Thanksgiving is upon us, and your preparations are likely underway. In all your plans for the big day, where is God? As you make elaborate preparations for a day set aside to celebrate your thankfulness, have you given much consideration for the One to whom your thanks belong? That's sad when you consider that Thanksgiving Day is one of the rare holidays along with Christmas and Easter. How can we celebrate Thanksgiving in a distinctly Christian way? There is no eternal merit in a perfectly cooked turkey, and no heavenly reward for watching every last minute of football. It's not hard to remember to thank God for what He's done, but how often do we thank Him simply for who He is? The Psalmist instructs us to do just that: "Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name" (Psalm 97:12). Set aside time to dwell on God's attributes and thank Him for His holy character. Thanks to God, you and I have an eternal, objective, incontestable, irrevocable standard we can depend on for all matters of life. From the truth of Scripture, we can understand the ebb and flow of life better than all the educators, philosophers, politicians, and social pundits combined. God's Word offers us a window on the real issues people battle. We know how to be good employees, to love our spouses, to raise our families, to truly love our neighbors. The blessings of knowing and growing in God's truth ought to be a source of unending thanks for every believer. Christ not only rescued us from the power and penalty of our sins, He also lifted us to a place of blessing. He delivered us from punishment and brought glory. He took away the threat of hell and gave us the hope of heaven. He dismissed us from divine wrath and brought us a divine benediction. Believers can rest in the confidence of Christ's guarantee, which is another cause for thanksgiving. And if you exhaust all those specific categories, Paul reminds you that you still haven't scratched the surface of reasons to be thankful: "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In the end, Thanksgiving Day presents us with an obvious opportunity to proclaim God's grace and faithfulness through our thankfulness. And how we choose to celebrate ought to be driven by how we can best magnify His goodness and His gospel to the watching world.
In Christ,
Pastor Peter Suhn
