Grace,
Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ Amen
The
Lord will bring your God is binging you into a good land…and you
shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the
good land he has given you.
In
the name of Jesus
What
a year it has been. As you look back on the last 370ish days, since
last Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? I can say that I am
thankful for life as Annabelle entered our family this past April. I
am thankful for safe travels has I have looked at all the places our
family has been. I am thankful for skilled doctors and nurses who
were with Norah during her surgery just a few weeks ago. I am
thankful for a loving wife, a happy family, a job, a home, and for
good health.
What
about you? What things come to mind this evening when you think of
what you are thankful for? Are you thankful the crops are in? Are
you thankful for a job change? Are you thankful for those who
surround you every day? Are you thankful that even though it was a
difficult year, you still wake up every morning, breathing, having
independence?
You
are probably somewhat proud of what you have been able to accomplish
for yourself this past year. Proud of how you handled yourself in
the difficult times. Proud for what you we able to provide your
family with this year. Lets face it, when you get home at night,
when it is silent, in our house, meaning the kids are in bed
sleeping, chores are taken care of, you breath a sigh of relief
thinking “what a great job I have done today. Everything is
complete, I have done my job.”
Yes
when life is good, when we have everything we need and more, we feel
happy and secure. But what about the other percentage of the time?
What about when are struggling? Struggling personally, struggling at
work, struggling to make ends meet. Who gets the credit, more so,
who gets the blame for that? Are we as quick to point to ourselves
when times are bad? Are you quick to point out your own mistakes and
accept the consequences for them? Perhaps you are the kind of
person, as we all are at times, who finds something to complain about
even when times are great.
Take
the children of Israel as an example. Spending a great chunk of time
in captivity, they wanted out. They wanted to be free, they wanted
to live their own life. So they pleaded to the Lord to release them
from their bondage to the Egyptians. Reasonable man that he is, God
heard their pleas and released them. He removed them from their
captors. And even though he took them to the wilderness, he
protected them. He gave them food and drink. He dwelt among them
when the camped and he led them as the traveled. I don't know about
you, but times seem to have been good for them. What more could they
have asked for? He provided all of the first article gifts.
Clothing, food, house, home, wife children, land, cattle, and all
that was needed to support their daily life. And yet they say Is
it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away
to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us
out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in
Egypt: Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would
have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the
wilderness.
So
what was their deal? What is our deal when we complain even after we
receive God's gracious gifts? Why can't we just be happy? Why cant
we just be content with the gifts of God? The Israelites had what
they needed and they basically throw it back in God's face. We do
the same things. We look at what we have and are disappointed we
haven't done better.
Praise
God that he gives us his gifts without our asking, and even without
our appreciation. Praise him that he gives us these gifts even
without us knowing that we need them! Especially the gift of his Son
who died and rose for us, giving us the forgiveness of sins and
eternal salvation.
You
see, our time on earth is not much different than the wandering of
the Israelites. In bondage to sin, our Heavenly Father brought us
through the waters of Holy Baptism promising to bring us to the
promised land of Heaven. Now we are in our time of wandering and
waiting in the wildreness. We are tempted the same, we even say and
complain the same. But we get to see how the Lord was faithful to
the Children of Israel and use that as our confidence that he will be
faithful to us as well. You can know for sure that The Lord you
God is bringing you into a good land…and you
shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the
good land he has given you.
God
is faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. I would like to
call to your attention a familiar Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, me
leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul, he leadth
me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake….thou preparest
a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, thou anoinest my
head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life.
My
cup runneth over. Those four words alone give us comfort. Even
though it seems like we struggle here on earth, our spiritual
blessings run over. After all, that is what matters most. We can’t
take anything with us to heaven. So those four words, my cup runneth
over, bring comfort because of an even more comforting four words,
your sins are forgiven. That is where it all starts. God pours out
his blessings upon us through his son Jesus Christ, who himself is
the greatest gift. The forgiveness won for us, the life and
salvation because of God’s unconditional love for us leave us
feeling content.
This
is why we are here this evening. We are here to give thanks unto the
Lord our God. We are here to thank him for his gracious provision
for us while on this earth, while we walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
for his underserved love shown to us in his only Son Jesus Christ,
and for the promise of eternal life, in a land flowing with milk and
honey. For the good gifts he has given us here and for the gift of
heaven to come. For all our Father has given us, it is our duty to
bless the Lord [our] God for all the good land
he has given [us]. Even
to upon his holy name at all times, pray,
praise, and give thanks!
Amen
SOLI DEO GLORIA
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