Thanksgiving 2023

  

Bethany Lutheran Church

Thanksgiving Service -  7 PM Central

Pastor Gregory Jackson

The Hymn #574            Come Ye Thankful     
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p. 144
The First Lection Philippians 4:4-7
The Second Lection Luke 17:11-19 

The Sermon Hymn #577      God Bless Our Native Land

Thankfulness

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
The Hymn #644     Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

 Author - Bishop Ken - name a bishop hymn-writer today!

In Our Prayers

• Cancer treatment and diagnosis, good news - Randy Anderson; Pastor Jim Shrader, operation needed - and Christ Shrader; Doc Lito Cruz; Lori Howell.
• Little Aaron (heart issues); Callie and her parents.
• Our military, President Trump, and those who defend the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Philippians 4:4-7. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

KJV Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Philippians 4:4-7. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

                             Thankfulness

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.

The changes in our lives can generate all kinds of negative feelings, such as fear about finances, worries about health, crises far beyond our defenses, and fears which negate everything good. It is easy to say, "What's the use?" 

The disciples are examples of these matters, time after time. They are unknowing and fearful and dense. There are many statues of the Apostles in holy stances, but the best paintings show them terrified on the boat, asking "Don't You care if we die?"

If we are at all alike, the mildest things seem so burdensome until the crisis is over and we see how anxious we were.

In contrast, thankfulness removes or dampens down our feelings of dread, failure, and misery. And the root of thankfulness is faith. What did Jesus say? 

• Have you no money? 
• Have you no insurance? 
• Have you no friends?

He said, "Have you no faith?" because the natural fruit of faith is joy. Trust in God opens our eyes to all He has given us and even more to come. The greatest joy often comes from the aftermath of a great crisis. When Paul could not come out of the gloom of his depression (Luther's conclusion, which I favor), he received his answer from God, 

KJV 2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

5 Let your forbearance [gentle, kindly,  or yielding nature] be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 

Mothers and teachers are good examples of this, which their children/students  discover best when they can no longer say, "Thank you for all the intangibles you gave me." I enjoy editing the alumni of our middle high school; the school only exists in our memories now. We post photos and memories of our teachers. We are reminded of special teachers who set us geeky rebels up for a responsible life. I have learned of a number of special problems, even medical ones, that the teachers addressed in their wisdom.

I have heard many horrible stories about children raised in poverty, alcoholism, and brutality. The impact is more obvious when the tragedies are described by individuals.

The Apostle Paul was writing - Consider the Lord Jesus Christ coming soon. How does that diminish what is happening now - so tiny in comparison. Winning the big lawsuit against Microsoft is not going to mean much at the end.

6 In nothing be anxious [full of care, distracted, divided; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

This is the best remedy for anxiety. Whatever we are worried about, wherever we feel guilty or inadequate, pray to God in the Name of Jesus. This is followed by a beautiful blessing which addresses all issues and gives us reason to be thankful, because God really does act beyond our expectations and even before we think to ask.

The Votum - Prayer - Used at the End of the Sermon

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Maybe the Votum is used too often and we all fail to listen to this great Promise from the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness through faith gives us joy, peace, and love. The extent of these fruits of the Gospel is so great that they transcend our understanding (ability to think) and these fruits of the Spirit guard our hearts and our thoughts in Jesus our Good Shepherd.

The end