"Thanks Be to God!" (Luke 17:11-19)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us’” (Luke 17:11-13).

 

On this eve of the National Day of Thanksgiving, we can see the gravity of the situation. Leprosy was bad; it was really bad. Leprosy wasn’t something that could be cured by any over-the counter or behind-the-counter drug. Leprosy couldn’t be cured by bedrest. 

 

As leprosy would progress, it attacks the skin, peripheral nerves and the mucus membrane. Pain would turn to numbness. The skin would lose its original color and become thick, glossy and scaly. Sores and ulcers would develop. The face could swell to look more like a lion than a man. The voice would become hoarse and grating. If you had the signs of leprosy, and were declared “unclean” by the priests, you could no longer live in your community, you were basically outcasts from polite society, left homeless without the support of family or friends. A leper was an outcast.

 

If there was anything positive, contrary to popular belief, leprosy was not a flesh-eating disease. However, due to the loss of feeling – especially in the hands and feet – people with leprosy could wear away their extremities and faces unknowingly. This horrible disfigurement caused by leprosy made this disease greatly feared.

 

It was so feared that it was the traditional Jewish belief that leprosy was God’s judgment for sin. A leper was considered cursed by God.

 

So, here, on this eve of the National Day of Thanksgiving, we learn of a lonely group of outcasts, ten men who would normally not be together, except for leprosy, standing at a distance, desperate to be once again included in polite society. These men lifted up their voices, or what was left of their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13).

 

They had heard the news about Jesus. Could it all be true? Could Jesus heal them? They saw Jesus as their last chance for deliverance. Mustering all they had left, these ten men begged Jesus to heal them.

 

Across a distance, Jesus heard their cry for mercy. He spoke to them saying, “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14).

 

Clearly, Jesus did not immediately heal these men, but He commanded them to show themselves to the priests. But why didn’t Jesus heal them all instantly? He had done that in the past and He would do that in the future. But why not in this instance? 

 

It is likely that Jesus was testing the faith of these ten leprous men in His ability to heal them in His time. And Jesus’ command would be an affirmation of the validity of the Law of God. For, by obeying, these men were demonstrating faith and fulfilling their obligation as the Law required. The priests who would receive these men would function as the local health inspectors, and this was an elaborate process, lasting for eight days and involving various examinations, sacrifices and rituals, to determine whether a person was free from leprosy (Leviticus 14:1-32).

 

What’s ironic about this requirement is that these very priests who rejected Jesus would have to validate the undeniable fact that the lepers had been healed. They would be forced to confirm His supernatural power and thus become reluctant witnesses to His deity.

 

Up to this point, these ten leprous men are acting in unison. They all pled for Jesus to heal them; they had all obeyed His command and started their way to the priests. As they walked, they began noticing changes, positive changes. They were healed.

 

I’m sure they were all astonished. They were amazed! I’m sure they were full of joy! I’m sure they were thinking about how their life was about to change. They would all soon be living normal lives! But for some reason one of the healed men turns back, while the others march on to the priests.

 

There is something to note here. The Jews were taught that God was primarily a Redeemer and a Savior. These lepers came to Jesus for the hope of redemption. Could Jesus also be the Savior? Could Jesus be God?

 

Now, so often, we want to jump to the obvious with today’s Gospel lesson, which is to be thankful. And that is why this text is always the Gospel text for Thanksgiving. But let us not oversimplify this message. You see, today’s Gospel lesson is not just about the lepers being thankful or not.

 

Remember, Jesus told the lepers to follow God’s commandment to verify their healing. And as they went, all ten were cleansed. All ten were healed. But only nine of them continued on their way.

 

So, were the nine thankful? Clearly, they were! They were glad as they could be that they were healed. They could soon live normal lives again! Unfortunately, they didn’t fully recognize who it was to be thanked.

 

The unlikely Samaritan grasped who needed to be thanked. Of course, going to the priests was proper, but Jesus was the true source of his healing and every good gift. Jesus said to this healed man: “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). It was his faith in Jesus that had made him well. It was his faith in Jesus, given to him and to us by the Holy Spirit, that made us well.

