Thanksgiving Day comes on the heels of Christ the King Sunday, and so some congregations will incorporate themes of gratitude and thankfulness into this coming Sunday’s worship services. At first glance that might seem incompatible with the magisterial emphasis of Christ the King -- but in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating points out that the two observances and their lectionary texts actually point us in the same direction.
The Thanksgiving readings all accentuate God’s abundant generosity in his provision for us, the gratitude we should feel for our blessings, and the deep indebtedness we have to our sovereign. The Deuteronomy passage spells out how God led his people out of slavery and sustained them in the desert, and reminds us not to think that “my power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” In the Corinthians pericope, Paul indicates what should be our response: “God loves a cheerful giver... you will be enriched in every way for your great generosity.”
While that seems like common sense, the uncomfortable truth is that all too often we are more concerned with protecting (and increasing) what we have rather than sharing the wealth. In the Matthew text for Christ the King Sunday, Jesus invokes the image of a king sitting in judgment to shame us into acting on our gratitude. Chris suggests that Jesus is telling us that it’s not enough to express a vague sense of thankfulness for good fortune in our lives -- instead, we are being challenged to demonstrate the depth of our devotion to our monarch by how we actually behave in all sorts of seemingly mundane situations. If we are truly thankful, it is incumbent upon us to go out and pass the blessings we have been given on to others -- and not merely those who we’re comfortable with, but to “the least of these who are members of my family.” Our King expects no less.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on Christ the King Sunday... specifically, the notions one might derive from our modern culture about what constitutes a king. Dean contrasts Jesus’ kingship with three kings -- not Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior, but Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Pope Francis. The “realms” each of those three ostensibly rule over don’t really resemble historical monarchs, who had absolute power and often ruled through fear and intimidation. So perhaps they’re more representative of modern American attitudes toward kings -- we use the term more in the sense of a colossus who dominates his field of endeavor. But as Dean points out, Jesus’ rule is of a very different sort than earthly kings... either ancient or modern. His rule inverts all of our usual ways of thinking about a king.
A Feast Fit for a King?
by Chris Keating
Deuteronomy 8:7-18; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Matthew 25:31-46
There will be no want for food, family, or football this Thanksgiving. And don’t forget about those crowded pre-Black Friday shopping excursions. It’s feasting time in America.
Before too long our Thanksgiving tables will be set and the feast will be served. But Norman Rockwell’s iconic “Freedom from Want” Thanksgiving scene might need a bit of tweaking to bring it up to today’s standards. A modern version of the image created in 1943 for the Saturday Evening Post might include someone tweeting from a smartphone, another watching the NFL on a 50" flat-screen, and perhaps a third eyeing a Walmart sales ad. Grandma would be carrying the turkey from a deep fryer, while Grandpa prepares to upload a photo to Facebook.
On this weekend before Thanksgiving, many congregations will hear the Thanksgiving Day texts, recalling that the “one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6) and that “you shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land” (Deuteronomy 8:10). But it is also the festival of Christ the King, the culmination of the liturgical year -- a day to celebrate Christ’s reign over all creation, nations, and peoples.
On this day, Christ directs our eyes not just to tables groaning with food, but to the hungry whose stomachs are groaning for food, the thirsty longing for clean water, the strangers yearning to be welcomed, and the naked shivering in the cold. In other words, Christ’s festival must surely include those whose wants are most basic and critical to survival.
Christ calls us to the table and beckons us to look at each other, and not just at the goodies we’ve accumulated. If this is a feast fit for a king, we might do well to ponder just what sort of kingdom Christ envisions.
In the News
Today, the grandparents in Rockwell’s painting might be some of the million or more folks who contact 1-800-Butterball for turkey tips. Elderly men, particularly those wanting to carry on a family tradition after a spouse’s death, are some of the more familiar callers to the hotline, which has existed since 1981 and can now be accessed by Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail. A slightly disturbing but still humorous call came from a desperate dad who wanted to know if he could -- not just metaphorically -- handle two birds at one time by bathing his children in the same water used for thawing his turkey.
Note to parents: this is one time-saver which is not recommended.
A typical Rockwellian fete will likely cost a family around $50, based on last year’s figures from the American Farm Bureau Federation. (The federation will release this year’s figures on November 20.) If this summer’s data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to be accurate, prices for some produce and dairy products will be higher, but turkey prices may be a few cents cheaper than in 2013. That could keep the grandfather in Rockwell’s painting smiling.
