Who Do We Thank?

Psalm 145:15-16, Psalm 136:1

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The United States, like many other countries around the world, celebrates a day of Thanksgiving. Maybe it begs the question, who do we thank? Now, I know some might say, well, that’s a stupid question to ask, but especially think about this in our increasingly godless world, a world that kind of denies the existence of God, a world that says that evolution is the explanation for why things exist, why we exist. Who do we thank?

Do we thank blind chance that chemicals came together and voila, all of a sudden, there’s all this stuff that exists? Maybe should it be a day that we thank our parents for giving us life and providing for us? Or maybe a day to thank our spouse for putting up with us? Or maybe it should be a day when we simply thank ourselves for making sure that our needs are provided for?

Well if we read through the documents from the founding of our country regarding Thanksgiving Day, from our founding Fathers, you see something very clear that they wanted to set up this day, a national day of Thanksgiving, to recognize the giver of all good things. And they recognized who that was, that that giver is God. And isn’t it obvious? There was one who created this entire world in which we live, one who made us, one who continues to even sustain us by allowing plants to grow and animals to grow, by providing for our foods, by giving us seasons and allowing us to have our home and our clothing and our jobs and so many other things, even our talents and abilities and our intellect that all came from someplace, came from the great giver of all good things. And obviously that giver is God.

For Christians we have another reason for Thanksgiving. That reason is not simply because God made us and God preserves us and preserves our lives here on this earth, because God has also saved us, because God sent his Son to offer his life on a cross to guarantee that our sins would be paid in full, to guarantee that we can live with him forever. You know, God’s plan of Providence wasn’t just to provide for us here on this earth, and then we die, and that’s it. No, his plan was to provide for us eternally, to provide for us here and now, here in this earth, but also provide for us forever in the mansions of heaven. And so on this Thanksgiving Day, really every day, let us say with the psalmist,

The eyes of all look eagerly to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. He opens his hand, and he satisfies the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:15-16)

May we also declare

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. For his mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

Amen.