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The
SermonCentral.com Weekly Newsletter
—November 17, 2003
Theme: Thanksgiving
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In
This Issue
1.
Top 5 Sermons On Thanksgiving
2. Top
5 Illustrations On
Thanksgiving
3. Go PRO!
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1.
Top 5 Sermons On
Thanksgiving
Thanking God for Hard Times
by Marc Axelrod: 1 Thessalonians 5:18-18
The Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers
in
the pulpit. He always found something to be thankful for. One Sunday
morning, the weather was stormy. And dark. And one of the deacons said,
"The preacher won’t be able to thank God for anything on a day
like this. It’s more
Over-The-Top Gratitude
by Joel Smith: Luke 7:36-3
During my eight years of pastoral ministry in churches I have a reoccurring
thought that is too shocking to reveal to most churchgoers. It stems from
an observation that I’ve made about people and their pasts. People
who’ve had a shameful or dark past who put their faith in Jesus Christ
tend to make the best followers. Here’s the more
"Bradford, the Mayflower and Plymouth"
by Robert Leroe: Psalms 101:1-8
Congregationalism (and others from the Reformed tradition) has its roots
in the Pilgrims who came from England, led by William Brewster and William
Bradford. The issue at stake was religious freedom. The Pilgrims were
non-conformists, separatists in a hostile environment. English law mandated
that those who missed Anglican more
Enter With Thanksgiving
by MELVIN NEWLAND: Psalms 100:1-5
One of the most beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please
turn to it & follow along as I read:
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He
who made us, & we are more
How To Develop Gratitude
by Aaron Burgess: Luke 17:14-14
Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for the
blessings he has bestowed upon us. Thanksgiving is the outward and inward
communication of how grateful we are for all the things God has given
us. Whether those things are physical, spiritual or material. And as we
grow as Christians we should see a spirit of more
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2.
Top 5 Illustrations On
Thanksgiving
SOAP PLEASE
In regions of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side.
Because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon, the women often
bring their laundry, boil their clothes in the hot springs, and then rinse
them in the cold springs.
A tourist watching this procedure commented to his Mexican guide: "They
must think Mother nature is generous to freely supply such ample, clean
hot and cold water."
The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she
supplies no soap."
Contributed by: A. Todd Coget
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.txt
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
MORE THAN…
There’s a line in a song that goes: “Thanks a lot, thanks a
lot…Thanks for all I’ve got.”
Thanks for all I’ve got? Actually, when I think of it, I’m embarrassed
about all I’ve got. My mind goes to my garage. Unlike many people,
we still fit our cars into our garage…barely.
I thought of garages. In early Corvallis days nobody had garages. Where
did they put all their stuff? Later houses, up through the 50’s had
only one garage. Beginning in the 60’s houses were built with two
garages. Most folks still couldn’t get their cars inside. Then in
the 90’s we began to see three garages with a RV pad as well. And
it’s still not enough room for “all we’ve got.”
And at Thanksgiving I’m supposed to say, “Thanks for all I’ve
got?” Instead of a national thanks giving day it would seem more
appropriate to have a national embarrassment giving day. I’m embarrassed
for all I’ve got.
It is worth remembering that the first thanksgiving was observed by poor,
miserable people. Many of their number were dead. They were at war with
“heathen natives” They didn’t have houses any larger than
my garage and all their possessions wouldn’t fill one of my closets.
While their religious motives for a day of thanksgiving to God are suspect,
at least they weren’t giving thanks for material abundance. Their
thanks was for something more.
Our text for today, in the 5 Gospels version, reads: ”There’s
more to living than food and clothing, isn’t there?”
It was Jesus’ rhetorical question. It raises the question of the
“more.”
SOURCE: Art Morgan, November, 1999. Citation: http://www.moment-ministries.peak.org/Sermons/
A_ThanksGiving_Sermon.htm
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
THE PARENT VIRTUE
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the
others.
—Cicero
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
THE POWER OF GIVING THANKS
Something to reflect on as you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner:
If you had been a Pilgrim, would you have given thanks?
Consider what they had been through, the men and women who broke bread
together on that first Thanksgiving in 1621.
They had uprooted themselves and sailed for America, an endeavor so hazardous
that published guides advised travelers to the New World, "First,
make thy will." The crossing was very rough and the Mayflower was
blown off course. Instead of reaching Virginia, where Englishmen had settled
13 years earlier, the Pilgrims ended up in the wilds of Massachusetts.
By the time they found a place to make their new home - Plymouth, they
called it - winter had set in.
The storms were frightful. Shelter was rudimentary. There was little food.
Within weeks, nearly all the settlers were sick.
"That which was most sad and lamentable," Governor William Bradford
later recalled, "was that in two or three months’ time, half
of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth
of winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with
the scurvy and other diseases.... There died sometimes two or three of
a day."
When spring came, Indians showed them how to plant corn, but their first
crops were dismal. Supplies ran out, but their sponsors in London refused
to send more. The first time the Pilgrims sent a shipment of goods to
England, it was stolen by pirates.
If you had been there in 1621 - if you had seen half your friends die,
if you had suffered through famine, malnutrition, and sickness, if you
had endured a year of heartbreak and tragedy - would you have felt grateful?
SOURCE: By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe Staff, 11/23/2000.
http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Thanksgiving/power.txt
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
3.
Go PRO!
This is where we tell you about a great feature of SermonCentralPRO
and how to use it.
Featured Illustrations
One of our personal favorites on SermonCentral PRO is the "Featured
Illustrations" link. Every week we feature 10 of our best illustrations,
and one of them is always a Communion Meditation. This feature
proves most useful on holidays, because our "Featured Illustrations"
will always be related to the holiday at hand (i.e. Mother's Day, Thanksgiving,
Christmas). We search all of our categories plus hundreds of newsletters,
websites, books, magazines, and sermons to come up with 10 great illustrations.
The "Featured Illustrations" are easy to find. Look on
the left-hand side of the home page, under the red bar that says "Illustrations,"
and click on the link that says "Featured Illustrations." It's
that easy to reap the benefits of your own SermonCentral PRO research
assistant.
To check out the Thanksgiving Featured Illustrations, click
here
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