 

On this eve of the National Day of Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for. These healed men were desperate for healing. They could do nothing to save themselves.

 

In our desperation for salvation, Jesus saved us too. We were once lost and condemned because of our sins, but Jesus purchased and won us from all sins, from eternal death, and from the power of the devil. Jesus saved us not by paying for our reconciliation through silver or gold, but instead through His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that we may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom.

 

On this Thanksgiving and every Lord’s Day, by faith, Jesus richly forgives our sins. 

 

We have so much to be thankful for. Thanks be to God that He is merciful, patient and loving toward us. Thanks be to God that Jesus willingly went to that cursed tree to die and rise for us, so that sin, death, and Satan would have no power over us. Thanks be to God that He continues to prepare our hearts and minds through Word and Sacrament ministry.

 

We have so many reasons to give our thanks to Christ, our Lord. Chief among them is His forgiveness that He won for you through His atoning death upon the cross. So, may we always give God thanks by coming into His presence each Lord’s Day as He continually serves us, His Church, with forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacrament! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Soli Deo Gloria" (Deuteronomy 8:1-10) - Thanksgiving Eve

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what is in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Tomorrow is the day our republic has set aside to give thanks to our God. So, what are you thankful for?

 

In today’s reading from Deuteronomy, Moses calls on the Israelites to remember Yahweh as the source of every good thing that Israel has and will have in the Promised Land. The nation of Israel’s past, present, and future, are all under the care and promises of Yahweh.

 

But did they always remember that? Most often, they grumbled. They consistently grumbled against Moses and God. So many of them preferred slavery in Egypt than wandering those 40 years in the wilderness. Moses feared that God’s people would forget about God. 

 

So, God inspired Moses to say: “You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

 

In other words, God is saying: “Remember how these forty years I have led you and cared for you. I have protected you from the elements, fed you with manna and quail. It wasn’t luxurious living, but I have brought you safely to the Promised Land. Yes, there were times of difficulties. Yes, you murmured and complained. I never forgot about you even through you thought I did. I did all these things so that you might be humbled.”

 

When Israel stopped to think about all of this, they were moved to give praise and thanksgiving to God.

 

And what about you and me? As we step back and recollect, we remember those times when we were sick or discouraged. We remember those times when you thought no one really cared, including God. But as time went on, God helped you, encouraged you, healed you. 

 

It is so easy to go on with our lives and forget to look back at the times God helped us through: those difficult times in our families, those financial struggles. But as we look back, we see how God worked His will in our lives, humbled us, and focused our attention back on Him again.

 

As you stop to remember, you may be surprised at how many reasons we have to be thankful to Him.

 

Look to your Baptism as you were adopted as a child of God, an heir to the promise. Look to the cross and empty tomb where your sins were forgiven through the blood and merit of Jesus Christ. Look to the Lord’s Supper where Christ gives you His very Body and Blood under the bread and the wine, which forgives your sins and strengthens your faith to life everlasting. We have so much to be thankful for.

 

Like the Israelites who grumbled until they realized all that God provided in their lives, another man had reasons to grumble. By the age of ten, both of his parents had died. He experienced struggle after struggle with various trials. His wife would die leaving him as a single father with a house full of children. However, he would re-marry and be blessed with many more children. 

 

Between all of that, this man was employed by the church. And he appeared to often lack patience. He served congregations playing the organ, but oftentimes the congregation would want him to direct the choir. And when things took a turn, again, he often lacked patience. At one such church, the choir demanded simpler music. He claimed that his aim was to create music to the glory of God. So, he left and took a new job at another church. This man would eventually write a new cantata each month. At his death, he composed more than one thousand albums to the glory of God.

 

Upon each of his compositions, this man wrote “J.J.” at the beginning and “S.D.G.” at the end. They are abbreviations for the Latin, “Jesus Juva,” which means “Jesus, help me!” and “Soli Deo Gloria,” which means “to the glory of God alone.” He hoped that when the music was played, it would point toward God.

