This morning, I’d like to begin with a question. Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? The word "holiday," after all, comes from the phrase "holy day". And so, is Thanksgiving a holy day for those who serve and worship Jesus Christ? Does the twenty-eighth of November have any special spiritual significance for us, or is it merely an opportunity to gather together with our families, and enjoy a good meal, and take a day of rest from our labors?
You might think this is an easy question (or maybe a trick question). Of course it’s not a Christian holiday! After all, there’s nothing in the Bible identifying the fourth Thursday in November as a feast day, or as a day of worship. The holiday we observe was established, not by the Word of God, but by an act of Congress; Section 6103 of Title 5 of the United States Code. It’s also traditional for the President to issue an annual proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe this day. George Washington did it, and John Adams, and James Madison, and since Lincoln every President has done it, even those who weren’t noted for their great piety. Therefore, this must be a civil holiday, not a religious one, right?
Well, before you answer, listen to what is actually in these Presidential proclamations. As I was preparing for this message, I read through a good number of them, going back to the ones issued by Washington (note: see www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc.htm). And I was somewhat surprised to learn that many of them either refer to, or explicitly quote, the Bible. Ronald Reagan, for example, quoted Psalm 35, "And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." (Psalm 35:28, KJV) Harry Truman included this phrase which occurs in several of the Psalms, "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 118:1, 29) Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Richard M. Nixon, to George Herbert Walker Bush, all referenced the Scriptures in their Thanksgiving Day proclamations. In fact, FDR, in his 1944 statement, called for a, "nationwide reading of the Holy Scriptures," from Thanksgiving to Christmas, for the purpose of national spiritual renewal.
Often, it’s even apparent in these documents that these men are encouraging us to give thanks specifically to the God of the Bible – God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In 1799, John Adams recommended that the people of the United States, quote,
"devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions, and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience . . . in time to come."
As incredible as it seems to us today, there was a time when the President of the United States could issue a proclamation calling on its citizens to confess their sins to God, so that they might be forgiven through Jesus Christ and enabled by the Holy Spirit to serve Him more faithfully. And no one thought there was anything wrong with it. In fact, as I was reading through these proclamations, many of them, especially the early ones, sounded like sermons. I found God referred to by such titles as, "the Great Sovereign of the Universe," "Almighty God," "the Author of all good," "the Lord and Ruler of Nations," "Creator," "Heavenly Father". Here’s a short passage from Andrew Johnson’s 1867 address:
"Resting and refraining from secular labors on that day, let us reverently and devoutly give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the mercies and blessings with which He has crowned the now closing year."
And so it’s clear that the history and heritage of this day are quite religious and even Christian. In fact, in the early days, Thanksgiving had nothing to do with family gatherings. It was entirely a day of worship and prayer, a day in which people went to church, a day of fasting instead of feasting. However, over the years it has become more and more secular. In fact, our public life in general has become secular, or at best, religiously pluralistic. So that now, when any mention is made of God by public officials, they feel it necessary to couch their statements in terms that don’t imply any particular set of beliefs. They don’t want to offend anyone; they don’t want anyone to feel excluded. And so we have, in George W. Bush’s 2002 Thanksgiving Day proclamation, not the Christian Trinitarian God, not even the Judeo-Christian Creator God, but rather a generic civil deity, one that any citizen can interpret according to his or her own religio. Frankly, when you read this year’s proclamation, and compare it to the ones issued by George Washington, or Lincoln, or Roosevelt, or even Nixon, it sounds like pablum. It’s just this insipid, watery mush. It can’t offend anyone, because it doesn’t say anything. The statements issued during previous generations were robust, devout, eloquent, full of gospel truth. But what we have now is worse than nothing. It’s pantheistic pap. You could be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Mormon, Native American, or New Age, and you would have no problem with it whatsoever.
Now, you might argue whether this is really a bad thing; whether it’s the proper role of a government official to promote Christianity, or even to promote religion in general. But it’s not my purpose this morning to enter that debate. My purpose is to help us, as Christians, to discern what our approach should be toward this holiday; whether we should observe it in a purely secular way, or whether we should attempt to make it into something more. And I’m arguing for something more. Not because we have to. I don’t believe we have a God-given obligation to observe this day. And certainly, under our form of government the President has no spiritual authority to require us to worship God on a given day. No, the reason I believe we should observe Thanksgiving as a Christian holiday, is because Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and He is Lord of this day. As Christians, this is what we are called to do, in every sphere of life. Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to take every holiday, every tradition, every institution, every occupation, every field of knowledge – in short, the whole of God’s Creation – and bring all of it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Not through the use of force or intimidation, but rather through example, and witness, and persuasion. As Paul puts it,
"We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ."
