October 29th, 2026
Wouldn’t it be great if you and I as individuals and our nation as a whole could once again think of Thanksgiving as a holy day instead of just another holiday? The Pilgrims believed that Almighty God who created them was over all, and that men, women, and children were dependent upon Him. Things have changed over the years. The dominant attitude today is that we are master of life. We feel we are in charge of the world and don’t need this God so much anymore. We can handle everything ourselves. It is more difficult for a modern person to be grateful, and that, I believe, is why Thanksgiving has changed from be a holy day to being a holiday.
Perhaps we should rethink the term “Thanksgiving Day.” Robert Caspar Lintner said, “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” But that is what we have done with Thanksgiving. Perhaps we should set aside one day a year for grumbling – call it “Grumble Day” – and then live the other 364 days in a truly thankful manner! Burton Hillis has observed, “I don’t think the Lord wants any pompous proclamation of thanks on one Thursday in November as much as He wants a little humble service from us every day in the year.”
Over and over again the Bible admonishes us to be thankful to God. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (Ps. 100:4-5). “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Col. 3:15). Christina Georgina Rosetti wrote, “Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts, and no one to thank.” The fact that a man is thankful implies that there must be Someone to be thankful to. To whom does an atheist or a skeptic give thanks? Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing Who to thank!
We should all express our thanks to God for the things we take for granted. Be thankful for your mind with which to think, reason and discern. Be thankful for your eyes with which you can see, observe, read and enjoy. Be thankful for your ears with which you can hear and listen to such wonderful things as a baby’s gurgle, a child’s laugh, the sound of the wind in the trees, the rush of a waterfall, the song of a bird. Be thankful for your nose with which you can enjoy the wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie, hot coffee, apple blossoms in the spring, burning leaves in the fall. Be thankful for your mouth with which you can kiss those whom you love. Be thankful for your tongue with which you can speak to others and share your joys and sorrows. Be thankful for your hands with which you can touch, feel, squeeze, hold, heal, and write needed cards and letters of encouragement. Be thankful for your feet with which you can skip, run, walk, and go into the house of the Lord, as well as into the homes of those who need your love and care. Most of all, be thankful for your heart and spirit with which you can love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.
There are so many forgotten people on Thanksgiving Day. People who will be alone, sit alone, eat alone, and go to bed alone. Forgotten on a day that should inspire gratitude and thanksgiving in all of us.
In a message on Thanksgiving, Arthur Calandro wrote: “A group of men were talking one day about people who had influenced their lives and to whom they were grateful. One of the men said that he was grateful for a schoolteacher, Mrs. Wendt, who thirty years before had introduced him to Tennyson. Another man asked him if he had ever told her. He replied that he had not. A third man then suggested that he do so, and he did. The letter was forwarded until it reached Mrs. Wendt. Some time later he received this letter written in feeble scrawl:
My dear Willie,
I can’t tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living
alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and like the last leaf lingering
behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for fifty years and yours is
the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue, cold morning, and it
cheered me as nothing has for years.
Folks, you can make the most of this Thanksgiving by first thanking God for the things you have. Then take time to remember those who have helped you in life. Take out a piece of paper. Jot down their names. Then write or call them and tell them how much you appreciate them for what they have done in life. It will make your day but, more important, it will make their day. I have done this on a number of occasions, and it always brings me satisfaction and joy. It will make everyone’s life richer, sweeter and fuller. Do it today.
Eliot Porter has said, “Before theology comes doxology.” I think he is right. Thanksgiving is thanksliving. Thanksgiving will make more sense when we develop a true sense of thanksgiving in our lives – to both God and man.
Thankful for YOU,
Pastor David
Perhaps we should rethink the term “Thanksgiving Day.” Robert Caspar Lintner said, “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” But that is what we have done with Thanksgiving. Perhaps we should set aside one day a year for grumbling – call it “Grumble Day” – and then live the other 364 days in a truly thankful manner! Burton Hillis has observed, “I don’t think the Lord wants any pompous proclamation of thanks on one Thursday in November as much as He wants a little humble service from us every day in the year.”
Over and over again the Bible admonishes us to be thankful to God. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (Ps. 100:4-5). “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Col. 3:15). Christina Georgina Rosetti wrote, “Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts, and no one to thank.” The fact that a man is thankful implies that there must be Someone to be thankful to. To whom does an atheist or a skeptic give thanks? Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing Who to thank!
We should all express our thanks to God for the things we take for granted. Be thankful for your mind with which to think, reason and discern. Be thankful for your eyes with which you can see, observe, read and enjoy. Be thankful for your ears with which you can hear and listen to such wonderful things as a baby’s gurgle, a child’s laugh, the sound of the wind in the trees, the rush of a waterfall, the song of a bird. Be thankful for your nose with which you can enjoy the wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie, hot coffee, apple blossoms in the spring, burning leaves in the fall. Be thankful for your mouth with which you can kiss those whom you love. Be thankful for your tongue with which you can speak to others and share your joys and sorrows. Be thankful for your hands with which you can touch, feel, squeeze, hold, heal, and write needed cards and letters of encouragement. Be thankful for your feet with which you can skip, run, walk, and go into the house of the Lord, as well as into the homes of those who need your love and care. Most of all, be thankful for your heart and spirit with which you can love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself.
There are so many forgotten people on Thanksgiving Day. People who will be alone, sit alone, eat alone, and go to bed alone. Forgotten on a day that should inspire gratitude and thanksgiving in all of us.
In a message on Thanksgiving, Arthur Calandro wrote: “A group of men were talking one day about people who had influenced their lives and to whom they were grateful. One of the men said that he was grateful for a schoolteacher, Mrs. Wendt, who thirty years before had introduced him to Tennyson. Another man asked him if he had ever told her. He replied that he had not. A third man then suggested that he do so, and he did. The letter was forwarded until it reached Mrs. Wendt. Some time later he received this letter written in feeble scrawl:
My dear Willie,
I can’t tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living
alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and like the last leaf lingering
behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for fifty years and yours is
the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue, cold morning, and it
cheered me as nothing has for years.
Folks, you can make the most of this Thanksgiving by first thanking God for the things you have. Then take time to remember those who have helped you in life. Take out a piece of paper. Jot down their names. Then write or call them and tell them how much you appreciate them for what they have done in life. It will make your day but, more important, it will make their day. I have done this on a number of occasions, and it always brings me satisfaction and joy. It will make everyone’s life richer, sweeter and fuller. Do it today.
Eliot Porter has said, “Before theology comes doxology.” I think he is right. Thanksgiving is thanksliving. Thanksgiving will make more sense when we develop a true sense of thanksgiving in our lives – to both God and man.
Thankful for YOU,
Pastor David
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