 

He once said, “I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music.” His desire was to always glorify God.

 

If you haven’t caught on already, this man was the Lutheran composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

 

For anyone who has read through my sermons on wspop.org, you may have noticed what I have typed at the conclusion of my sermons. I have followed Bach’s tradition with “Soli Deo Gloria” — “to the glory of God alone.” I write those words as a reminder that I am a poor, miserable sinner who is nothing without God. I would have nothing to say without God. So, every sermon I preach is to His glory as I preach His Law and Gospel. It’s not about me. It’s always all about Jesus.

 

And like the Israelites and Bach, we will also face tests. As God humbled them, He is also humbling us. 

 

So, remember where you are now. Israel could not have made it to the Promised Land without God. They made it because God cared for them throughout those forty years. He fed them, He clothed them. As Israel stood before the Promised Land, they were grateful for being where they were. They remembered to give God all the glory.

 

In Deuteronomy 8, God is tapping us on the shoulder and asking us if we have stopped to think about where we are today. What a privilege it is to hear the message of God’s love in Christ, to kneel at the communion rail and have fellowship with God. What a joy it is to hear those words of forgiveness pronounced over us! 

 

Have you looked around and remembered all those people God has placed in your life here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and elsewhere who have had an influence on your life? As we ponder and remember, your hearts swell with thanksgiving.

 

And look at your personal life: your family, your home, your relatives and friends. Look at all that surrounds you. Look at all the blessings God bestows upon you as His daily bread: “everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like” (Luther’s Small Catechism: Fourth Petition).

 

We would have nothing without God. That is what God has done and is still doing for us today.

 

But there is more to come! “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, and land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:7-10).

 

The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. We will soon enter paradise.

 

As Christians, we know where we are going. Our future is certain. Jesus made sure of that for us by His suffering, death, and resurrection.

 

Deuteronomy 8 reminds us that God has provided for us in the past, He continues to provide for us now, and because He is God, He will surely fulfill His promises for our future. He will fill your future with His love and His care. Our lives are sealed with the love of God that surpasses all human understanding.

 

Remembering that God is always with us, our heartaches turn to hope. Our difficulties turn into praise. Soli Deo Gloria: to the glory of God alone! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve: "Contentment" (Philippians 4:6-20)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Through the Holy Spirit, St. Paul writes: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11b).

 

Do you ever feel troubled? Do you ever feel anxious? Do you ever feel that life makes little or no sense?

 

Who here has heard of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? It’s a mouthful. But you know what it is. You know it as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or ALS, which is a brutal disease that causes the brain to lose control of the body’s muscles.

 

As he played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939, Lou Gehrig was known as the “Iron Horse,” as he held the Major League Baseball record for consecutive games played – 2,130 games. That’s 14 years without missing a game. This record seemed unbreakable until Cal Ripken broke it in 1995. Gehrig was known for his tenacity and drive as he played day in and day out.

 

Despite his consecutive game record, Gehrig is likely most known today for his farewell speech that he delivered to a packed Yankee Stadium when he retired prematurely due to the disease. He spoke: “Fans, for the past two weeks, you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

 

How could he consider himself to be lucky? Afterall, his career is being cut short! These words seem so foreign to us. Shouldn’t he have said, “I deserve better than this!”

 

How can anyone be so content when their world seems to be crumbling around them? How could anyone be content when facing financial concerns, sickness, disease, uncertainty, pain, or even death?

Some people find contentment in being stoic in the face of adversity. You know those people who never seem to let anything get to them. Nothing gets to them because they’ve shut themselves off from all things outside themselves. But just as they won’t let troubles get them down, they also won’t let joy bring them elation. They have just constructed a cold, empty life for themselves. And in their attempt to protect themselves from the pain of turmoil, they have robbed themselves of life’s beauty and joy.

