Sermon Illustrations for Thanksgiving Day (2020)
Illustration
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
After reviewing all the things wrong with America during the election cycle, some of us are likely not to be as thankful for our nation and our lives as we should. Thanksgiving then comes as a good antidote this year. But it seems problematic, perhaps, to identify the holiday with this text that seems to relate giving thanks to keeping the Ten Commandments. In fact, the 16th century Heidelberg Catechism structures all the demands of Christian living under the rubric of thanksgiving! Is that the way to think of living the Christian life, as nothing more than a way of showing thanks to God? Famed modern theologian Karl Barth made a similar point:
But what is meant by gratitude, and therefore blessedness, and therefore being loved by God? Clearly participation in the life of the God in a human existence and action in which there is a representation and illustration of the glory of God Himself and its work. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.II/2, p.413)
Gratitude wraps you up in God, and makes life better. As another great 20th-century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The members of the cabinet and congress gathered in the Oval Office on Sunday morning, March 9, 1862. There mood was somber. The day before an iron clad vessel, the Merrimac, flying the Confederate flag, sailed out of Hampton Roads harbor. In a few short hours it had devastated the Union fleet blockading the harbor. There was concern that there would be nothing to prevent the Merrimac from sailing up the Potomac River and attacking Washington, DC. The President knew that at that hour the Union ironclad ship, the Monitor, was engaging the Merrimac in battle. President Abraham Lincoln offered these words of comfort to his advisors, “The Almighty. The Almighty will prevent her. This is God’s fight, and he will win in his own good time. The Monitor should be in Hampton Roads now. She left New York eight days ago. She may be a little stone in the sling of the Almighty that shall smite the Merrimac Philistine in the forehead.”
Ron L.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is a hodgepodge. It seems to be part of a bundle of letters.
There is a good deal of disagreement about what exactly has come down to us in the New Testament book known as Second Corinthians, beyond the fact it tends to get overlooked in the shadow of what is clearly a Christian classic, First Corinthians. Nevertheless, this bundle of letters is a great source of insight into Paul’s personality and biography. It includes some of the most quotable and inspirational verses, and presents a picture of conflict, alienation, and reconciliation.
Because there are radical breaks in continuity, tone, and style there are many who suggest that what has come down to us is not one letter, but fragments of several. I tend to be suspicious of theories that break down books of the Bible into various sources that were stitched together by an editor at some later date, but there are some Biblical books, such as Genesis, Isaiah, and 2 Corinthians where it is difficult to believe otherwise.
Chapters 8 and 9 are probably fundraising letters, meant to poke and prod the Corinthians. A famine that caused great distress for Christians in Jerusalem, the "mother" church, led to Paul collecting a great love offering from the mission churches. The Corinthians were more prosperous compared to most of the rest of the Achaian peninsula. The Macedonian churches, much poorer than most, donated sacrificially. The Corinthian Christians, more prosperous, may not have pledged as much and did not redeem their pledge. Paul challenged the Corinthians to respond with the same love and sacrifice as their poorer compatriots.
Like these letters most congregations regularly appeal through various mediums to church members to fulfill the law of love and make possible support and service in the church. Chapter 8 encourages eagerness and love as emotional goads to giving. Chapter 9 reminds us that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly.
We should be leading the way, not being dragged along unwillingly toward fulfilling the law of love.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
I found this story humorous and a bit convicting. A father gave his little girl two dollars and said, “You can do anything you want with one of the dollars, but the other dollar belongs to God.”
With joy she ran to the candy store. On the way she tripped, and one dollar fell into the storm drain. She got up and said, “Well Lord, there goes your dollar.”
Paul is clear in his teaching about money. He tells the Corinthian Christians, “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” Giving comes from the heart. It’s the outflow of a heart filled with the joy of the Lord. How cheerful are we at giving? Do we acknowledge God first or do we give to him after we’ve met our own needs and wants?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Thankfulness is good for faith. A statement from Harvard Medical School makes this point, defining gratitude as
... a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
Martin Luther made a similar point. Concerning gratitude he wrote:
This is the virtue characteristic of real Christians; it is their worship of God at its best. They thank God and do it with all their heart. (What Luther Says, p.1352)
Early 20th-century English writer G. K. Chesterton offers a most thought-provoking definition of thanksgiving. He wrote, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Thanksgiving Day in the US is often a day for family gatherings, feasting, and in my family, football. As with every meal we offer grace before the meal; we give thanks. Yet, I am reminded of a sermon message I once gave. In it I asked this question, “If everything you didn’t give thanks for this morning disappeared, what would be left in your life?”
It’s a good question to ask on Thanksgiving Day. As we reflect on all the gifts of our life, the earth, the air, water, shelter, food, family, faith, what do we forget to offer thanks for? What gifts do we fail to acknowledge? How about all those who raised or grew or picked the food we eat? How about those who built the structures in which we live? How about those who struggle to keep us safe and healthy? What about all those unknown workers who struggled to create the nation and the communities in which we live? What about those who were taken advantage of so we could like the comfortable life we live? Pause today. Offer thanks for everything that is in and around and within you. Truly this day, give thanks.
