunny May 1st. As he had promised, the son gathered the entire family under an oak to pray and remember the one who’d started the journey. That’s what was being celebrated.
It is good to remember. Israel was also to remember and be thankful. God had delivered them and brought them to the Promised Land. He had done great things for them. God has done great things for us too. Do we take time to be thankful? Do we remember?
Bill T.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Two things. First of all, maybe for those of us who live in northern climes next summer’s garden seems like a distant dream, but that dream can include the taste of that first fresh tomato, more flavorful than you imagined! (Those of us who live in more temperate regions with year-round gardens will just have to imagine what that’s like!) Well, Moses reminds the people that as they come into their own they’re not to forget that it is God who made us who we are. Give thanks. And that first tomato belongs to God!
The other thing -- when we offer up the first fruits of our produce to God (nowadays we might do this by sending it to a local food bank), we need to remember that we all came from somewhere else. It is God who made us who we are! My father was a wandering Aramean. Whether it happened thousands of years ago or just last week, one of the things we have to be thankful for is our good fortune in living in our country.
Frank R.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
This passage should give us cause to think of all the blessings the Lord has given us! Maybe we haven’t been freed from slavery, but take the time to think what God has done for you. Our families may be the first blessing we can think of. I was the firstborn, and my mother and father gave me to the Lord to serve him as pastor and missionary!
The other thing our Lord gave my family was a new land flowing with milk and honey (and cheese, since it was Wisconsin). Our whole family was blessed when they came from Denmark to Racine, Wisconsin. They didn’t put baskets of produce before the Lord’s altar, except on Sundays when we collected food for the hungry in town -- and there were a number of them. Sometimes we had Thanksgiving dinners and invited all the homeless and hungry to our church. Sometimes our church was overflowing! This was back in the great Depression, when even a number of our membership were out of work and hungry.
We still come to church and contribute to all the world’s hungry in the offering. We hear about them and their needs. I experienced them in a very personal way as a missionary to Nepal. (We still read about them in the church paper, even though the earthquake there was over a year ago.)
Every day in the news we find out that there are many, many people in this world who are suffering for many reasons. We must pray for them if we can do nothing else.
Our first job is to think of all God’s blessings to us and our families. What we give should be out of gratitude and love, and not just to fulfill our required 10 percent.
Thanksgiving is a time to count God’s many blessings for us and for all Americans!
Bob O.
Philippians 4:4-9
The Lexington [Kentucky] Herald Leader ran an article about Will Allen, a local high school track star whose talent was first identified by his track coach in the sixth grade. By eighth grade, he’d set a middle school record for the 400 meter dash. His future seemed promising.
Then other events intervened. Although born in the United States, the boy’s mother was from Honduras. For reasons not identified in the article, a few years ago his mother decided to take her children and return to a rural village in her homeland. Life was much more difficult in Central America. Not only was there no track program in the school, his mother could not even afford the cost of tuition to send him to high school. This young man’s future went from bright possibility to bleak reality.
Fortunately, the track coach stayed in touch with Allen while he lived in Honduras. Eventually the coach was granted guardianship, and with his mother’s encouragement Will moved back to Lexington. This budding track star makes it very clear how thankful he is for the opportunity to be in America, in high school, and on the track team. During the time he lived in Central America he came to realize that he had taken for granted many of the blessings of his life.
I think this young man now has a pretty good understanding of what Paul meant in the last chapter of Philippians. To paraphrase, Paul admonished his readers “not to be anxious about anything, but with thanksgiving in every situation, present your requests to God. In offering thanks we receive the peace of God.”
The rest of the story is that this thankful young man hopes to be either a teacher or a physical therapist. For what it is worth, he is now a high school senior and recently won the statewide track meet in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes.
R. Robert C.
Philippians 4:4-9
Betsy Bloomingdale was one of Nancy Reagan’s best friends while Nancy lived in the White House -- Betsy was a member of her now-famous “kitchen cabinet.” That close group of friends advised the Reagans on all matters related to being in the Oval Office. Though Nancy was known for her fashionable red dresses, this was not a part of Betsy’s lifestyle. Betsy Bloomingdale maintained that the quality of one’s lifestyle does not necessarily depend on wealth; she believed that a sense of style and taste are acquired with knowledge, not money.
Application: On this Thanksgiving Day we realize that the real blessings in life are not money but knowledge. In Philippians we have outlined for us the true blessings of life for which we give thanksgiving.
