Sermon Illustrations for Thanksgiving Day (2023)
Illustration
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
The prosperity gospel has become very comforting to many. The message shared in this passage seems to indicate that if one is faithful all needs will be met, all prosperity will be shared. The faithful will have all they need, and they are called to remember to be thankful for that prosperity. The problem with clinging to a prosperity gospel is that there is no room for tragedy that happens to faithful people. The assumption becomes that if bad things are happening in your life, you must not be faithful. In no way does this align with the message of God. Yes, prosperity may come to the faithful, but it may also come to the unfaithful. Yes, tragedy may come into the lives of the unfaithful, but also into the lives of the faithful. God is true to God’s Word. We are loved, nurtured, blessed, and held in God’s embrace, but my friends, that doesn’t mean everything in this earthly existence will go our way. Today let’s be thankful for the spiritual gifts in our lives.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
While commenting on this text John Calvin notes:
For nothing so greatly confines us within the boundaries of humility and modesty as the acknowledgment of God’s grace; for it is madness and temerity to raise our crests against him on whom we depend, and to whom we owe ourselves and all we possess. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.II/1, p.400)
It seems that being thankful makes you happy. Studies by psychologist Robert Emmons (Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier) showed that adults keeping gratitude journals polled as happier and healthier than the general public. And Christians have a special “in” on this thankfulness Martin Luther thinks. He wrote:
This [thankfulness] 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. This is a virtue unattainable by any other human being on earth... To thank God with all your heart is an art — an art which the Holy Spirit teaches. (What Luther Says, p.1352)
Mark E.
* * *
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Robert Alter, in the notes to his translation of the Torah, says that the repetition of the Hebrew word eretz, “land,” gives verses 7-9 from this passage a “hymnic” quality. They roll of the tongue as Moses describes to the people the blessing of this land, leading to a phrase in verse 10 “And you will eat and be sated and bless the Lord.” that is a part of a Jewish prayer, discovered, among other places, in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The point is to remind us who came from, or whose ancestors came from, more difficult circumstances in distant lands, just how blessed we are. It is an especially appropriate prayer for Thanksgiving, urging us not to lose sight of the part God played in our past and present, so we won’t mistakenly start taking credit for ourselves. I am especially reminded of the Prayer of Agur, found in Proverbs 30:7-9.
Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
Just enough. Not too much. Don’t take all the credit. Thanksgiving means giving thanks.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Oswald Chambers once wrote, “With Christ, it is not how much we give, but what we do not give that is the real test.” I came across this anecdote that I thought was cute and a bit pointed. A dad, one day, gave his little girl two dollars and told her you can do whatever you want with one of the dollars but the other one belongs to God. The little girl smiled and agreed.
She was excited and skipped and ran to the ice cream store. She had a whole dollar to spend. As she was running down the sidewalk, she tripped. She dropped one of the dollars. Almost right away it blew into a storm drain. She got up and brushed herself off. She shook her head, looked up and said, “Sorry God. There goes your dollar.”
I don’t know if this is a true story, but it is about a child. Children don’t always see the big picture. The question is, do we? Are we giving to the Lord as a cheerful giver? Is there something that we hesitate to give to the Lord? God provides us with all blessing. We celebrate that at Thanksgiving. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Will we praise him with our giving?
Bill T.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The document we call 2 Corinthians in the New Testament is actually a packet 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, the letter is a great source of insight into Paul’s personal 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 Second Corinthians where it is difficult to believe otherwise.
The suggestion has been made by more than one expert that chapters 8 and 9 represent separate stewardship letters, written to the Corinthians because they had not yet fulfilled their pledge to add to the collection Paul was taking for the Jerusalem Christians, who were not only poor, but suffering under a famine in their area.
The Corinthians were more prosperous, compared to most of the rest of the Achaian peninsula, because their location at the isthmus of the Peloponnesian peninsula means they made free money, without having to grow or manufacture goods, simply by transporting either smaller ships laid on wheels or by unloading the boats, transporting the goods along the isthmus, and loading them onto other boats. Travel by sea always involved some danger, and using the isthmus cut many miles and days from voyages in the Mediterranean, cutting the risk.
