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Thanksgiving Sermons

Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5 Melvin Newland
With all my heart I believe we are a people & a nation that has truly been blessed by God. And of all those who "give thanks to Him & praise His name" we should be at the top!... If we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions. Like you, I�m sure, my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, & the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I�m thankful for my salvation, our church family, & the mercy that God showers upon us each day. With Jesus we have so much for which to celebrate on Thanksgiving!
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A Proper Perspective on Thanksgiving - Ephesians 5:19-20 Steve Malone
This Thursday is Thanksgiving. One day in which we like those early Pilgrims set aside time in our busy schedules to give thanks to God. Now, there is nothing wrong with that but the word of God tells us that this should be a continual, daily, attitude.
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Five Kernels of Corn - Psalms 103:1-13 Bruce Howell
They had a custom of putting five kernels of corn upon each empty plate before a dinner of �thanksgiving� was served. Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell what they were thankful for. It was to remind them that the first Pilgrims were in such dire straits that their allowance was only five kernels of corn per person each day.

We have many reasons to be thankful. Let�s take five grains of corn, and using Psalm 103:1-5 as a basis, think of five things to praise God for.
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Where Are the Nine? A Celebration of Thanksgiving - Luke 17:11-19 Robert Massey
Here in the passage of scripture that I read this morning, there were ten lepers who met Jesus and had a life changing encounter with the Lord. However, what is so significant about these lepers who were healed is that out of the ten, only one returned to say thanks. One man named Charles Brown, gave several suggestions as to why the other nine never returned � One waited to see if the cure was real. One waited to see if it would last. One said he would see Jesus later. One decided that he had never had leprosy. One said he would have gotten well anyway. One gave the glory to the priests. One said, "O, well, Jesus didn�t really do anything." One said, "Any rabbi could have done it." One said, "I was already much improved." And then there was one who returned to give God thanks. I want to share with you this morning several truths from this passage of scripture that I hope will cause us to truly give God thanks for what all He has done for us.
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Thanksgiving in a Land of Plenty - John 6:25-35 Joel W. Lohr
There's a trouble with receiving something on a regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it. This is the "entitlement mindset" that has permeated American society at almost every level. We have been blessed to live in a land of plenty and as a result we become complacent and many times we are completely unwilling to give thanks to anyone for anything.

Many times, you have heard me say that "attitude is everything" ... Well, it is no different when it comes to thanksgiving. The attitude we carry with us through life is of paramount importance if we are truly to live lives that demonstrate our gratitude towards God for his movement in our lives.
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Commitment to Thanksgiving - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Steve Shepherd
Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are not always the best. In fact, they may be downright bad, but still, we are to look for something to be thankful for! And there is ALWAYS something positive for which we can be thankful! ... Dr. Dale Robbins writes, "I used to think people complained because they had a lot of problems. But I have come to realize that they have problems because they complain. Complaining doesn't change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and can invoke an invitation for the devil to cause havoc with our lives." Complaining makes us miserable.
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What Have You Done For Me Lately - Luke 17:11-19 David Gauthier
Rudyard Kipling�s writings not only made him famous but also brought him a fortune. A newspaper reporter came up to him once and said, "Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over one hundred dollars a word.� He reached into his pocket and pulled out a one hundred-dollar bill and gave it to Kipling, saying, �Here�s a one hundred dollar bill, Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your hundred dollar words.� Rudyard Kipling looked at the money, put it in his pocket and said, "Thanks!"

Well, the word "thanks" is certainly a one hundred dollar word. In fact, I would say it is more like a million-dollar word. It�s a small word but it has a powerful meaning. It might only have six letters but it gets across a message that few other words are capable of achieving. When that little word is missing, we feel it deeply. You know what it�s like when someone doesn�t say "thanks" � you feel hurt, used, ignored, and taken for granted and you wonder why you bothered to do something for the person in the first place.
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Thanksgiving Can Change Your Life - Psalm 118:1 Aaron Burgess
On Thursday we will all be gathering together with our family and hopefully we will remember to do more than eat a meal and watch football or make a mad dash for the mall. The Thanksgiving Holiday gives us the perfect opportunity to transform our lives from those of griping and dissatisfaction to lives of joy and gratitude. Thanksgiving is a good holiday for us to turn the corner and become grateful people. God wants nothing more than for us to be people of thanksgiving and gratitude. Alan Perkins says, �A thankful spirit is one of the key distinguishing marks of a Christian. It sets us apart from the world, it makes us different.� Psalm 118:1 says, �Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.�
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Giving Thanks - Luke 17:11-19 David Washburn
How often do we find ourselves prompting our children to say �thank you?� � We want our children to be respectful and use good manners, which is why we teach them to say �Thank you,� but I wonder if in our attempt to produce properly mannered children, we actually overlook the thankfulness within �Thank you.� Do we bring our children to a place where thankfulness is more than polite, but a recognizable part of their personhood? Are we at a place where thankfulness is a recognizable part of our personhood?

Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else�s. Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health, or financial security, because each of those circumstances can be taken from us in an instant. Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted.
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An Attitude of Gratitude - 1 Timothy 6:6-16 Rodney Buchanan
How many of us would put up with constant stress, confusion, persecution, and beatings that left deep scars and permanent injuries, and still maintain a positive attitude? But Paul had learned an important secret to life. He had learned the secret of not living life based on the conditions around him. He could be content in prison as well as at home. His happiness was not based on situations; it was based on his relationship with Christ. He knew he had all he needed in him, for it was Christ that gave him the strength for life.

God is saying to us: �Don�t wait to be happy. Don�t postpone happiness until your situation changes, or you have acquired a certain thing. If you cannot be happy now you will not be happy then, for happiness is not a matter of what you have, or what situation you are in. It is a matter of who you are and how you respond to life.
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Thanksgiving Video Illustrations

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Thanksgiving Illustrations

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Did I Leave Anybody Out?
One Thanksgiving season a family was seated around their table, looking at the annual holiday bird. From the oldest to the youngest, they were to express their praise. When they came to the 5-year-old in the family, he began by looking at the turkey and expressing his thanks to the turkey, saying although he had not tasted it he knew it would be good. After that rather novel expression of thanksgiving, he began with a more predictable line of credits, thanking his mother for cooking the turkey and his father for buying the turkey.

But then he went beyond that. He joined together a whole hidden multitude of benefactors, linking them with cause and effect. He said, "I thank you for the checker at the grocery store who checked out the turkey. I thank you for the grocery store people who put it on the shelf. I thank you for the farmer who made it fat. I thank you for the man who made the feed. I thank you for those who brought the turkey to the store." Using his Columbo-like little mind, he traced the turkey all the way from its origin to his plate. And then at the end he solemnly said "Did I leave anybody out?"

His 2-year-older brother, embarrassed by all those proceedings, said, "God." Solemnly and without being flustered at all, the 5-year-old said, "I was about to get to him."

Well, isn�t that the question about which we ought to think at Thanksgiving time? Are we really going to get to him this Thanksgiving?

Source: Getting Around to God, Joel Gregory, "The Unlikely Thanker," Preaching Today, Tape No. 110. Contributor: A. Todd Coget
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Modest Gratitude
In a sense, gratitude is an expression of modesty. In Hebrew, the word for gratitude - hoda�ah - is the same as the word for confession. To offer thanks is to confess dependence, to acknowledgment that others have the power to benefit you, to admit that your life is better because of their efforts. That frame of mind is indispensable to civilized society.

SOURCE: "The Power of Giving Thanks By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe Staff, 11/23/2000. http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Thanksgiving/power.tx
He Didn't Get There Alone
Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words & think that they are wonderful, & begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post & remember that he didn�t get there on his own. He had help." That is the basis of thankfulness - to remember that we got here with the help of God, & that He is the provider of every blessing we have.

SOURCE: Melvin Newland
Gratitude - A Necessary Attitude
A few years ago Dr. Nick Stinnett of the University of Nebraska conducted a group of studies called the "Family Strengths Research Project" Stinnett and his researchers identified six qualities that make for strong families. The first quality and one of the most important to be found in strong families was the quality of appreciation. Families that are strong are strong in part, Dr. Stinnett concludes, because family members express to each other their appreciation for what the other members DO and for who they ARE.

In a similar study another researcher looked into the effect of praise in the workplace. His study showed that the ratio of praise to criticism in the workplace needs to be four to one before employees feel that there is a balance - that there must be four times as much praise as there is criticism before they feel good about their work and about the environment they work in. That is pretty staggering information - information that tells us that if we want to do something good, that if we want to have a healthy family, a strong workplace, or any other effective group that we need to be sure that appreciation, praise, and thanksgiving are heard at least four times as often as is criticism.

SOURCE: Rev. Richard J. Fairchild 1998, 2001. "Gratitude - A Necessary Attitude" http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-thansesn.html
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Thanksgiving Without Martha
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I�m telling you in advance, so don�t act surprised.

Since Ms. Stewart won�t be coming, I�ve made a few small changes: Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect. Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I�ve gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I�m sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children�s recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don�t own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We�ve also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of you diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won�t come next year either. I am thankful.

SOURCE: By Barbara A. Tyler (as Printed in Today�s Woman, November 2000). http://www.chucklesofchoice.com/g-jokes/holidays/thanksgiving/thanks19g.html
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