Ron L.
Philippians 4:4-9
Paul urges thanksgiving, even when you ask for something. Thanksgiving does not come easy. English author Aldous Huxley had it right: “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” And devotional writer Kent Crockett offers a healthy note of humility: “God has given us far more blessing than we’ve ever thanked him for” (I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, pp. 166-167).
Martin Luther had it right when it comes to giving thanks, offering valuable antidotes to our problems in giving thanks: “This very verse teaches us which sacrifice pleases God most. We cannot perform a greater or finer deed, or a nobler service to God, than to offer thanks” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 14, p. 51). “We cannot give God anything; for everything is already his, and all we have comes from him. We can only give him praise, thanks, and honor” (What Luther Says, p. 1353).
Mark E.
John 6:25-35
Those in the workforce are familiar with the term “job description.” That’s the document that describes what our employment entails. It provides the parameters for our work and what it ought to be, and sometimes what it ought not to be. Most human resources officers write and keep records of the various job descriptions for a particular company or department. Have you ever wondered what a job description for a follower of Jesus might look like? I suppose there could be lots of things on there.
• Have a strong and powerful witness always.
• Be ready at the drop of a hat to go where you are needed.
• Demonstrate great faith on a consistent basis.
I suppose if I were writing that job description, it might look a little like that. I might have a few more things on there too. You might write it a bit differently if you were charged with the task. I’m fairly confident that if you or I wrote that job description, we’d mess it up. The good news is that we don’t write it. Jesus described what the work of God is in this passage. It isn’t at all as legalistic and harsh as what I might write. He said it is simply this: “Believe in him whom he has sent.” That’s the work that God has for you. All of our actions derive from that. Will you accept this job description?
Bill T.
John 6:25-35
In this passage the people, having experienced the miracle of the loaves and fishes, come wanting more miraculous food. Jesus offers a greater miracle -- the bread of life, which feeds the hunger that sometimes we don’t even know we have. On this day when we give thanks for material blessings -- and these material blessings are worthy of thanksgiving -- let us open our hearts to the gifts of love, fellowship, family, and the bread of life, which is the greatest gift of all.
Giving thanks for food? So we can have more? The people come to Jesus for more food -- and he is offering something greater. Our Thanksgiving celebrations are food celebrations! Hooray! But they are also about something greater.
Frank R.
John 6:25-35
Our motives are important. Are we looking for the Lord so he will continue to give us “bread”? That can be true, even in some parts of our country. In my first church, in downtown Dayton, Ohio, I had beggars drop in quite regularly for a handout. Sometimes it was just for drinking money -- communion wine in those little cups was not enough. I did not judge them immediately. My first offering was to take them across the street to a restaurant for lunch. Some would be overjoyed -- but then there were a few who just walked out! I hoped that those who did take me up on my invitation would feel the Love of Christ and desire to know more about him.
I know that many came to our church in Nepal when they saw healings or other benefits, including food. Sometimes those gifts would convert them. That is why many came to our church -- they wanted healings or bread. Many were amazed to meet Jesus. After meeting him, their motives changed. They wanted to get to know our Lord, not just to get “bread.” They discovered Jesus’ motives! It was not up to us to question motives. We knew -- or hoped -- that after meeting our Lord they would come out of gratitude to him for his love for us.
In pre-Civil War days, many black churches grew up. Most of the members were won not by the hope of getting freedom from slavery -- they came realizing that Jesus had already made them free!
As a prison chaplain, it was always painful to have some of the inmates appealing to us for benefits -- especially financial -- that we could give. Many times I gave help to them regardless of their motives, but I have a file of letters from some who thanked me for believing in them. It was a turning point in their life. Now they were coming to the altar with their gifts of thanksgiving! They realized that my motives came from God.
So many come to our Lord for some blessings that he can give, instead of the greatest blessing that he has already given through his suffering on the cross.
Why do you come to church? Is it thanksgiving to God for his great gift to us? What are your motives?
Bob O.