Actually, most of the subjects in Rockwell’s painting are already smiling, engrossed in conversation, apparently oblivious to the oversized turkey making its grand debut. Inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” State of the Union Address in 1941, the painting depicts a family ensconced in a comfortable dining room, conversing as Grandmother carries the jaw-dropping turkey to the table. How could they not see it? Grandmother has fixed a feast fit for a king -- but perhaps their inattention to the main course is particularly apt this Sunday.
Here’s the question to explore, especially in conversation with the Matthew reading: Is anyone paying attention? Are we noticing the very ones Jesus suggests should be the guests of honor at his banquet -- those who hunger and thirst; those who are strangers in our midst; or those who are imprisoned?
As we settle into our feasting tables, we may be haunted by the parable’s cries: Just when did we see you hungry, or welcome you as a stranger, or visit you in prison?
Was it when we thought of the hungry in Syria, a nation torn apart by brutal war? The humanitarian crisis there is beyond comprehension. Recent United Nations estimates show that as many as 10.8 million Syrians are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Starvation is rampant in parts of Damascus, a city once known for its varied delicacies. Shane Bauer, writing in Mother Jones, puts it this way:
Who [not long ago] could conceive that imams would one day announce it was no longer religiously taboo to eat cats or donkeys? Women and children couldn’t yet dream they would soon be sifting through the grass for edible weeds. No one could imagine that on a street outside some apartments, there would be a little pile of cat heads next to men and children flaying the mangy animals and boiling them in a pot.
When did we see you, Lord?
Was it when we argued about welcoming the stranger -- particularly those who lack legal immigration status? Americans remain deeply divided about immigration reform. While one poll suggests that 81% of American voters want Congress to tackle immigration reform, the results of the midterm election do not seem to reflect that desire. Voters in Kentucky, for example, re-elected Sen. Mitch McConnell over immigration reform proponent Alison Lundergan Grimes. President Obama has indicated he plans to issue an executive order on immigration perhaps as soon as this week, a plan likely to be debated along partisan lines.
Already some see controversy brewing, as commentator David Frum notes. It will not be welcomed by everyone, but perhaps the presidential directive will widen our nation’s collective eyes to the struggles faced by immigrant families.
Did we see King Jesus in the faces of the 2.4 million incarcerated Americans, the overwhelming majority of whom are either African-American or Latino males? This week’s Atlantic notes that while crime rates have been dropping for 40 years, incarceration rates have soared in that time period by 40 percent. Writer Stephen Lurie observes that if all the people who have seen the inside of a cell this year were gathered into one place, you would create a prison city as big as New York City and Los Angeles combined.
These are the realities of our world this Thanksgiving. Yet, like the family gathered in Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” painting, we may be missing the reality set before our eyes.
In the Scriptures
Perhaps those rather grim realities may not seem like the best way to whet our congregation’s appetites for Thanksgiving. The taste of this strife is bitter and lingers long on the palate. Surely this is no way to prepare a feast fit for a king.
In truth, though, the gospel reading for Christ the King Sunday may actually help us be better prepared for Thanksgiving. It’s a bit of theological patchwork, but using parts of the Thanksgiving Day readings in conjunction with the Matthew text helps improve our vision, enhancing our experience of gratitude while evoking within us new understandings of Christian discipleship. It may seem unconventional, but it is worthy of consideration.
The lush promise of God’s abundance described in Deuteronomy 8 becomes the perfect aperitif to the meaty declarations of Matthew’s last judgment. We take care not to forget what God has done by following Christ into the places where the least of these dwell. When we have “eaten our fill” and “built fine houses,” we may be tempted to forget God who calls us to love our neighbor. Thanksgiving is a time for remembering, and a time for seeing.
Seeing becomes primary in the parable of the sheep and goats. It is the climax of Jesus’ teaching in chapters 24 and 25. As Barbara Lundblad notes in Feasting on the Gospels, “This is Jesus’ last lecture... surely he must have saved the most important for last” (Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew Vol. 2 [Westminster/John Knox Press, 2013], p. 267). All the teaching about being prepared and ready leads to this final feast. The king arrives, gathers all the nations, and begins the tedious process of winnowing out the faithful.