 

Others may find contentment by finding someone who is worse off than they are, saying, “At least I’m not in his shoes.” While there is some wisdom in this insight, that’s not how you find contentment. A relentless search for someone who is to be pitied more than you will leave you discouraged because your focus will be on life’s tragedies. Maybe this is why watching the evening news is popular, since you can always say, “At least I’m not in his shoes.”

 

In our reading from Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul describes the true meaning of contentment. But the fullness of what Paul teaches only becomes apparent when we know the conditions in which he wrote this epistle. You see, Philippians is one of Paul’s prison letters. And he is in prison for the sake of the Gospel, which should not surprise you since he spent about one quarter of his missionary career in prison.

 

While none of us would like to be in prison today, what Paul endured makes today’s prisons appear more like a resort hotel with law libraries, cable tv, and recreation.

 

You see, Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged, which was a humiliating, painful, and bloody ordeal. These wounds would go untreated as the prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Most cells were dark, unbearably cold, with little water, cramped quarters, and had a sickening stench. Because of these miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death.

 

But then there’s Paul. He’s not begging for a speedy death. Here’s Paul chained alongside murderers and swindlers and all that Paul has done was proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is surrounded by those who are longing for death, because of these conditions. But not Paul. Instead, he writes: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11b-13).

 

On this Thanksgiving Eve, our likely situation on this holiday is far from Paul’s situation. As we all head to our family Thanksgiving feast, you will likely have the staples: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pie. To top it all off: nine hours of football. And Thanksgiving meal leftovers.

 

How can Paul be content? Well, the secret of Paul’s contentment is Jesus Christ. So, as long as your attention is focused inward upon yourself, you will never find true contentment. 

 

But fixing your eyes on Jesus will bring contentment even in the darkest times. Paul says that he is content because “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Paul does not have delusions of grandeur, that Christ will make all of his troubles disappear so his cold prison cell will become a hotel suite. Paul is anticipating ongoing suffering and even death at the hands of Christ’s enemies. Yet, Paul knows – he knows for a fact – that no one can rob him of Jesus. Paul can do all things through Christ who strengthens him so that no matter what he faces, he will remain strong in Christ. 

 

Paul says, “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied” (Philippians 4:18a). Paul is content in all circumstances because his contentment is grounded not in his circumstances, but in Christ. And so is yours.

 

Each year, your Thanksgiving meal is a bit different than the past. Some of you will be missing loved ones. It may be death that has parted you from loved ones, or it could be family strife has robbed you of seeing a loved one. Yet, contentment remains yours in Christ.

 

None of that can rob you of Christ. Now, this doesn’t mean that life is easy on Thanksgiving or any other holiday, or any other day of the year. Remember, Paul didn’t have it easy in prison. We don’t have it easy either, as each of us have a personal cross to bear. But we don’t bear it alone. Christ is with you to shoulder your burden. He has already carried your burden to the cross. And He has risen triumphant from the grave, victorious over your burden. So, Christ strengthens you just as He strengthened Paul. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Christ’s strength is bound up in what He delivers to you. If you will not be feasting this Thanksgiving holiday, Christ promises that the Day is coming when He will deliver an eternal feast to you. If you are feasting this Thanksgiving holiday, Christ promises that His coming feast dwarfs whatever you will eat. A banquet table is spread for all. That is contentment.

 

If death has separated you from someone you love, you are not alone, for Christ dwells with you. If division prevents you from sitting at the table with your parent, child, spouse, sibling, or friend, Christ comes to assure you that He has brought you peace with the Father. Sin divided you from God, but through Christ you have been reconciled to the Father through His suffering and death on the cross. That is contentment.

 

And there is more. The Day is coming when there will be a full and perfect reunion for all those who have lived and died with faith in Christ. The Day is coming when death will not separate us, for death will be destroyed. The Day is coming when all our divisions will be overcome by Christ as we are perfectly united with Him, and so we will be perfectly united with one another.