– 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NLT
Instead of simply floating along with the current of our culture, we are called to examine it, and evaluate it, and reshape it. As we do that; as others see how our faith influences and guides every aspect of our lives, they will be exposed to the truth about Christ. And the Holy Spirit can use that witness to bring them to faith and obedience. He can use it to change our world, one person at a time. Not only that, but it’s beneficial to us, as well. The process of taking a holiday like Thanksgiving, and separating out what’s secular and what’s spiritual; thinking through how we can observe it in a specifically Christian way, instead of just an American way – that’s a good spiritual discipline. It trains us to think Biblically, instead of having our attitudes and opinions shaped by the decaying culture we live in. And so, although Thanksgiving is no longer generally celebrated in our society as a Christian holiday, I’m suggesting that we can choose to observe it as a Christian holiday, just as we observe and celebrate every day as belonging to the Lord.
All right. If that’s the "why," then here’s the "how". The way to celebrate Thanksgiving as a Christian holiday is to give thanks for the right things. If you could listen in on the prayers offered at dinner tables across the country this Thursday, most of them would be pretty predictable. Thanks would be offered for the food, of course, for God’s bountiful provision, and also for things like family, and health and prosperity. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Those are indeed, great blessings. And certainly it is appropriate to give thanks to God for them. The gospels tell us that Jesus gave thanks for his food. And James reminds us that every good thing comes from God. He writes, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father . . . " – James 1:17, NIV
But if that is all we give thanks for, something is missing. Because there’s nothing uniquely Christian about giving thanks for food, or clothing, or shelter, or a happy home life, or freedom from illness. Those are all things that a devout Jew, or Muslim, or Hindu could give thanks for. No, as Christians we have a great deal more to be thankful for than this. In fact, compared to the great blessings God has promised to us as followers of Christ, all the things we usually give thanks for are relatively trivial. Do you remember Jesus’ parable of the rich landowner? It goes like this:
"A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So he said, `I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ "But God said to him, `You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.’" – Luke 12:16-21, NLT
Now, Jesus told this parable as a warning against greed. But it’s also an encouragement to those of us who do have a relationship with God. It tells us that what we have in Christ is far more valuable than even great wealth and great prosperity, far more to be desired than ease and comfort. And so a person who cherished earthly treasures and blessings over eternal ones would be very foolish. Right? Yet, on Thanksgiving Day, what you will usually hear people giving thanks for are exactly those temporal blessings; the good things of this world, while very rarely will you hear any thanks offered up for what is truly precious, even by Christians.
What are those things, then, that we should be giving thanks for, on this Thursday and every other day? For an answer, let’s look at some of the prayers from the New Testament.
"How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
– 1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV
We who have placed our trust in Christ for salvation no longer have to fear death. We may not look forward to it, but it holds no terror for us. The door of the tomb no longer leads to darkness and annihilation, but rather to light and eternal life. Christ has broken the power of death, and like him, we too will be raised to life; we will be resurrected with bodies that will live forever; bodies that cannot decay, or grow old, or become weak or ill. Death no longer has any power over us. We no longer fear God’s judgement and condemnation, because in His death Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He suffered and died in our place; He took upon Himself all the punishment due us for our violations of God’s law; He bore the brunt of God’s wrath for us. And for that, we praise God and give Him thanks, and we will continue to praise and thank Him throughout eternity. As the hymn puts it,
I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
In another place, Paul writes,
"Thank God for His Son – a gift too wonderful for words!" – 2 Corinthians 9:15, NLT
In how many homes across the nation will there be, on this Thanksgiving Day, an outpouring of gratitude for God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ? How many prayers will even mention the love of God, displayed in the incredible gift of His Son? How many families, before carving the turkey and dishing up the mashed potatoes, will pause to reflect on the grace and mercy of God, shown to us when He sent His Son to be our teacher, and our shepherd, and our sacrifice? And in how many hearts will there be a spark of love and thanksgiving to God for all He has given us in Christ – for hope, and joy, and purpose, and meaning, and the knowledge of the truth, and the power to live a life pleasing to Him. As Paul said in Philippians, "everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8, NLT) Is that your attitude? Will you be giving thanks on Thursday for the precious gift of knowing Christ? Or will you merely be giving thanks for all the other stuff that Paul says is, by comparison, "worthless"?
Let’s take one more example. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes, "How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him." (1 Timothy 1:12, NLT). As we saw last week, every one of us here who knows Christ has been given a mission in the world. Every one of us has been appointed by God to serve Him. What a privilege that is! To be chosen by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as His servant. To be given a part in His plan for humanity. To be selected as His representative in the world! How thankful we ought to be for having been given that great privilege and responsibility, and also the power to carry it out.