Who shall be invited to this feast? For Matthew, the answer of course is obvious. Jesus has taught that the “last shall be first, and the first shall be last,” and has reminded the disciples what true greatness will look like. Indeed, the parable of the wedding banquet in chapter 22 has offered an important clue, reminding disciples that “many are called, yet few are chosen.”
The power of this parable is that it shakes us to the core. It invites us to see in new ways, to understand that Jesus is present not because the imprisoned are such nice people but simply because our God is Emmanuel -- God with us. Jesus, reminds John Buchanan, is right there in the middle of the stubborn struggles of life (see “Pastoral Perspective,” Proper 29/Reign of Christ, in Feasting on the Word [Year A, Vol. 4]).
Note that both the sheep and the goats have failed to see Christ. The righteous aren’t necessarily gifted with better eyesight. Instead, they have been living the way of discipleship expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. They have extended hospitality to those who have been excluded, they have fed those who are hungry, and they have visited the incarcerated. They have offered God’s mercy to “one of the least of these,” and in so doing have served Christ.
In the Sermon
I stumble around in the mornings until my hands land on my glasses. My nearsightedness would land me in a heap of trouble if it weren’t for corrections -- and perhaps that is the lesson Matthew conveys in the familiar, if discomforting, words of Matthew 25:31-46.
It’s a favorite text for mission trips -- but read incorrectly it could make the poor and suffering of our world into objects of worship. On Thanksgiving, it is a text that calls us to be the wise and generous givers Paul envisions, disciples who are dedicated not to counting the hours before kickoff (or the beginning of Black Friday), but to acts of service.
The sermon could be developed in a way that encourages the congregation to be deeply aware of human need, and to recognize that the Christ who stood in the currents of the River Jordan still stands knee-deep in the muck of the world. This setting may look quite a bit different than the one Norman Rockwell painted, or even the one we have experienced in years past. The point is that Jesus invites us to see differently this Thanksgiving, and encourages our tables to be set with intentionality.
The feast the king expects this Thanksgiving is one where the hungry (the really hungry, and not just those who have been drooling over turkey drippings) are welcomed, and the stranger embraced. As Matthew brings his gospel to a close, he recalls the promise of Christ-like hospitality in chapter 10:
“...whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
ANOTHER VIEW
Four Kings
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 25:31-46
The Feast of Christ the King was initiated in 1925 by Pope Pius XI as a movable feast day or holy day, intended as a response to the rise of secular political movements and civil governments that were trying to either co-opt the name of Jesus for political purposes or failing that, to convince people that Jesus was simply irrelevant. In his encyclical Quas Primas, Pius established it as a day to remember, celebrate, and recommit ourselves to a relationship with Jesus Christ that is metaphorically akin to the relationship of subjects to their king. Originally set on the Sunday before All Saints Day, the observance was eventually moved to its current location on the final Sunday of the Christian liturgical year -- the Sunday before a new Advent cycle begins.
After the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the creation of the Roman Catholic three-year lectionary (Ordo Lectionum Missae) in 1969, many liturgical Protestant denominations began adopting similar lectionaries that followed the Christian liturgical year, including the Feast of Christ the King as established by the Roman Catholic church. With the adoption of the Revised Common Lectionary in 1994, Christ the King Sunday has now become a permanent fixture in the liturgical and worship lives of many churches in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Americans, however, are often uncomfortable with the notion of kings and kingship. We don’t like the way kings are made, and we are concerned about how they will wield their power -- which is by definition (figureheads notwithstanding) absolute. We fought a long and painful war to free ourselves from monarchy, and are not altogether sure we want to sign up for another no matter how metaphorical the title may be.
Let’s look at four examples of kingship and see how that understanding plays out.
The Problem with Kings
Elvis Presley was the “King of Rock and Roll.” Michael Jackson was known as the “King of Pop.”
No one is sure who first dubbed Elvis as “the king,” but it is a title that has stayed with him. Many pretenders tried to usurp his crown and title -- Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others -- but it has been and will forever be Elvis’s alone. Why?
Elvis Presley was a new, energizing presence on the popular music scene. Blogger Dave Taylor puts it this way: “Prior to Elvis, remember, it was primarily black musicians who were championing this radical new form of music, but without much success. Much more popular in the late ’40s and early ’50s were performers like crooner Frank Sinatra, who was a wonderful singer but boring by comparison. While there have been better musicians since Elvis -- and certainly better overall performers -- Presley brought a sense of showmanship, of being the center stage in a way that the big bands and ’40s singers never did.”