 

Until that great and magnificent Day, Christ sustains you, providing you with His perfect companionship in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacrament – so that you would not lose heart. Paul says, “My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:19). This is what Paul is talking about when he says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Here, in this place is where God strengthens us. Here is where the penitent comes to receive Christ’s forgiveness. This is the secret to Paul’s contentment and to yours as well. Christ alone brings you contentment, because by grace through faith in Him, you have it all: forgiveness, life, and salvation. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Thanksgiving: "Giving Thanks Through Prayer" (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Happy Thanksgiving! This evening we have gathered in God’s house to give thanks to Him for all He has done for us!

Thanksgiving is a day with many traditions, especially with family, food, and football. Among these traditions, comes travel, since most families live states apart, but on Thanksgiving families re-unite. In recent years, the days around Thanksgiving have been among the busiest travel days of the year, and the Sunday following Thanksgiving has consistently been the busiest travel day of the year. So, we certainly desire to be with family to celebrate this national holiday.

As the family re-unites, we come together around food, especially turkey and all the fixings – the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and the dinner rolls. We come together at the dining room table and share stories.

Then for many, there is football. Either sitting together watching it on television or tossing the football in the backyard, or both.

But most importantly, we come together to give thanks. 

Tomorrow is the National Day of Thanksgiving, and that day is a very specific day about giving thanks. But you may not know that the National Day of Thanksgiving has only been a fixed holiday on our calendars since 1941. But this holiday is deeply rooted in America. One could say, this is the one holiday that is uniquely American.

We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Its original observance was in 1621 as a harvest festival held at the Plymouth Colony. It was observed by the pilgrims – those puritans who emigrated from Europe – and the Native Americans who helped them plant and harvest.

During the colonial period, there were many observances of thanksgiving.

After the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recommended a day of thanksgiving for the return of peace in 1784. Then in 1789, President George Washington issued the first National Day of Thanksgiving for the establishment of this new republic. After the War of 1812, President James Madison called for a day of thanksgiving. But national interest began to wane as various cities and states picked random days for thanksgiving.

But what we think of the National Day of Thanksgiving today began under President Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, he noted that the nation had need for community prayer and thanksgiving to God.

Today, the National Day of Thanksgiving may have lost its former focus as a day of prayer. Instead, we often have this day focus upon ourselves. I’m sure we have all grown up with the question we hear so often this time of year: “What are you thankful for?” That is a good question, but what about this question: “Who are you thankful for?”

When you first heard today’s epistle read, you may wonder, what does this have to do with the Day of Thanksgiving? Well, it has everything to do with Thanksgiving! 

Abraham Lincoln was on to something. Thanksgiving is all about prayer. In fact, this is exactly what the Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul. He wrote: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). For Paul, this is a matter of first importance. He says: “Pray, pray, and keep on praying for all people.” Here, Paul uses four synonyms for prayer, but they each have a particular nuance.

First “supplications.” So, what are supplications? Well, they are what we individually say to God when we approach Him with our needs. They are a call for help from God. “Lord, please heal my ailment.” “Lord, please help me with my finances.” But always, when we approach Him with our needs, we always end our prayer with “Your will be done.” No matter what, God knows our individual needs, but by our going to Him with our supplications we acknowledge Him as the only source who alone will satisfy our needs.

Second, we hear Paul using the general word “prayer” in our English text. But the nuance  in the original Greek [προσευχὰς (“pro-se-uch-as”)] is that of devotion and reverence as Christians approach their Lord. We acknowledge that He is the giver of all things as He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Third, Paul urges “intercessions.” So, what makes this form a prayer different? Intercessions are prayers on behalf of someone else. Here, we petition and appeal to God about the concerns we have for others. In fact, the Prayer of the Church is an intercession prayer. Through the Prayer of the Church, we pray boldly and confidently as we bring our petitions for all people according to their needs before God’s throne of grace.

Lastly, Paul urges “thanksgivings.” Thanksgivings are expressions of gratitude for past mercies received. Thanksgivings are always appropriate, even when earthly circumstances are difficult. Wemay be prone to say: “What am I thankful for?” “Do I really feel grateful?” Often, we like to focus upon our emotions, how we feel. But thankfulness is not an emotional response, but a spiritual discipline. If we feel that things don’t seem to be going your way, we are to always give thanks, because we are never separated from God’s love and mercy in Christ.

