Dear Brethren,
We come together this Sunday especially celebrating along with the morning worship service our annual Thanksgiving as a Church. Let us be made aware that “Thanksgiving” is not just an occasion but a doctrinal principle we need to learn, imbibe, and practice in our Christian life. It is truly a Christian Doctrine, and is a part of our faith.
The Bible in Psalm 95:1-6 invites us, “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”
God indeed has called us all to live with a gratitude attitude. The Bible is replete with reminders, exhortations, and illustrations on the need for us to always be grateful. Foremost, we are blessed by the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, and we ought to be thankful for that. Thanksgiving is a time for us to just step back, pause, think, and thank God for what He has done, is doing, and will yet do in our lives. The Bible commands us in I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Moreover in Ephesians 5:20, the Bible urges us, Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We highlight our thanksgiving with the bringing at the concluding part of the service this morning our Thanksgiving Offering. We earmark and dedicate this offering especially for Mission projects and in preparation for our upcoming 65th Church anniversary and 19th World Missions Conference to the glory of God.
My dear brethren, let us sincerely come to the Lord with grateful hearts,truly cognizant of His goodness and marvelous grace in our lives. May we humbly come especially thanking God for “His unspeakable gift”- our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
All By God’s Grace and For God’s Glory!
Pastor Gerry Nable