And he moved. Before Elvis, singers may have swayed a little or politely snapped their fingers. But he was the first popular white artist to throw his whole body into the songs he sang.
And he was rewarded for his efforts. Elvis brought rock and roll into the mainstream by making it massively popular -- and it was his fans who made him king. Elvis had over 110 top 40 hit singles and 18 number one songs. He starred in 31 motion pictures that were all box-office hits. No other musical entertainer has come even close to his achievement.
Unfortunately, once Elvis was crowned he became corrupted by his success and power.
Lonely and isolated, constantly surrounded by toadies, lackeys, and sycophants, he self-medicated his pain -- emotional and physical -- with food, alcohol, and prescription drugs. He died naked on the floor of his bathroom at the age of 42.
Michael Jackson received his crown as the “King of Pop” from, well, himself.
According to Larry Stessel, an executive at Epic Records, he received a call from Michael Jackson wherein the singer announced that he wanted a nickname. Stessel told him that “the Boss” was already taken by Bruce Springsteen and Elvis was “the King,” but Jackson persisted. “Michael would not let this go,” Stessel reports. “He hired his own personal publicist, Bob Jones. And one day, Bob issued a press release announcing that Michael Jackson was the King of Pop.”
In 1991 Jackson sent a memo to MTV saying that he wanted to be referred to as the “King of Pop” -- and because he was at that time the biggest music star in the world they went along with it. A short time later, with the release of “Black or White,” he required that any network that wanted to show the complete 11-minute video had to refer to him as the “King of Pop” at least twice a week... and to save the clips of them doing so in case he wanted to see them. So powerful was Jackson at the time that most music video networks agreed, and Michael became the “King of Pop” not so much by acclamation as by demand.
Unfortunately, the power and popularity of entertainment monarchy rested no more comfortably on his head than it had on Elvis’s. Michael Jackson died at the age of 50, from an overdose of prescription drugs.
The third king under consideration here is Pope Francis.
No, he does not refer to himself as a king, but he is in fact the ruler of the Vatican city-state as well as the worldwide Roman Catholic church, is he not? His power is absolute. His words, spoken ex cathedra, are law.
That does not mean that his job is simple or easy, however.
Just as King Zedekiah tried to tiptoe along the line that divided the prophet Jeremiah (who demanded justice) from the corrupt aristocracy (who demanded favors), so this pope must deal with bishops and cardinals who guard their own power with ruthless jealousy.
One such cardinal is Raymond Burke, who climbed the ladder of success from archbishop of the St. Louis area to head of the Vatican’s highest court, the Apostolic Signatura. Burke, a notorious conservative, made a name for himself in the USA by criticizing John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election and resigning from the board of a hospital in 2007 because they invited singer Sheryl Crow to headline a fund-raising concert. (Both Kerry and Crow have supported abortion rights.) And Burke has not changed his tune since becoming a powerful force in the Vatican.
Until a few days ago Pope Francis had talked a great deal about necessary changes that he foresees for the Church, but had actually done very little of substance. Faced with harsh criticism from the outspoken cardinal, however, the pope acted quickly and decisively, demoting him to the largely ceremonial position of Chaplain of the Knights of Malta.
The prominent traditional Catholic blog Rorate Caeli called the demotion “the greatest humiliation of a Curial Cardinal in living memory, truly unprecedented in modern times: considering the reasonably young age of the Cardinal... nothing short than a complete degradation and a clear punishment.”
Kevin Eckstrom, editor-in-chief for the Religion News Service, said on The Rachael Maddow Show that “this is a power play. And it’s a very powerful power play by the pope to say that he’s going to get what he wants and he’ll do what he needs to do to get it done, and it’s a signal to every other bishop in the world that if you want to be a part of this administration, you’ve got to learn how to play ball with this pope.”
American traditionalist priest-blogger Father John Zuhlsdorf says, “This is millennial, clerical bloodsport.”
In other words, don’t mess with the king. And if you have a problem with Francis inviting former punk/new wave icon Patti Smith to perform at this year’s Vatican Christmas concert, well, keep it to yourself.
The King of Kings
The fourth king is, of course, the “King of kings,” Jesus.
His kingship is of the metaphorical kind. His kingdom is a spiritual one.
He is king not by virtue of his fan support, as was Elvis. Neither is his kingship a self-proclaimed one, as was Michael Jackson’s.