As mentioned earlier, the famine which caused great distress for Christians in Jerusalem, the "mother" church, led to Paul collecting a great love offering from the mission churches. 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. Many think that chapters 8 and 9 are two separate stewardship letters meant to poke and prod the Corinthians. Certainly, 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.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Just as gratitude leads to the secretion of the good-feeling chemicals of dopamine and oxytocin in the brain, so a lack of these brain chemicals (dopamine) also diminishes your energy and leads to less happiness (Madhuleena Chadhury, “The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain”). But dopamine is also made available to the brain in spiritual exercises (Dean Hamer, The God Gene, p.105). Thus, faith and thanksgiving/gratitude are obviously related. Martin Luther observed this, as he claimed concerning this text:
Our text should teach us that if we want to be Christians, we must learn to be grateful, first of all to God, our gracious Father in heaven. Second, we must be grateful to our parents, friends, and neighbors who have done us favors, have helped or given us good counsel. We should gratefully thank them, even if we cannot return their favors. That becomes us as Christians and God expects it of us. (Complete Sermons, Vol.6, p.425)
Regarding the ingratitude of the lepers, coping with the ingratitude we will encounter, with our own lack of thankfulness, the first reformer added:
That is why we must develop the habit of learning from this one example of our Lord Christ how to ignore ingratitude. For everyone knows from experience that if our Lord God were to give ten kingdoms, he would be fortunate to receive one expression of gratitude. Though he gives us ten years, we scarcely thank him for one, and what’s more, we misuse our best years in a shameful way... And so, God is hardly given thanks for one-tenth of his gifts and goodness, and for the other nine-tenths, he gets no thanks at all. We must expect the same kind of treatment and not feel hurt... (Complete Sermons, Vol.6, pp.428-429)
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
John Bunyan wrote, “A sensible thanksgiving for mercies received is a mighty prayer in the Spirit of God. It prevails with him unspeakably.” I came across a short story that focuses on mercies received.
One Sunday, after World War II ended, two different couples were waiting in line to speak to the minister of the church. The church was undertaking a building program. The first couple approached the minister as the second couple stood back a little. “Pastor,” the husband said, “As you know, our son was killed in the war. We would like to donate $200 in his memory.” The minister thanked them, and they left. The next couple approached. “Pastor,” the wife said, “We were going to give $200 as well, but our son came home. We’re giving $500.”
The Lord has blessed his people. In Luke 17, Jesus showed compassion and healed all ten men with leprosy. That was a life-changing event. Out of the ten, though, only one returned to demonstrate gratitude. Will we, especially today, show an attitude of gratitude to the one who has blessed us abundantly?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
As we celebrate Thanksgiving in our homes and in our churches today, we are reminded how few of us actually pause to offer thanks on a regular basis. There are people I know who only offer thanks before a meal on Thanksgiving Day. There are people I know that never mention thanksgiving and gratitude except at the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. And for some, Thanksgiving is more about the sales that begin today and extend through the weekend. We, each and all, even when our lives are challenging, have so much to be thankful for — the earth on which we walk, the air which we breathe, the water we drink, the family and friends who care for us. Even those who have very little have God’s love to be thankful for. I can recall visiting a very poor village in Africa and the group being offered a meal by a widow. We were grateful for the hospitality, but even more in awe of her generosity when I discovered that she had butchered half her flock of chickens to feed us. Thankfulness, generosity is not dependent on our physical circumstances — but on our heart and spirit.
Bonnie B.
The prosperity gospel has become very comforting to many. The message shared in this passage seems to indicate that if one is faithful all needs will be met, all prosperity will be shared. The faithful will have all they need, and they are called to remember to be thankful for that prosperity. The problem with clinging to a prosperity gospel is that there is no room for tragedy that happens to faithful people. The assumption becomes that if bad things are happening in your life, you must not be faithful. In no way does this align with the message of God. Yes, prosperity may come to the faithful, but it may also come to the unfaithful. Yes, tragedy may come into the lives of the unfaithful, but also into the lives of the faithful. God is true to God’s Word. We are loved, nurtured, blessed, and held in God’s embrace, but my friends, that doesn’t mean everything in this earthly existence will go our way. Today let’s be thankful for the spiritual gifts in our lives.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
While commenting on this text John Calvin notes:
For nothing so greatly confines us within the boundaries of humility and modesty as the acknowledgment of God’s grace; for it is madness and temerity to raise our crests against him on whom we depend, and to whom we owe ourselves and all we possess. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.II/1, p.400)
It seems that being thankful makes you happy. Studies by psychologist Robert Emmons (Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier) showed that adults keeping gratitude journals polled as happier and healthier than the general public. And Christians have a special “in” on this thankfulness Martin Luther thinks. He wrote:
This [thankfulness] 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. This is a virtue unattainable by any other human being on earth... To thank God with all your heart is an art — an art which the Holy Spirit teaches. (What Luther Says, p.1352)
Mark E.
* * *
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Robert Alter, in the notes to his translation of the Torah, says that the repetition of the Hebrew word eretz, “land,” gives verses 7-9 from this passage a “hymnic” quality. They roll of the tongue as Moses describes to the people the blessing of this land, leading to a phrase in verse 10 “And you will eat and be sated and bless the Lord.” that is a part of a Jewish prayer, discovered, among other places, in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The point is to remind us who came from, or whose ancestors came from, more difficult circumstances in distant lands, just how blessed we are. It is an especially appropriate prayer for Thanksgiving, urging us not to lose sight of the part God played in our past and present, so we won’t mistakenly start taking credit for ourselves. I am especially reminded of the Prayer of Agur, found in Proverbs 30:7-9.
Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
Just enough. Not too much. Don’t take all the credit. Thanksgiving means giving thanks.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Oswald Chambers once wrote, “With Christ, it is not how much we give, but what we do not give that is the real test.” I came across this anecdote that I thought was cute and a bit pointed. A dad, one day, gave his little girl two dollars and told her you can do whatever you want with one of the dollars but the other one belongs to God. The little girl smiled and agreed.