As they had on every May 1 for a long time, they gathered around the oak tree in the back field. The entire family was there. Grandparents, great-grandma, parents, kids, and grandchildren; 40 people circled the old tree. The patriarch moved to the center of the circle. Every conversation stopped as he cleared his throat. He said a few words, and then the entire family bowed their heads. What is this strange ceremony? Years before, when the family was still back east, an old man decided that what was best for his family was to move them west. There they would have opportunities and chances for wealth. It was not going to be easy. Moving westward in those days was done at considerable cost. Along the way, somewhere in central Missouri, the old man became ill. The traveling party stopped. They waited three days for his health to improve, but it didn’t. Everyone knew he was dying. As he lay on his deathbed, he implored his son to carry on with the journey. He asked him that when they arrived, that they remember him. Just take a few moments to remember an old man. His son promised he would. The man died and was buried under an oak in Missouri. His son led the family on. They arrived on a bright, sunny May 1st. As he had promised, the son gathered the entire family under an oak to pray and remember the one who’d started the journey. That’s what was being celebrated.
It is good to remember. Israel was also to remember and be thankful. God had delivered them and brought them to the Promised Land. He had done great things for them. God has done great things for us too. Do we take time to be thankful? Do we remember?
Bill T.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Two things. First of all, maybe for those of us who live in northern climes next summer’s garden seems like a distant dream, but that dream can include the taste of that first fresh tomato, more flavorful than you imagined! (Those of us who live in more temperate regions with year-round gardens will just have to imagine what that’s like!) Well, Moses reminds the people that as they come into their own they’re not to forget that it is God who made us who we are. Give thanks. And that first tomato belongs to God!
The other thing -- when we offer up the first fruits of our produce to God (nowadays we might do this by sending it to a local food bank), we need to remember that we all came from somewhere else. It is God who made us who we are! My father was a wandering Aramean. Whether it happened thousands of years ago or just last week, one of the things we have to be thankful for is our good fortune in living in our country.
Frank R.
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
This passage should give us cause to think of all the blessings the Lord has given us! Maybe we haven’t been freed from slavery, but take the time to think what God has done for you. Our families may be the first blessing we can think of. I was the firstborn, and my mother and father gave me to the Lord to serve him as pastor and missionary!
The other thing our Lord gave my family was a new land flowing with milk and honey (and cheese, since it was Wisconsin). Our whole family was blessed when they came from Denmark to Racine, Wisconsin. They didn’t put baskets of produce before the Lord’s altar, except on Sundays when we collected food for the hungry in town -- and there were a number of them. Sometimes we had Thanksgiving dinners and invited all the homeless and hungry to our church. Sometimes our church was overflowing! This was back in the great Depression, when even a number of our membership were out of work and hungry.
We still come to church and contribute to all the world’s hungry in the offering. We hear about them and their needs. I experienced them in a very personal way as a missionary to Nepal. (We still read about them in the church paper, even though the earthquake there was over a year ago.)
Every day in the news we find out that there are many, many people in this world who are suffering for many reasons. We must pray for them if we can do nothing else.
Our first job is to think of all God’s blessings to us and our families. What we give should be out of gratitude and love, and not just to fulfill our required 10 percent.
Thanksgiving is a time to count God’s many blessings for us and for all Americans!
Bob O.
Philippians 4:4-9
The Lexington [Kentucky] Herald Leader ran an article about Will Allen, a local high school track star whose talent was first identified by his track coach in the sixth grade. By eighth grade, he’d set a middle school record for the 400 meter dash. His future seemed promising.
Then other events intervened. Although born in the United States, the boy’s mother was from Honduras. For reasons not identified in the article, a few years ago his mother decided to take her children and return to a rural village in her homeland. Life was much more difficult in Central America. Not only was there no track program in the school, his mother could not even afford the cost of tuition to send him to high school. This young man’s future went from bright possibility to bleak reality.
Fortunately, the track coach stayed in touch with Allen while he lived in Honduras. Eventually the coach was granted guardianship, and with his mother’s encouragement Will moved back to Lexington. This budding track star makes it very clear how thankful he is for the opportunity to be in America, in high school, and on the track team. During the time he lived in Central America he came to realize that he had taken for granted many of the blessings of his life.
I think this young man now has a pretty good understanding of what Paul meant in the last chapter of Philippians. To paraphrase, Paul admonished his readers “not to be anxious about anything, but with thanksgiving in every situation, present your requests to God. In offering thanks we receive the peace of God.”
The rest of the story is that this thankful young man hopes to be either a teacher or a physical therapist. For what it is worth, he is now a high school senior and recently won the statewide track meet in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes.