He does not enforce his will with acts of power or punishment.
His scepter is a shepherd’s staff. His power emanates from his cross. He has conquered death, not nations. His rule is one of grace and love.
He calls his followers not subjects, but disciples.
Entrance into his kingdom is voluntary -- but it is neither simple nor easy. The gate is narrow (Matthew 7:13). The members of it are not recognized by their clothing or their ethnicity or their accent or even by their religious rituals, but by the “fruit” that they produce (Matthew 7:20-21).
There are no nominal citizens in this kingdom. All are totally committed, totally absorbed in the demands of citizenship. They are fully aware that citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom “involves living a life of integrity, being a person of character, having Christian values, being compassionate, serving others, seeking justice, and affirming core beliefs about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ” (Martin Thielen, The Answer to Bad Religion is Not No Religion [Westminister John Knox, 2014]).
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Just as David is set up as shepherd to God’s people in the pattern God has established, we continue to see God’s shepherds in the news and all around us when we look for patterns of deliberate, faithful, and saving care given to those in need.
As news of former Army Ranger turned humanitarian aid worker Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig’s death at the hands of the Islamic State floods the headlines, more and more of Kassig’s story is emerging. In a statement of condolence, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke of his “generosity of spirit” and summed up Kassig’s intentions this way: “This was a young man who traveled to one of the world’s most dangerous places to care for the innocent victims of a bloody conflict, and fearlessly dedicated himself to helping those in need.”
The president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Hadi al Bahra, released a statement saying that Kassig would be remembered for paying “the ultimate sacrifice trying to relieve the suffering of his fellow human beings far away from home.”
Hannah Allam of McClatchy DC News writes: “After serving as a Ranger, Kassig trained as an emergency medical technician and founded a nonprofit group, Special Emergency Response and Assistance, to provide aid to displaced Syrians on both sides of the border. He was headed to eastern Syria to deliver supplies that he’d purchased with American donations when he was captured in October 2013.”
Mitchell Prothero, McClatchy News’ Iraq correspondent, shared an apartment with Kassig in Beirut and wrote this in a tribute: “He’d live for days in the hospital, pulling long shifts strictly as a volunteer and was even jokingly nicknamed Abu Homsi by his colleagues and patients because they just couldn’t believe this former American soldier was working for free simply to help people.”
These pieces of Kassig’s story from a wide variety of sources help us begin to see a shepherd who bound up the injured, strengthened the weak, and fed God’s people with justice (vv. 16, 20).
*****
Matthew 25:31-46
As we consider what kind of king Christ is and what that means for those who would follow him, our passage from Matthew offers some insight. The one who “comes in glory” with “all the angels with him,” who “sit[s] on the throne of his glory,” comes not to be bathed in the glorious light of praise and honor but to shed light on the true work of the King and his followers. He points directly to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, and says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
So did we? What was it that we did exactly?
Numbers from a new study released by the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH) tell us that the King’s directions aren’t being heeded nearly enough when it comes to some of the most vulnerable “least of these” -- school-aged children. Last year, 2.5 million American schoolchildren were homeless. This number is up 8% from the year before, and according to NCFH is due to our nation’s high poverty rate, our lack of affordable housing, and domestic violence.
Carmela DeCandia, director of NCFH and co-author of the study’s recent report, writes, “As a society, we’re going to pay a high price, in human and economic terms.” This is because of the potentially devastating effects on children’s educational, emotional, and social development, as well as on their parents’ health, employment prospects, and parenting abilities, continues DeCandia.
How closely are we following the commands of our King? How are we addressing the needs of the “least of these” upon whom he sheds his light?
*****
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Matthew 25:31-46
As President Obama’s announcement that he is planning an overhaul of immigration policy hangs in the air, one might wonder what another ruler would say about those whose lives Obama’s changes will affect. Are undocumented immigrants somewhere in our King’s account of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned? If they are, how will these new policies affect this part of “the least of these”? And what can we do about it?
Undocumented activist Angy Rivera tells her own story of “coming out” as undocumented after living in fear for so many years. How might our Shepherd respond to Angy’s story? How will our leaders? How will we?
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Thanksgiving
As members of the cabinet and Congress gathered in the Oval Office on Sunday morning, March 9, 1862, the mood was somber. The previous day the Merrimac, an ironclad vessel flying the Confederate flag, had sailed out of Hampton Roads harbor -- and 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, D.C. But President Abraham Lincoln knew that at that hour a Union ironclad ship, the Monitor, was engaging the Merrimac in battle. President 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.”