You see, thanksgiving is a response. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Why do we love God? We love Him, because “[He] sent His only Son in the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). You see, while we were still enemies of God, Jesus suffered and died in our place. Again, the Lord initiates and He leads us to acknowledge it, so we then give thanks for it.

We give thanks for the gift of Christ, as our one and only Savior from the power of sin, so that through Him, we have life!

For Paul, these four terms for prayer are aspects of first importance for our prayer life. We make requests for specific needs. We bring those in view before God always knowing that His will is done. We appeal boldly on behalf of others. And we give thankfulness to God for them.

Just imagine this. As Paul urges us to pray, he doesn’t just urge us to pray for ourselves and fellow Christians to God, but he urges us to pray for all people, including “kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:2a). And who was the earthly ruler of Paul’s day?  Caesar Nero. During Nero’s reign Christians were persecuted because they refused to worship him, and Paul himself suffered martyrdom. Despite this, heathen rulers are among those who need our prayers for even their authority was established by God (Romans 13:1). So, all earthly authorities need our prayer, especially those who may seek to harm the church.

Prayer for our nation and her leaders has an important purpose: that we might freely confess Christ as Savior. Rather than becoming a part of today’s culture, we are set apart by God as the “communion of saints.” Therefore, we pray for those in authority “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life” (1 Timothy 2:2). The Church then - can freely carry out the Lord’s work and nourish her people by Word and Sacraments.

As Christians, the National Day of Thanksgiving has a greater meaning for us than just one day on the calendar to give thanks. Again, the word “thanksgiving” means “grateful acknowledgment for the past mercies of God.” This leads us to come to God in prayer. 

 

We have so much to be thankful for:

§  He gives us His Word, which is the living voice of our Lord. 

§  Through water and the Word of God, we are brought into His kingdom in Holy Baptism.

§  In the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ’s Body and Blood, which is the spiritual nourishment that gives us forgiveness of sins and renewed strength for the daily tasks of this life.

Throughout all of our days, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – provides for all of our needs of body and soul.

As we gather at each Divine Service, we come together in prayer. We ask God to continue to bestow His grace on us, as we pray for the church, other people, and our leaders, since “[He] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). We pray before God’s throne of grace the needs of the people of God.

Hearing the truth of God’s Word, we are confident in prayer. We know that God promises to hear and answer our prayers.

On this National Day of Thanksgiving, we confess Jesus Christ as Savior and the giver of all good gifts. We give thanks in our worship and in our prayers. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Being Thankful

 

What does being thankful really mean? We can’t be thankful for nothing. So, we ought to stop and think about what really matters. Being thankful is being content, since the Lord will provide.

 

Oftentimes, our old sinful nature gets the better of us. Our sinful nature causes us to think we always need more things, like more money and more possessions. Or we look at the world around us with a glass half-empty mentality as we look for all what our sinful mind perceives is wrong with the world through complaints.

 

The thing is, the Lord always provides for both the just and the unjust. He provides daily bread – food, clothing, and shelter – to the just and the unjust.

 

Martin Luther explains it this way in the First Article of the Creed in his Small Catechism:

“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

“He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

“He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

“All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

 

Since God provides for all the needs of our body, it is good and right at all times and all places to give thanks to Him. But how? How is it proper to give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

 

Do we say to God, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”? We could certainly do that, but God doesn’t need our appreciation, since He gives daily bread to all people – the just and unjust.

 

So, what can we do to show our gratitude to God? We come to where He is. We show our gratitude by putting our complete faith and trust in God as our sole provider. And where is He always found? He is found where His Word is purely proclaimed and His Sacrament is rightly administered. The Divine Service is where Jesus is found. We give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as we come together at each Divine Service to receive more of what we are thankful for: forgiveness of sins. Each Sunday, we return to receive more of what we are thankful for since true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith.

 

The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us on this Day of Thanksgiving and all our days ahead! Amen.