I could go on and on. You could turn to literally any page of the Bible and find some reason to give thanks to God. But I want to talk now about the benefits of this approach. And one of the greatest benefits is that it allows you to obey this command:
"give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV
There’s a well-known Norman Rockwell painting, in which at least a dozen people are crowded around a dining room table. The table is set with linen and china. Parents, children, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, all are smiling and laughing, and at the head of the table stand an older couple, obviously the patriarch and matriarch of the clan. Grandpa, in a suit and tie, is looking on while Grandma lowers a huge roast turkey onto the table. The whole scene just exudes warmth, and love, and contentment. But here’s the thing: what if your life doesn’t look like a Norman Rockwell painting? What if your life looks more like a painting by Salvador Dali, or an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond"? What if the extended family sitting around your table isn’t so happy, and pleasant, and loving? What if instead, they’re angry and sarcastic, or selfish and boring? What if no one really wants to get together, and when they do, it’s awkward and uncomfortable instead of heartwarming and relaxing? What if it’s a broken family? What if Grandma can’t cook the turkey, because she’s in a nursing home and she doesn’t recognize anyone anymore?
If you only give thanks for all of the usual blessings – food, family, health, prosperity – then when things go badly, you have nothing to give thanks for. Bitterness and depression are the likely result. But if you are in the habit of giving thanks for eternal blessings, then the ups and downs of life don’t affect your attitude as much. You can give thanks for God’s love; you can give thanks for Christ’s sacrifice; you can give thanks for the hope of eternal life; no matter what your circumstances may be. And not only are those things are far more valuable, they can never be lost. As Jesus said,
"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." – Matthew 6:19-21, NLT
If you focus on giving thanks for the things you cannot lose, the things which are eternally valuable, then you will always have a reason to be thankful.
There’s a television program that our family tries to see every year at about this time, and that’s "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Not the Jim Carrey version, but the original animated version. I love the characters; especially the little dog, Max, with the one reindeer horn. You all know the story, and I’m not even going to try to imitate Boris Karloff’s voice as the narrator, but in this Dr. Seuss cartoon, the Grinch decides that he’s going to eliminate Christmas in Whoville, by stealing all of the toys, and
all of the decorations, and all of the food that’s been prepared for the Christmas dinners – absolutely everything, down to the last can of who-hash. I’ll quote from the "sacred text":
"The last thing he took was the log for their fire. . . .
On their walls he left nothing but hooks, and some wire.
And the one speck of food that he left in the house
Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse."
But what happened? Did he succeed? No. Because their ability to rejoice, and to give thanks, didn’t depend on any of those things. At the end of the story, the Grinch is listening hopefully for their anticipated mournful reaction. But instead of wailing and crying, he hears this . . .
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn’t come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!"
Now, I don’t know if Dr. Seuss was a Christian. But he understood the meaning of Christmas. And the meaning of Thanksgiving Day, as well. Yes, of course, we’re all grateful when we’re enjoying good health, and happy families, and peace and prosperity. But as Christians, we don’t need them. Even if we have none of those things, we can still be very thankful. Because what God has given us in Christ is worth far more. And so, even if our family bears no resemblance to Norman Rockwell’s ideal; and even if God allows that Grinch, Satan, to take from us the things we thought were necessary for our happiness, what we’ll find is that true happiness and true thankfulness come from knowing Christ. Everything else is just icing on the cake. It’s nice, but it’s not necessary.
Let me make another application, for us as a church body. Whatever we may lack materially, God has given us the incredible gift of His Holy Spirit. And it’s the Spirit’s power and presence that builds a church and builds us up spiritually. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
In closing, I’d like to say one more thing about giving thanks for things like food, and clothing, and shelter, and health, and a loving family. Yes, we should give thanks for them, but not only for what they are in themselves. As Christians, we give thanks for those things because they are tokens of God’s love and faithfulness. We rejoice in them, not simply for their own sake, but because they come from a God who loves us and cares for us. As a woman who receives a wedding ring rejoices mainly in what it represents, rather than in the monetary value of the diamond itself, so we rejoice in God’s good gifts because they remind us of His boundless love, and of His promise concerning what’s to come. We look beyond the gift to the giver.
This thanksgiving, I hope you’ll be able to do that. To look beyond the gifts to the Giver. To be truly thankful for God’s greatest gift to you – His own Son. To see that what you have in Christ is far more valuable than anything else you possess, or could possess. And to rejoice in all that God has given you in Christ, regardless of your circumstances.
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
