Thanksgiving Day – Today?

Written by Pastor McCarty on February 21, 2014. Posted in Pastors Pen

What a crazy picture, right?  Have I lost my mind?  Have I misread my calendar?  Could it be Thanksgiving Day already?  What happened to our summer vacation?  What happened to Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, July 4th, and Labor day?  I must be really confused.

Well, not exactly.  I’m just trying to get your attention!  Do I have it yet?  For the next few minutes please give me your undivided attention.

We have so relegated giving thanks to a day on the calendar that sometimes we have forgotten that we are to be thankful all the time.  Every day of our life should be a day of thankfulness.  Regularly and continually we should be offering our praise to God, our Heavenly Father.  Thanking Him should be more than a yearly exercise.

And, even more forgotten is that giving thanks isn’t designed just for the good things in life.  Of, believe me, we are to give God thanks for all those “good and perfect” which come down from Him.  But, thankfulness should emanate from our hearts even when things are not as we expected.  Difficulties as well as blessing are to be received with a heart of thankfulness.

Maybe the most familiar account in the Word of God concerning thankfulness or the lack thereof, is the account of the ten lepers.  Luke 17:11-19 records this event.  Jesus gave healing to ten desperately needy lepers.  Yet, when the healing was received only one returned to give Him thanks.  Is 10% really the right percentage of thankful people?  Shouldn’t it be 100%?

What about us, do we give God thanks everyday for every thing?  Sunday morning we will look at this important subject as we continue to proceed through the Book of Ephesians.  Come to worship with us.

LETS:

Are You Thankful?

Written by Pastor McCarty on November 25, 2013. Posted in Pastors Pen

I want to start a “SOT” campaign, will you join me?  I will be starting a petition to address this very important issue.  You will be asked to join my name for this campaign.  What is “SOT,” you might ask?  Of course it’s, “Save our Turkey.”  Too many turkeys are dying needlessly for over indulged and over eating Americans.  Look at the turkey above.  Why does he look so happy, knowing he is about to be eaten! Sad, sad, sad!

Soory, enough of this frivolity.  Turkey is as much a part of Thanksgiving as football, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.  How could we have Thanksgiving without these staples.  The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day for over 70 years!  The Dallas Cowboys have hosted a game on Thanksgiving day since 1966.  And, the Green Bay Packers have been a staple as well.  They all go along well with the turkey dinner.  THIS is Thanksgiving, right?

Wrong!  Before there was football, TV, or the ubiquitous turkey, people gathered to give thanks.  George Washington issued the first national day of thanksgiving in 1789.  Then,  Abraham Lincoln honored the last Thursday of November as a national day for giving of thanks to “…the Most High God.”  Thus, a day for remembering God’s special gifts was given during the Civil War.

This year, as you gather with family, friends, or celebrate alone, remember the great blessings God has given you.  Most of all, be sure to give Him praise for the blessings of salvation and for our Saviour.  Go ahead and eat turkey and watch football.  Just remember the real reason for the day.