Sermon: Thanksgiving

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I remember a time when I was probably ten or so, going squirrel hunting with my Grandaddy. It was a beautiful fall day with just a bit of fog. As I walked along looking up in the trees for the crafty squirrel, I came into this slight clearing, and in front of me were these four trees in a row, all the same height and age. Nothing too remarkable about that – trees are as thick as grass in that part of Louisiana – but the first tree was completely bare of leaves, already shed for winter; the second still had its leaves, but they were brown; the third also had leaves, but were this brilliant yellow; and the fourth was still green as though winter hadn’t touched it at all. Perhaps that isn’t so remarkable to some, but it’s been almost fifty years since I saw those trees, and the memory of them still blesses me today. There is a perfect chance that I was the only person on the planet who ever saw them like that, but it was truly remarkable. Yet, had I been wandering around with my head down, I never would have seen them.

Today, we, as the human race, spend a lot of time looking down. We look down at our phones and get caught up in what we see on those tiny screens. We look down because the terrors of the world can sometimes be so overwhelming. We look down, so focused on our own lives—whether because of careers or troubles or vanity—we look down on our own lives and are consumed with our little sphere. But by looking down, we never see God’s blessings around us.

It is time to look up. See the blessing of the smile of the stranger sitting next to you. Look up from the terrors of this world and see the wonders of creation. Look up from yourself and your concerns and see the other. You all have probably heard the words of Mr. Rogers that he spoke to the children while sitting in his neighborhood: “When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Looking up and seeing the helpers is good advice, but I invite you to take it one step further: look up and see God. Look up and see the blessings.

All that is evil in this world could fit on the head of a pin compared to all the blessings surrounding us. Those blessings for which we should give thanks may be four trees in a clearing on a foggy morning that are seen only by you, but they are God’s gifts to you. 

Look up. Look up and know that the Lord is God. Look up and experience the joy that God has prepared for his people. 

The Psalmist writes,

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Look up and,
Give thanks to the Lord; bless His name!
For the Lord our God is good.