Application: The Thanksgiving holiday has always been a time when we have paused to recognize the hand of the Almighty guiding us through history.
*****
Thanksgiving
Prior to accepting a position in President Dwight Eisenhower’s cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson made one request: he asked that all cabinet sessions begin with prayer. Eisenhower quickly agreed to Benson’s request. But when the first cabinet meeting convened, the president forgot Benson’s request and omitted the opening prayer. Afterward, Benson wrote the president a memo reminding him of their prior agreement. At the next cabinet meeting, held on February 6, 1953, Eisenhower inquired of the other officials if an opening prayer was acceptable to them. All agreed. They decided the prayer would be silent, though anyone was free to pray verbally, and that the president would end the brief silence with the words “Thank you.”
Application: One cannot dispute the fact that our country was founded on religious principles which have sustained us throughout our history.
*****
Thanksgiving
Ralph Waldo Emerson offered a poem to recognize the stamina of our citizens. It concludes:
Not gold but only man can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.
Application: Our nation is firmly founded upon men and women who were willing to dare to dare, who were willing to venture forth into uncertain lands, who were willing to accept the hardships and sacrifice of new adventures, and who were willing to die for the cause in which they believed. A side note relating to the theme of Emerson’s poem is that the new 104-story Freedom Tower (built to replace the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack) is now open with its first commercial tenant.
*****
Thanksgiving
The newly released Vietnam POWs huddled together in the C-141, unable to comprehend their journey from the Hanoi Hilton to freedom at Clark Field in the Philippines. Commander Jeremiah Denton, the senior officer aboard their transport, was asked to make a statement on behalf of all those onboard. Denton borrowed paper and pen from a nurse, composed a short speech, and committed it to memory. Soon the spokesman was standing before the gathered reception. His few prepared words seemed so inadequate for this solemn occasion. Unrehearsed, he spoke from his heart: “God bless America! Land that I love.”
Application: On this special holiday we are to recognize and give thanks for our bountiful blessings.
*****
Thanksgiving
In 1943, Eleanor Roosevelt toured the battle-scarred island of Guadalcanal. With remorse she viewed the endless field of grave markers. Reflecting on her visit, the First Lady wrote: “On the island of Guadalcanal there is a cemetery, and as you look on the crosses row on row, you think of the women’s hearts buried here as well.”
Application: This holiday we recall the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors, and we give thanks for our many blessings that have come from their sacrifices and toils.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth.
People: Worship God with gladness.
Leader: Come into God’s presence with singing.
People: Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving, and God’s courts with praise.
Leader: Give thanks to God, bless God’s name.
People: For God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever, and God’s faithfulness to all generations.
OR
Leader: Come and celebrate the goodness of our God.
People: We come to give thanks for all God’s blessings.
Leader: God desires that all good things should be shared.
People: We know that all good gifts come from God.
Leader: Show your thankfulness by imitating the giver.
People: We will share with others as God has shared with us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Crown Him with Many Crowns”
found in:
UMH: 327
H82: 494
PH: 151
AAHH: 288
NNBH: 125
NCH: 301
CH: 234
LBW: 170
ELA: 855
W&P: 317
AMEC: 174
“When Morning Gilds the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545, 546
ELA: 853
W&P: 111
AMEC: 29
“Rejoice, the Lord Is King”
found in:
UMH: 715, 716
H82: 481
PH: 155
NCH: 303
CH: 699
LBW: 171
ELA: 430
W&P: 342
AMEC: 88, 89
“Jesu, Jesu”
found in:
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELA: 708
W&P: 273
“Make Me a Captive, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 421
PH: 378
“Freely, Freely”
found in:
UMH: 389
“Now Thank We All Our God”
found in:
UMH: 102
H82: 396, 397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533, 534
ELA: 839, 840
W&P: 14
AMEC: 573
STLT: 32
“For the Fruits of This Creation”
found in:
UMH: 97
H82: 424
PH: 553
NCH: 425
CH: 714
LBW: 563
ELA: 679
W&P: 723
“Give Thanks”
found in:
CCB: 92
Renew: 266
“Refiner’s Fire”
found in:
CCB: 79
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who rules over creation by lovingly giving yourself to it: Grant us the grace to see the true power of service so that in thanksgiving we can fulfill our call to share the Christ; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come to offer our worship and praise to you, O God, for you are the one who comes to offer yourself to us. We are thankful for all the ways in which you share your love, your grace, and your life with us. We ask that you would once again anoint us with your Spirit, that we may follow the way of the Christ in service to others. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the way in which we offer thanks with our words and not with our actions.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been richly blessed by God, and yet we are often lax in saying our thanks. Even more often we forget to convert our saying thanks into doing thanks. As we are God’s children, we should be acting like our loving parent. Instead we are more apt to be selfish and looking for an opportunity to gather in more rather than for a way to share what we have. Forgive us, and renew your image within us that we may truly be disciples of the Christ. Amen.
