This morning, I want us to begin with reading Psalm 136 responsively by having you read the phrase ‘His faithful love endures for ever,’ where it appears.
Please stand, as you are able, as we read Psalm 136 responsively.
(Slide 1)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 2)
4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth on the water.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 3)
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 4)
10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
11 He brought Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
12 He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 5)
13 Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
14 He led Israel safely through,
His faithful love endures forever.
15 but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 6)
16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness.
His faithful love endures forever.
17 Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love endures forever.
18 He killed powerful kings—
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 7)
19 Sihon king of the Amorites,
His faithful love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan.
His faithful love endures forever.
21 God gave the land of these kings as an inheritance—
His faithful love endures forever.
22 a special possession to his servant Israel.
His faithful love endures forever.
(Slide 8)
23 He remembered our utter weakness.
His faithful love endures forever.
24 He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love endures forever.
(You may be seated.)
In this Psalm, the people at worship are reminded of three things (Slide 9): God’s faithful and enduring love through His acts of deliverance, His provision for their needs, and His character that includes grace and mercy.
Ponder that list for a moment… Look at it… read a couple of times, slowly…read it again… Does it hold true for us? Does it hold true for you? You bet it does!
These are challenging times to be thankful. Some of us here are out of work. Some of us are frustrated with our work. Some of us are concerned about the direction of our country. Some of us are concerned about our families. Some of us are just plain tired.
The practice gratitude and thanksgiving is helpful to us today. The late Irving Berlin wrote:
(Slide 10)
Got no check books, got no banks.
Still I’d like to express my thanks-
I got the sun in the mornin’
And the moon at night.
(Irving Berlin, “I Got the Sun in the Mornin’” 1946)
Now Mr. Berlin has a point here. However, we have something more that the sun and the moon! We have the Lord! We have a God who knows what we need and He takes good care of us. We know, believe, and trust in the One who made the sun and the moon, the morning and the night.
(Slide 11) Please take out a pencil or pen and your bulletin. Now, write down three concerns that you currently have. They can be occupational, personal, financial, or something else.
(Slide 11a) Now, for each situation, write down how God might be present in those concerns right now.
It may not be easy to see how God might be present, so the question becomes, (Slide 12) ‘Do I believe that God will be present in these concerns and that His good will is accomplished?’ (Not will be but already ‘is’?)
This is faith at work, this is, as we read in Hebrews 11:1, ‘the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.’
In a recent column, Gordon MacDonald shared the story of a message sent by the leader of the French Army in World War One, General Foch. The message, sent to his superiors, said, ‘Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack.’
Some of us, and perhaps all of us, may feel this way these days. We have been hit by the economic chaos and we are concerned about our jobs (or lack of them). From another direction, health concerns have caught us of guard. Then we are hit head on with the possible change of our entire school year.
What do we do? Let’s paraphrase ‘le bon general’ (the good General) ‘Hard pressed on my right by job concerns. My center is yielding to health issues. Impossible to maneuver away from the uncertainty. Situation excellent. I believe and I trust God to take care of me I attack!’
This morning, one of us comes to share a story of thanksgiving out of a trying and disconcerting situation much like General Foch’s situation. (Slide 13)
(Linda shares.)
I have been hearing these past weeks from a couple of different directions concerns about long faces in the church. The basic message coming out of that concern is ‘Why the long faces? Can we not still be joyful in spite of current situations?’
Is not God still for us? Is not God still our savior and redeemer? Is not God’s desire still the salvation of the world? Is not God still in control!
I think that this Thanksgiving is going to be a great Thanksgiving because I think that we have the opportunity to be really thankful for what is truly important in a more honest way. I know that these are difficult times, challenging times, but God is still God and He has not and will not forget His people! DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS MORNING?
We may not be thankful for our circumstances today. However, cannot we be thankful for the God who is with us in our circumstances? We may find it hard to be grateful with bills staring at us in the face. But, cannot we be grateful for the God who has the provisions necessary to pay our bills?
God is with us in our circumstances and our faith must be in the Lord and not our circumstances. Circumstances change. Life has its ebbs and flows. God never changes. Do you believe that this morning? I DO!
How then can we not be grateful and joyful today? I am not taking about that put on the joy ‘face;’ I am talking about putting on the deep heart of joy. Joy that comes from having a deep and steady trust and confidence in Jesus Christ.
What does the song say we often sing? ‘Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He has given Jesus Christ His son.
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He has given Jesus Christ His son.
And now let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us.
And now let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us.
Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks.’
Let us come to altar to pray this morning our prayers of both thanksgiving and confession. Amen.
Sources: Berlin, page 332, “Quotationary,” edited by Leonard Roy Frank
MacDonald quote:
http://lists.christianitytoday.com/t/13048425/762929/160079/0/