R. Robert C.
Philippians 4:4-9
Betsy Bloomingdale was one of Nancy Reagan’s best friends while Nancy lived in the White House -- Betsy was a member of her now-famous “kitchen cabinet.” That close group of friends advised the Reagans on all matters related to being in the Oval Office. Though Nancy was known for her fashionable red dresses, this was not a part of Betsy’s lifestyle. Betsy Bloomingdale maintained that the quality of one’s lifestyle does not necessarily depend on wealth; she believed that a sense of style and taste are acquired with knowledge, not money.
Application: On this Thanksgiving Day we realize that the real blessings in life are not money but knowledge. In Philippians we have outlined for us the true blessings of life for which we give thanksgiving.
Ron L.
Philippians 4:4-9
Paul urges thanksgiving, even when you ask for something. Thanksgiving does not come easy. English author Aldous Huxley had it right: “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” And devotional writer Kent Crockett offers a healthy note of humility: “God has given us far more blessing than we’ve ever thanked him for” (I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, pp. 166-167).
Martin Luther had it right when it comes to giving thanks, offering valuable antidotes to our problems in giving thanks: “This very verse teaches us which sacrifice pleases God most. We cannot perform a greater or finer deed, or a nobler service to God, than to offer thanks” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 14, p. 51). “We cannot give God anything; for everything is already his, and all we have comes from him. We can only give him praise, thanks, and honor” (What Luther Says, p. 1353).
Mark E.
John 6:25-35
Those in the workforce are familiar with the term “job description.” That’s the document that describes what our employment entails. It provides the parameters for our work and what it ought to be, and sometimes what it ought not to be. Most human resources officers write and keep records of the various job descriptions for a particular company or department. Have you ever wondered what a job description for a follower of Jesus might look like? I suppose there could be lots of things on there.
• Have a strong and powerful witness always.
• Be ready at the drop of a hat to go where you are needed.
• Demonstrate great faith on a consistent basis.
I suppose if I were writing that job description, it might look a little like that. I might have a few more things on there too. You might write it a bit differently if you were charged with the task. I’m fairly confident that if you or I wrote that job description, we’d mess it up. The good news is that we don’t write it. Jesus described what the work of God is in this passage. It isn’t at all as legalistic and harsh as what I might write. He said it is simply this: “Believe in him whom he has sent.” That’s the work that God has for you. All of our actions derive from that. Will you accept this job description?
Bill T.
John 6:25-35
In this passage the people, having experienced the miracle of the loaves and fishes, come wanting more miraculous food. Jesus offers a greater miracle -- the bread of life, which feeds the hunger that sometimes we don’t even know we have. On this day when we give thanks for material blessings -- and these material blessings are worthy of thanksgiving -- let us open our hearts to the gifts of love, fellowship, family, and the bread of life, which is the greatest gift of all.
Giving thanks for food? So we can have more? The people come to Jesus for more food -- and he is offering something greater. Our Thanksgiving celebrations are food celebrations! Hooray! But they are also about something greater.
Frank R.
John 6:25-35
Our motives are important. Are we looking for the Lord so he will continue to give us “bread”? That can be true, even in some parts of our country. In my first church, in downtown Dayton, Ohio, I had beggars drop in quite regularly for a handout. Sometimes it was just for drinking money -- communion wine in those little cups was not enough. I did not judge them immediately. My first offering was to take them across the street to a restaurant for lunch. Some would be overjoyed -- but then there were a few who just walked out! I hoped that those who did take me up on my invitation would feel the Love of Christ and desire to know more about him.
I know that many came to our church in Nepal when they saw healings or other benefits, including food. Sometimes those gifts would convert them. That is why many came to our church -- they wanted healings or bread. Many were amazed to meet Jesus. After meeting him, their motives changed. They wanted to get to know our Lord, not just to get “bread.” They discovered Jesus’ motives! It was not up to us to question motives. We knew -- or hoped -- that after meeting our Lord they would come out of gratitude to him for his love for us.
In pre-Civil War days, many black churches grew up. Most of the members were won not by the hope of getting freedom from slavery -- they came realizing that Jesus had already made them free!
As a prison chaplain, it was always painful to have some of the inmates appealing to us for benefits -- especially financial -- that we could give. Many times I gave help to them regardless of their motives, but I have a file of letters from some who thanked me for believing in them. It was a turning point in their life. Now they were coming to the altar with their gifts of thanksgiving! They realized that my motives came from God.
So many come to our Lord for some blessings that he can give, instead of the greatest blessing that he has already given through his suffering on the cross.
Why do you come to church? Is it thanksgiving to God for his great gift to us? What are your motives?
Bob O.