Bonnie B.
After reviewing all the things wrong with America during the election cycle, some of us are likely not to be as thankful for our nation and our lives as we should. Thanksgiving then comes as a good antidote this year. But it seems problematic, perhaps, to identify the holiday with this text that seems to relate giving thanks to keeping the Ten Commandments. In fact, the 16th century Heidelberg Catechism structures all the demands of Christian living under the rubric of thanksgiving! Is that the way to think of living the Christian life, as nothing more than a way of showing thanks to God? Famed modern theologian Karl Barth made a similar point:
But what is meant by gratitude, and therefore blessedness, and therefore being loved by God? Clearly participation in the life of the God in a human existence and action in which there is a representation and illustration of the glory of God Himself and its work. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.II/2, p.413)
Gratitude wraps you up in God, and makes life better. As another great 20th-century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The members of the cabinet and congress gathered in the Oval Office on Sunday morning, March 9, 1862. There mood was somber. The day before an iron clad vessel, the Merrimac, flying the Confederate flag, sailed out of Hampton Roads harbor. In a few short hours it had devastated the Union fleet blockading the harbor. There was concern that there would be nothing to prevent the Merrimac from sailing up the Potomac River and attacking Washington, DC. The President knew that at that hour the Union ironclad ship, the Monitor, was engaging the Merrimac in battle. President Abraham Lincoln offered these words of comfort to his advisors, “The Almighty. The Almighty will prevent her. This is God’s fight, and he will win in his own good time. The Monitor should be in Hampton Roads now. She left New York eight days ago. She may be a little stone in the sling of the Almighty that shall smite the Merrimac Philistine in the forehead.”
Ron L.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is a hodgepodge. It seems to be part of a bundle of letters.
There is a good deal of disagreement about what exactly has come down to us in the New Testament book known as Second Corinthians, beyond the fact it tends to get overlooked in the shadow of what is clearly a Christian classic, First Corinthians. Nevertheless, this bundle of letters is a great source of insight into Paul’s personality and biography. It includes some of the most quotable and inspirational verses, and presents a picture of conflict, alienation, and reconciliation.
Because there are radical breaks in continuity, tone, and style there are many who suggest that what has come down to us is not one letter, but fragments of several. I tend to be suspicious of theories that break down books of the Bible into various sources that were stitched together by an editor at some later date, but there are some Biblical books, such as Genesis, Isaiah, and 2 Corinthians where it is difficult to believe otherwise.
Chapters 8 and 9 are probably fundraising letters, meant to poke and prod the Corinthians. A famine that caused great distress for Christians in Jerusalem, the "mother" church, led to Paul collecting a great love offering from the mission churches. The Corinthians were more prosperous compared to most of the rest of the Achaian peninsula. The Macedonian churches, much poorer than most, donated sacrificially. The Corinthian Christians, more prosperous, may not have pledged as much and did not redeem their pledge. Paul challenged the Corinthians to respond with the same love and sacrifice as their poorer compatriots.
Like these letters most congregations regularly appeal through various mediums to church members to fulfill the law of love and make possible support and service in the church. Chapter 8 encourages eagerness and love as emotional goads to giving. Chapter 9 reminds us that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly.
We should be leading the way, not being dragged along unwillingly toward fulfilling the law of love.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
I found this story humorous and a bit convicting. A father gave his little girl two dollars and said, “You can do anything you want with one of the dollars, but the other dollar belongs to God.”
With joy she ran to the candy store. On the way she tripped, and one dollar fell into the storm drain. She got up and said, “Well Lord, there goes your dollar.”
Paul is clear in his teaching about money. He tells the Corinthian Christians, “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” Giving comes from the heart. It’s the outflow of a heart filled with the joy of the Lord. How cheerful are we at giving? Do we acknowledge God first or do we give to him after we’ve met our own needs and wants?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Thankfulness is good for faith. A statement from Harvard Medical School makes this point, defining gratitude as
... a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives … As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
Martin Luther made a similar point. Concerning gratitude he wrote:
This is the virtue characteristic of real Christians; it is their worship of God at its best. They thank God and do it with all their heart. (What Luther Says, p.1352)
Early 20th-century English writer G. K. Chesterton offers a most thought-provoking definition of thanksgiving. He wrote, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Thanksgiving Day in the US is often a day for family gatherings, feasting, and in my family, football. As with every meal we offer grace before the meal; we give thanks. Yet, I am reminded of a sermon message I once gave. In it I asked this question, “If everything you didn’t give thanks for this morning disappeared, what would be left in your life?”
It’s a good question to ask on Thanksgiving Day. As we reflect on all the gifts of our life, the earth, the air, water, shelter, food, family, faith, what do we forget to offer thanks for? What gifts do we fail to acknowledge? How about all those who raised or grew or picked the food we eat? How about those who built the structures in which we live? How about those who struggle to keep us safe and healthy? What about all those unknown workers who struggled to create the nation and the communities in which we live? What about those who were taken advantage of so we could like the comfortable life we live? Pause today. Offer thanks for everything that is in and around and within you. Truly this day, give thanks.
Bonnie B.
