Thanksgiving Day Sermon
We're not very good at saying "Thank you," are we? We're like a little boy I heard about. On his return from a birthday party, his mother queried, "Bobby, did you thank the lady for the party?"
"Well, I was going to. But a girl ahead of me said, 'Thank you,' and the lady told her not to mention it. So I didn't."
Today is Thanksgiving Day. Today, of all days, we want to say "Thank you." But before we can do that, we need to count our many blessings. "Count your blessings!" That is excellent advice, but sometimes we have to recognize them first!
I still remember my first retreat I made as a youth. The preacher made us make a list of all the positive & negative things in our lives, and as usual, the negative out numbered the positive. This is because, the human mind, quite often focuses on the negative. This is the main reason why we can never count the blessing God has showered on us, and so never feel like saying Thank You.
If you visit any family in the parish, the first thing they share is their problems they are facing. No one ever thinks of sharing the wonderful family they have and the wonderful relationship they enjoy in the family. No child shares how good cook his/her mother is. Quite often we take this for grants. While on the other hand quite a few of us don’t know who to accept compliments. If you tell a lady, Unty, the curry is superb, I am sure she will turn around and say, only the curry, what about the rice & the vegetable. Or may be she will say, “only today is good, what about yesterday and all the days in the past that I have been cocking.”
I sincerely feel that we need to get into the habit of thanking people for all that they have done, and the best place to begin with is our own families. Quite often we take them for granted. We never thank our parents for giving us Birth, good educations, taking care of us when we were sick, or even staying awake all night to look after us. Parents we too need to thank our children for being such good children, of course there are time when that make mischief, but they are children. You can’t expect Fr. Austin & Me to make mischief. But we need to thank them for doing the small works at home. Once we get into this habit, we will surely have a happy family.
There is another person who we must never forget to thank, and that is Our God.
What Do We Give Thanks For:
First of all, we should thank God for life. He has made us and formed us. Only in Him do we live and move and have our being. Only in Him do we have the ability to think, enjoy and respond to the wonders of his creation. Only in Him can we jump and run and play and learn. Only in Him can we eat and sleep and love. So we thank God for life.
Second, we should thank God for health. Many of our members suffered health problems this past year. It seems it is only when we face sickness that we appreciate health and strength.
Third, we should thank God for providing for our physical needs. Yes, some of us could have more things or better things; even so, we have food, clothes on our bodies, a roof over our heads, may be a car or a bike. These are common material things, but they do not come by chance. We know these are gifts from the Giver above. We also know that in quite a few places in our own country, these things are a luxury.
Fourth, we should also thank God for our families. For some people, it is painful to remember family relationships broken by death or divorce. But even as we feel such grief, we can be thankful for those who uphold us and love us still. Our families are precious. Thanksgiving is a time for husbands to thank Almighty God for their wives, and for wives to thank God for their husbands; for parents and children to thank God for each other; for all of us to thanks God for the companionship of friends.
Finally, and most important, we should thank God for grace and salvation. In Christ God has blessed us with every sort of spiritual blessing. He has taken us who were lost in sin and evil and renewed us to be like Christ. He has removed from us the fear of judgment and everlasting hell fire.
There are times, of course, when we all are tempted to feel ungrateful. At such times it is good for you to contemplate the good things God has done for you. May I offer this suggestion: when you get home write on a card small enough to fit into your wallet, 10 great things God has done for you. Then, whenever you are tempted to feel ungrateful, pull out that card and start thinking about the mercies you have written down. By thinking about God's past provision, you'll be encouraged to trust in His power to provide and protect in the present. Amen
We're not very good at saying "Thank you," are we? We're like a little boy I heard about. On his return from a birthday party, his mother queried, "Bobby, did you thank the lady for the party?"
"Well, I was going to. But a girl ahead of me said, 'Thank you,' and the lady told her not to mention it. So I didn't."
Today is Thanksgiving Day. Today, of all days, we want to say "Thank you." But before we can do that, we need to count our many blessings. "Count your blessings!" That is excellent advice, but sometimes we have to recognize them first!
I still remember my first retreat I made as a youth. The preacher made us make a list of all the positive & negative things in our lives, and as usual, the negative out numbered the positive. This is because, the human mind, quite often focuses on the negative. This is the main reason why we can never count the blessing God has showered on us, and so never feel like saying Thank You.
If you visit any family in the parish, the first thing they share is their problems they are facing. No one ever thinks of sharing the wonderful family they have and the wonderful relationship they enjoy in the family. No child shares how good cook his/her mother is. Quite often we take this for grants. While on the other hand quite a few of us don’t know who to accept compliments. If you tell a lady, Unty, the curry is superb, I am sure she will turn around and say, only the curry, what about the rice & the vegetable. Or may be she will say, “only today is good, what about yesterday and all the days in the past that I have been cocking.”
I sincerely feel that we need to get into the habit of thanking people for all that they have done, and the best place to begin with is our own families. Quite often we take them for granted. We never thank our parents for giving us Birth, good educations, taking care of us when we were sick, or even staying awake all night to look after us. Parents we too need to thank our children for being such good children, of course there are time when that make mischief, but they are children. You can’t expect Fr. Austin & Me to make mischief. But we need to thank them for doing the small works at home. Once we get into this habit, we will surely have a happy family.
There is another person who we must never forget to thank, and that is Our God.
What Do We Give Thanks For:
First of all, we should thank God for life. He has made us and formed us. Only in Him do we live and move and have our being. Only in Him do we have the ability to think, enjoy and respond to the wonders of his creation. Only in Him can we jump and run and play and learn. Only in Him can we eat and sleep and love. So we thank God for life.
Second, we should thank God for health. Many of our members suffered health problems this past year. It seems it is only when we face sickness that we appreciate health and strength.
Third, we should thank God for providing for our physical needs. Yes, some of us could have more things or better things; even so, we have food, clothes on our bodies, a roof over our heads, may be a car or a bike. These are common material things, but they do not come by chance. We know these are gifts from the Giver above. We also know that in quite a few places in our own country, these things are a luxury.
Fourth, we should also thank God for our families. For some people, it is painful to remember family relationships broken by death or divorce. But even as we feel such grief, we can be thankful for those who uphold us and love us still. Our families are precious. Thanksgiving is a time for husbands to thank Almighty God for their wives, and for wives to thank God for their husbands; for parents and children to thank God for each other; for all of us to thanks God for the companionship of friends.
Finally, and most important, we should thank God for grace and salvation. In Christ God has blessed us with every sort of spiritual blessing. He has taken us who were lost in sin and evil and renewed us to be like Christ. He has removed from us the fear of judgment and everlasting hell fire.
There are times, of course, when we all are tempted to feel ungrateful. At such times it is good for you to contemplate the good things God has done for you. May I offer this suggestion: when you get home write on a card small enough to fit into your wallet, 10 great things God has done for you. Then, whenever you are tempted to feel ungrateful, pull out that card and start thinking about the mercies you have written down. By thinking about God's past provision, you'll be encouraged to trust in His power to provide and protect in the present. Amen
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