“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
The creation myth of the Book of Genesis informs us that God is the Creator of the universe. This point is accepted by Christendom and is affirmed in the words of the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.” Genesis is neither a scientific statement of creation nor a historical document, the author does not set out to make such statements or prove anything. He writes from a faith experience and makes a theological point, which says that every thing that exists has its origin in God. The cosmos depends upon God for its existence and sustenance. The creation is the work of God. It has purpose and did not happen by chance.
The writer of Genesis places man at the centre of creation. Man is the premium creature and has a unique place in the created order. Human beings do not and cannot exist on their own, they are dependent on God for their life and all that is needed to make life a meaningful experience. Paul writes “he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). When Paul saw the altar at Athens with the inscription “To the unknown god,” he spoke to the worshippers of the God who created the world and said to them, `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, `For we are indeed his offspring' (Acts 17:28).
The creation is a gift of love. The creation witnesses to God’s wisdom. “O Lord how manifold are thy works, in wisdom have you made them all.” At the creation God made man in his image and likeness and endowed him with reason and love. These two gifts are necessary for people to make a positive response to God’s love; we were made to serve God. We serve and honour the Creator by being a thankful people.
On this Thanksgiving Sunday we acknowledge our dependence on the Creator the source of life and being. It reminds us of our finite nature and the need for one greater than ourselves who is able to supply all that we need for our physical and spiritual lives. We thank God and worship Him, not out of fear but out of love. Thanksgiving Sunday recalls God’s love and graciousness for us in providing for our daily needs. Above all we thank God for sending Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and Redeemer.
This is a day of thankfulness. It is also a reminder that we should not take life for granted, all that we have come from God, not something that we deserve or merit, but God showers his gifts on us.
I would like o suggest that we see thanksgiving as an appreciation of our lives for what they are. Not just the good things of life but all the experiences that contribute to our total lives. This will help us to see blessing in a comprehensive manner, thanking God for all life’s experiences. Life is a blessing. For everything we meet in this life we can within the context of faith say ‘thank God’.
Thanksgiving is important because it teaches us contentment. We live in an environment that drives us to acquire more and more. There is a grab mentality, which fosters greed. We are not satisfied with what we have. Consumerism controls our lives, the magnet of materialism makes us restless and many people are discontented with life when there is no need to be discontented. This discontentment causes us to do foolish things: we work from morning to night without resting all in the name of making a dollar, in the process we destroy our bodies; some people undertake three and four jobs in a day; we exploit people and charge exorbitant fees for services rendered; we look for short cuts so as to make big profits and we act dishonestly in our business and professional dealings with people. Thankful people are contented with what they have however small it may be and they enjoy life without destroying their lives in the name of making a dollar or acquiring material things. Some times we kill ourselves fighting to make money to do this and do that, and after we have made the money some adversity comes and we cannot enjoy it. Somebody else enjoys it. Thankful people know where and when to draw the line.
Thankful people are not troubled by anxiety. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink …. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Thankful people live one day at a time.
Our thankfulness is seen in the way we use our blessings. The thankful person uses his or her gifts to the glory of God and for the benefit of God’s people. Thankful people are not selfish; they are generous, merciful and compassionate. They are always willing to give and assist in wahtever way possible. Why” because they recognise that all their gifts come from God. Thankful people know that that nothing is mine, not even my life. Everything belongs to God. In this age when so much emphais is on self it might seem strange to many persons to promote the concept of thankfulness.
This morning we come to say thank you to God. We can never repay God for His goodness. However, the gift that we shall offer is symbolic of our gratitude and because of this, we offer him the widow’s mite, the best we can offer, to be used in His church for the purpose of ministry and witness.
Count your blessing name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
