Sermon - Thanksgiving 2008
Sermon
Location St. Luke – Date 11/27/08
Thanksgiving
Primary Text: John 6:22-33, Psalm 100
The history of Thanksgiving is interesting, we all know the story of how supposedly the first thanksgiving occurred at Plymouth in 1621. One of the first instances of a national holiday announced by the president was in 1863 during the Civil War. President Lincoln declared that there should be a national day of thanksgiving to God. “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” The tradition of Presidents announcing a day of thanksgiving continues to this day. Today we see ceremonies of pardoning for turkeys. In a sermon a couple weeks ago, Pastor Don made mention of a story involving two birds, which he jokingly referred to as Flyer, an eagle, and Fryer, a chicken, however he had it wrong, the two birds were in fact turkeys and they were pardoned in 2006, in President Bush’s Thanksgiving announcement. This information may destroy all aspects of his sermon, but history is history. Other turkeys to be pardoned are May and Flower, Marshmallow and Yam, Biscuits and Gravy, and Stars and Stripes. And as much as you might want to think I am making those names up, they can be found on the official whitehouse.gov website.
In his announcement during the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln also asked that the nation pray for national unity, and that God watch over “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged.” This is a part of Thanksgiving that we have forgotten and I feel needs to be raised. We are not in the strife of the civil war, but our nation needs healing and prayer at all times, not just during national discord. We need to pray for unity, but also give thanks for the diversity, not just of race, but of thought, gift and interest, of this great country. We are at a point of national history, but also one of national uncertainty. During this time what we need most is not infighting between people of different principles, but unity in seeing Christ in the other, and knowing that God is watching over us and caring for us.
I would like to end with a story from my favorite television show, “The Simpsons.” One of their best episodes is their only thanksgiving episode. In it Bart, the son, and Lisa, the middle child, get into a fight over the placement of a thanksgiving centerpiece that Lisa has made as “a tribute to the trailblazing women who made our country great,” including Georgia O'Keefe, Susan B. Anthony, and Margery Stoneman Douglas. During the argument, Bart accidentally throws the centerpiece into the lit fireplace where it is quickly consumed. Lisa starts crying and runs to her room. Bart is in turn yelled at by his parents, grandfather on his dad’s side, aunts, and grandmother on his mom’s side. Marge, Bart’s mom, tells him to go to his room with no food, saying, “I hope you’re happy, Bart, you’ve ruined thanksgiving!”
Homer, the father, laments during his prayer to begin this disjointed family meal, “And Lord, we are especially thankful for nuclear power, the cleanest, safest energy source there is. Except for solar, which is just a pipe dream. Anyway, we'd like to thank you for the occasional moments of peace and love our family has experienced. Well, not today, but... You saw what happened! Oh, Lord, be honest! Are we the most pathetic family in the universe or what!”
Later after the meal, which the two elder children spend in their rooms, Marge tells Bart that he can come out and have some food if he apologizes to his sister. Bart feels that he did nothing wrong and instead flees the house, sells some of his blood pretending to be Homer, and ends up being taken into a homeless shelter. While he is there, a local TV news program comes to tape a Thanksgiving live report. Homer and Marge seeing Bart on the show, call to reach him, but he has already left.
Bart returns home and thinking that he will be now in more trouble from running away as well as destroying the centerpiece, hides on the roof as his parents talk to the police in the front yard. While on the roof, Bart hears crying and sees his sister, Lisa crying in her room, and he realizes that he in fact did hurt her and he finds that he does in fact feel bad about what he did. Crawling in the window, he confronts Lisa, and tells her he is sorry. Homer and Marge see this from the bedroom door and Homer remarks, “You know, Marge, We’re great parents.”
At 11 o’clock after this long, long day, the family sits down to eat together again, and Homer prays, “Oh Lord, on this blessed day, we thank Thee for giving our family one more crack at togetherness.”
That is thanksgiving, God bringing us together in love, despite our quirks and problems, and our giving thanks for all that we have. On Thanksgiving, we celebrate all that God has done for us and all that we have been given. We forgive those who have hurt us, and we ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt.
We may go through hard times, we may lose those we love, we may feel alone, but in Christ we are together, in Christ we get that one more crack.
Let us pray, we thank you this day God, for ourselves, our families, our friends, our food, our world, our country, and our leaders. We give thanks knowing that you made us, and that you love us, and that we are yours. We give you thanks, we bless your name. For you are good; Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations.
