Thanksgiving 2025
1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1–4 [CSB]
Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. Yet it is what the church does. We do and we are, to give thanks…
Give thanks to Whom? From where all Blessings flow. That, you might say, is the LAW. The law of God, the Law of the Land…
It is what your mother taught you. We are to say please…and….
Thank you.
We are to count our blessings….
But…then…that is when we wiggle and squirm.
The truth is…and it is real… it is… in everyone one of us…that there is something there that rather…well…
Not.
Are you surprised when you notice that about yourself?
It is one reason we have to be taught… to give thanks from the very start.
But how is saying:
ALL RIGHT, I WILL! THANK YOU! I HAVE SAID IT. NOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?
Is that what this is about…just words…to say? Is this really doing what we ought to be doing… thinking… feeling…
…knowing?
It is strange how humans, who bring nothing into this world…not even ourselves…and take nothing out of it, not even our own bodies…
No, these are given back to the dirt from whence they came…
“From dust you were taken and to dust you shall return…” as God has Moses remind us…
Yes, the “little lent” is at hand… Sunday begins Advent. So hearing this is good so to do…
And then… what is…as Jesus told that rich farmer, “today your soul is required of you…”?
So, yes… I AM SAYING HERE…we don’t even get to keep that. Nothing belongs to us. We have made nothing, created nothing…
But yes, it is strange that we walk around as if we made everything, gave ourselves birth, and are…ever so… independent and…
…want to be more so… thinking for a crazy moment we can be!
But, in truth, we are forever and always dependent. It is still God who causes the rain to come down, the sun to shine, crops to grow and creatures to be born.
Not us.
And what do we do? What do we fail to do?
We…ungrateful, self-absorbed, spoiled, good for nothing…etc., etc.,…YES. YES, WE ARE.
Now we can yell, and shame, and try all sorts of things to try and get a thank you out of people…
… but we are too far gone for that to work. THANK YOU we might get yelled back at us… but…
Well…
It will be that childish kind of one I mentioned above.
We have to remember that The LAW can only show us what we are to do, and demand it, but never can it produce the right kind of thankfulness, or any other good work for that matter.
So how do we get there from here? Well, first we cannot. Only God can get us there.
Only He can turn us into a good tree bearing good fruit. Only He can replace our hard stone-like ungrateful hearts with a living, beating, genuine caring and thankful heart…
…in here…in us.
The prodigal son is the best narrative that shows How God does this very thing.
We are, you know, one of those sons… one of those daughters?
Which are you—the publican or the Pharisee? No way to avoid one of those labels. You are one or the other.
How do you need to be confronted by the Father?
Do you know, though that Jesus said…
… he who is forgiven much, loves much.
With that we could also say, they who are given much, would be giving thanks much too. They go hand-in-hand.
And that is what the Father is doing with all His children, however they may be.
It is God who works this in us. He uses His LAW and digs and prunes and tears out and tears down. He impoverishes and brings tribulation…along with suffering…. And yes, hunger, lack and want…
And then…
Blessings, abundance and forgiveness. All by Grace. All undeserved. Because He loves us. Just because!
Do you know that all this (this good) can be had in a huge full measure right there…in the midst of all sorts of pain, suffering and calamity?
This because it is by faith. And by faith mountains are moved. By faith we are well fed, healthy, wealthy and wise. Always and forever. Maybe not at that moment, but faith knows that God promises and will never be unfaithful in fulfilling them.
Yes, it takes the eyes of faith. Yes, it is hard. Yes, most rather not–actually all humans rather not, because of our flesh, rather not.
But He comes and saves us all the same. He comes and by His Grace (undeserved favor) gives faith from hearing just how much we are forgiven, in His great mercy.
Yes, He forgives everything…and then again and then still…provides all we need…for this life and for the next.
Always! Without fail!
So yes, Now Thank We, All Our God. We can. We are. We will.
Out of all that joy which comes from the free gift of salvation and that ability to believe it—no matter what…
…even besides nagging doubt…WE give thanks.
As we are forgiven much. Always!
So we can Love much too…and we can give much thanks too…now and always. All things are ours in Christ Jesus. Praise and Thanksgiving be to our Great Lord and Savior. Amen.
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