She was excited and skipped and ran to the ice cream store. She had a whole dollar to spend. As she was running down the sidewalk, she tripped. She dropped one of the dollars. Almost right away it blew into a storm drain. She got up and brushed herself off. She shook her head, looked up and said, “Sorry God. There goes your dollar.”
I don’t know if this is a true story, but it is about a child. Children don’t always see the big picture. The question is, do we? Are we giving to the Lord as a cheerful giver? Is there something that we hesitate to give to the Lord? God provides us with all blessing. We celebrate that at Thanksgiving. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Will we praise him with our giving?
Bill T.
* * *
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
The document we call 2 Corinthians in the New Testament is actually a packet 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, the letter is a great source of insight into Paul’s personal 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 Second Corinthians where it is difficult to believe otherwise.
The suggestion has been made by more than one expert that chapters 8 and 9 represent separate stewardship letters, written to the Corinthians because they had not yet fulfilled their pledge to add to the collection Paul was taking for the Jerusalem Christians, who were not only poor, but suffering under a famine in their area.
The Corinthians were more prosperous, compared to most of the rest of the Achaian peninsula, because their location at the isthmus of the Peloponnesian peninsula means they made free money, without having to grow or manufacture goods, simply by transporting either smaller ships laid on wheels or by unloading the boats, transporting the goods along the isthmus, and loading them onto other boats. Travel by sea always involved some danger, and using the isthmus cut many miles and days from voyages in the Mediterranean, cutting the risk.
As mentioned earlier, the famine which caused great distress for Christians in Jerusalem, the "mother" church, led to Paul collecting a great love offering from the mission churches. 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. Many think that chapters 8 and 9 are two separate stewardship letters meant to poke and prod the Corinthians. Certainly, 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.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
Just as gratitude leads to the secretion of the good-feeling chemicals of dopamine and oxytocin in the brain, so a lack of these brain chemicals (dopamine) also diminishes your energy and leads to less happiness (Madhuleena Chadhury, “The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain”). But dopamine is also made available to the brain in spiritual exercises (Dean Hamer, The God Gene, p.105). Thus, faith and thanksgiving/gratitude are obviously related. Martin Luther observed this, as he claimed concerning this text:
Our text should teach us that if we want to be Christians, we must learn to be grateful, first of all to God, our gracious Father in heaven. Second, we must be grateful to our parents, friends, and neighbors who have done us favors, have helped or given us good counsel. We should gratefully thank them, even if we cannot return their favors. That becomes us as Christians and God expects it of us. (Complete Sermons, Vol.6, p.425)
Regarding the ingratitude of the lepers, coping with the ingratitude we will encounter, with our own lack of thankfulness, the first reformer added:
That is why we must develop the habit of learning from this one example of our Lord Christ how to ignore ingratitude. For everyone knows from experience that if our Lord God were to give ten kingdoms, he would be fortunate to receive one expression of gratitude. Though he gives us ten years, we scarcely thank him for one, and what’s more, we misuse our best years in a shameful way... And so, God is hardly given thanks for one-tenth of his gifts and goodness, and for the other nine-tenths, he gets no thanks at all. We must expect the same kind of treatment and not feel hurt... (Complete Sermons, Vol.6, pp.428-429)
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
John Bunyan wrote, “A sensible thanksgiving for mercies received is a mighty prayer in the Spirit of God. It prevails with him unspeakably.” I came across a short story that focuses on mercies received.
One Sunday, after World War II ended, two different couples were waiting in line to speak to the minister of the church. The church was undertaking a building program. The first couple approached the minister as the second couple stood back a little. “Pastor,” the husband said, “As you know, our son was killed in the war. We would like to donate $200 in his memory.” The minister thanked them, and they left. The next couple approached. “Pastor,” the wife said, “We were going to give $200 as well, but our son came home. We’re giving $500.”
The Lord has blessed his people. In Luke 17, Jesus showed compassion and healed all ten men with leprosy. That was a life-changing event. Out of the ten, though, only one returned to demonstrate gratitude. Will we, especially today, show an attitude of gratitude to the one who has blessed us abundantly?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 17:11-19
As we celebrate Thanksgiving in our homes and in our churches today, we are reminded how few of us actually pause to offer thanks on a regular basis. There are people I know who only offer thanks before a meal on Thanksgiving Day. There are people I know that never mention thanksgiving and gratitude except at the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. And for some, Thanksgiving is more about the sales that begin today and extend through the weekend. We, each and all, even when our lives are challenging, have so much to be thankful for — the earth on which we walk, the air which we breathe, the water we drink, the family and friends who care for us. Even those who have very little have God’s love to be thankful for. I can recall visiting a very poor village in Africa and the group being offered a meal by a widow. We were grateful for the hospitality, but even more in awe of her generosity when I discovered that she had butchered half her flock of chickens to feed us. Thankfulness, generosity is not dependent on our physical circumstances — but on our heart and spirit.
Bonnie B.