Location St. Luke – Date 11/27/08
Thanksgiving
Primary Text: John 6:22-33, Psalm 100
The history of Thanksgiving is interesting, we all know the story of how supposedly the first thanksgiving occurred at Plymouth in 1621. One of the first instances of a national holiday announced by the president was in 1863 during the Civil War. President Lincoln declared that there should be a national day of thanksgiving to God. “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” The tradition of Presidents announcing a day of thanksgiving continues to this day. Today we see ceremonies of pardoning for turkeys. In a sermon a couple weeks ago, Pastor Don made mention of a story involving two birds, which he jokingly referred to as Flyer, an eagle, and Fryer, a chicken, however he had it wrong, the two birds were in fact turkeys and they were pardoned in 2006, in President Bush’s Thanksgiving announcement. This information may destroy all aspects of his sermon, but history is history. Other turkeys to be pardoned are May and Flower, Marshmallow and Yam, Biscuits and Gravy, and Stars and Stripes. And as much as you might want to think I am making those names up, they can be found on the official whitehouse.gov website.
In his announcement during the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln also asked that the nation pray for national unity, and that God watch over “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged.” This is a part of Thanksgiving that we have forgotten and I feel needs to be raised. We are not in the strife of the civil war, but our nation needs healing and prayer at all times, not just during national discord. We need to pray for unity, but also give thanks for the diversity, not just of race, but of thought, gift and interest, of this great country. We are at a point of national history, but also one of national uncertainty. During this time what we need most is not infighting between people of different principles, but unity in seeing Christ in the other, and knowing that God is watching over us and caring for us.
I would like to end with a story from my favorite television show, “The Simpsons.” One of their best episodes is their only thanksgiving episode. In it Bart, the son, and Lisa, the middle child, get into a fight over the placement of a thanksgiving centerpiece that Lisa has made as “a tribute to the trailblazing women who made our country great,” including Georgia O'Keefe, Susan B. Anthony, and Margery Stoneman Douglas. During the argument, Bart accidentally throws the centerpiece into the lit fireplace where it is quickly consumed. Lisa starts crying and runs to her room. Bart is in turn yelled at by his parents, grandfather on his dad’s side, aunts, and grandmother on his mom’s side. Marge, Bart’s mom, tells him to go to his room with no food, saying, “I hope you’re happy, Bart, you’ve ruined thanksgiving!”
Homer, the father, laments during his prayer to begin this disjointed family meal, “And Lord, we are especially thankful for nuclear power, the cleanest, safest energy source there is. Except for solar, which is just a pipe dream. Anyway, we'd like to thank you for the occasional moments of peace and love our family has experienced. Well, not today, but... You saw what happened! Oh, Lord, be honest! Are we the most pathetic family in the universe or what!”
Later after the meal, which the two elder children spend in their rooms, Marge tells Bart that he can come out and have some food if he apologizes to his sister. Bart feels that he did nothing wrong and instead flees the house, sells some of his blood pretending to be Homer, and ends up being taken into a homeless shelter. While he is there, a local TV news program comes to tape a Thanksgiving live report. Homer and Marge seeing Bart on the show, call to reach him, but he has already left.
Bart returns home and thinking that he will be now in more trouble from running away as well as destroying the centerpiece, hides on the roof as his parents talk to the police in the front yard. While on the roof, Bart hears crying and sees his sister, Lisa crying in her room, and he realizes that he in fact did hurt her and he finds that he does in fact feel bad about what he did. Crawling in the window, he confronts Lisa, and tells her he is sorry. Homer and Marge see this from the bedroom door and Homer remarks, “You know, Marge, We’re great parents.”
At 11 o’clock after this long, long day, the family sits down to eat together again, and Homer prays, “Oh Lord, on this blessed day, we thank Thee for giving our family one more crack at togetherness.”
That is thanksgiving, God bringing us together in love, despite our quirks and problems, and our giving thanks for all that we have. On Thanksgiving, we celebrate all that God has done for us and all that we have been given. We forgive those who have hurt us, and we ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt.
We may go through hard times, we may lose those we love, we may feel alone, but in Christ we are together, in Christ we get that one more crack.
Let us pray, we thank you this day God, for ourselves, our families, our friends, our food, our world, our country, and our leaders. We give thanks knowing that you made us, and that you love us, and that we are yours. We give you thanks, we bless your name. For you are good; Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations.
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