Leader: God is our gracious parent and creator, who delights in sharing blessing with us and who delights when we share with others. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and share all God’s blessings with others.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for you have gifted us with many blessings. You have offered us the delights of this world, and share your love and life with all.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been richly blessed by God, and yet we are often lax in saying our thanks. Even more often we forget to convert our saying thanks into doing thanks. As we are God’s children, we should be acting like our loving parent. Instead we are more apt to be selfish and looking for an opportunity to gather in more rather than for a way to share what we have. Forgive us, and renew your image within us that we may truly be disciples of the Christ.
We are thankful for all the ways in which you have graced our lives. We are truly a blessed people. Your abundant love and grace surrounds us, and you constantly offer yourself to us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We are aware that there are those who have been shut out from all the abundance of your creation. We pray for them, and we dedicate ourselves to working to correct those things that keep your blessings from them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
A Litany
Leader: Let us recount the blessings we have received.
People: We are truly and wondrously blessed.
Leader: Let us consider the beauty of creation that stretches out far beyond our earth.
People: We give thanks for the Creator and the creation. In thankfulness we will care for the creation God offers us.
Leader: Look at the abundance of the earth and how it produces enough food for all its inhabitants.
People: We enjoy the variety and abundance of the produce of the land. With thankfulness we will share it with others.
Leader: The trees produce wood, the ground gives us stone and ore to be refined for metals. These and other gifts from God’s earth provide us with sturdy shelters to live in.
People: We are blessed with houses that keep us in comfort from searing heat or freezing cold. With thankfulness we will work to make sure that all God’s children have a safe place to live.
Leader: Look at the friends and family who surround us with loving care.
People: Our families and friends as well as our sisters and brothers in the faith provide love and care beyond our telling. With thankfulness we will be friends to the friendless and we will treat others as sisters and brothers in love.
Leader: Rejoice in all God’s goodness.
People: We do rejoice, and we will share God’s love and grace with all those around us.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how we say “thank you” to others. We can do it in words, but we can also do it in other ways, such as doing something nice in return. We can say thanks to God, but we can also show God how thankful we are by acting like God in giving to others. Even a smile or some time to play together is a way we can pass on our “thank you” to others.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Sharing With Others
by Wesley T. Runk
Matthew 25:31-46
Object: an item of canned food that might be given to a food pantry
How many of you have ever given food, toys, or clothes to share with another family at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or some other time? (let the children answer) Do you want to tell me what you gave? (let them answer) Those are really good gifts to share with someone who would not have that if it were not for you. When you give like that, you are going to make someone very happy, and not only are they going to thank you for your sharing, but they are also going to thank God for having people remember them.
God teaches us a lot of things, but one of the things that he teaches us most often is to share the things that we have with others. Sometimes he wants us to share our time so that we can go and visit people who are sick or in prison, or who are new in town and have no friends, and things like that. Other times God wants us to share our talent so that people with good voices sing in choirs, and people who can paint make beautiful pictures, and people who can take care of a house make their homes beautiful. That is sharing talent.
But then sometimes God asks us to share things like our food with people who are poor or can’t work because they are old or injured and have run out of money. That is when we do things like collecting food to give to a food pantry. Jesus says that when you do this for the poor people, then it is just like giving it to him. That is really something, because we all want to share our things and our lives with Jesus. When we give to the poor, we are giving to Jesus. When we share any of our lives with people who need it, we are sharing our life with Jesus.
All of us want to share Jesus, and this is one way that we can do it well. So the thing to remember today is that when you give to some person who needs it, you have given it to Jesus and he thanks you for it.
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The Immediate Word, November 23, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
