Joyful Thanksgiving
Psalm 100 (NRSV)
November 18, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all
generations.
I'm so glad that in 1789 President George Washington issued a national
Thanksgiving Proclamation in which he wrote, "Now therefore I do recommend and
assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of
these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent
Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite
in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and
protection of the People of this Country...." I'm so glad that following this
proclamation Congress declared Thanksgiving to be one of our National Holidays.
I'm so glad that it remains a time when no matter who we are, no matter what faith
we practice, no matter what people we call our ancestors, no matter what hardships
we might have faced or be facing we are invited for a least a few hours on one day
to "give thanks." For I believe that it is true that gratitude, true gratitude fills us
with joy and releases powerful energy for good in our lives and in the world!
As I was thinking about today and how I might invite us to begin that
thanksgiving a little ahead of schedule, I came across a sermon by Rev. Bass
Mitchell in which he recounted a thanksgiving story from his youth. I'd like to share
it with you in Rev. Mitchell's own words:
His name was Kenny. He was my best friend in elementary school.
We had much in common. He had three sisters, so did I, so we were able
to comfort one another. He liked to collect coins, so did I. He went to
church, so did I (though not to the same one).
He liked Debbie Fulcher, the coolest girl in 5th grade, and so did I. He
really liked school and so...well, you can't be alike in every way!
His family had moved to our town from a place called Massachusetts -
which sounded like a foreign country to me. Indeed, Kenny and his family
had a peculiar accent and I often teased him about it. He would rightly
point out that I had quite an accent as well.
Kenny and his family also had strange customs. And one of them I
discovered when they invited me to a meal at their house around
Thanksgiving...
We all went into the dining room. The table was set - plates and
glasses but no food. Not even a piece of bread. We all sat down and then
I noticed beside each empty plate a little pile of corn, five kernels to be
exact. And my first thought was, "I didn't know Kenny and his family
were so poor!" My second thought was, "I'm gonna starve!"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-18-07 psalm 100- thanksgiving.doc
Last printed 1/23/2008 10:24:00 AM - 2 -
Then I saw Kenny's father nod to his youngest daughter and she
asked, "Father, why are there five pieces of corn beside our plates?"
I wanted to know that too.
And I don't remember everything he said, but the gist of it was that
the Pilgrim fathers and mothers faced many hardships when they came to
America seeking freedom to worship God as they felt they should. One of
those was hunger. One of the first winters it was so bad that they had
only five pieces of corn per person each day to eat. The next spring,
however, because of God's blessings through help from their Indian
friends, they had a bountiful harvest and raised their voices in
thanksgiving, inviting their new Indian friends to a great banquet - the
first Thanksgiving. So the five pieces of corn are there to remind us of
their suffering, of our bounty, and our need to give thanks.
Then he picked up a piece of corn and looked around at his family and
told them and God, I suppose, just how thankful he was for them. He laid
the piece of corn on the other side of the plate. Then Kenny's mother
took a kernel of corn and named something she was thankful for...and
they went around the table until they got to Kenny...and Kenny, I still see
him holding that tiny piece of corn, looked at me and said that he was
thankful for me, and what a good friend I had been to him, for he didn't
think he would make any friends when he moved here. I felt my eyes
grow moist...but it was my turn...I picked up a piece of corn and then
shared thanks for Kenny and his whole strange family, for I was beginning
to like them all, even his sisters...
We went around the table until everyone had given thanks for five
blessings, one for each piece of corn...
After that, we all went out to the kitchen and there laying on the
counter were all kinds of food. What a relief! We all took the food back
out to the table and then stood behind our chairs and held hands while
Kenny's father gave thanks. Then, at long last, we got to eat!
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all
generations.
Now my friends at Trinity United Church of Christ have a custom that I really
like; whenever the preacher or worship leader says "God is good" the gathered
community -with great feeling- responds "all the time." Then the leader follows
with the words "all the time" and the gathered community -with great feelingresponds
"God is good." So let's try it...
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
It's important to remember that, isn't it?
"God is good"
"all the time"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-18-07 psalm 100- thanksgiving.doc
Last printed 1/23/2008 10:24:00 AM - 3 -
"All the time"
"God is good"
I believe that taking the time to remember our blessings and say "thank you"
for them is one way that we can remember that
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
To share all the things for which I am thankful -all the blessings in my lifewould
take far more than five kernels of corn. I'm sure the same is true for you.
But right now, what I'm going to invite each of us to do is to turn to someone
sitting nearby -that may mean some of you will have to move a little bit- share
with one another some of the things for which you are thankful. So that everyone
gets a chance to say at least one or two things I'm going to suggest that person "A"
says one thing and then together the two of you say, "God, we give you thanks!"
Then "B" does the same thing. Then repeat that with a second thing. Some of you
will barely get two things in during the time I will give us to do this. Others of you
will share many more blessings perhaps with less commentary. The number you
share is not important, but try to be specific. In other words instead of saying, "I'm
thankful for my family," say something like "I'm thankful for my husband Tom who
supports and encourages me when I am struggling." or "I'm thankful for my friend
Yolanda who listens to my joy and my pain and accepts them both with love."
Remember after each person shares you both say "God we give you thanks." OK,
let's try it.....
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
Please join me as we sing Give Thanks
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
Give thanks
Psalm 100 (NRSV)
November 18, 2007
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all
generations.
I'm so glad that in 1789 President George Washington issued a national
Thanksgiving Proclamation in which he wrote, "Now therefore I do recommend and
assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of
these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent
Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite
in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and
protection of the People of this Country...." I'm so glad that following this
proclamation Congress declared Thanksgiving to be one of our National Holidays.
I'm so glad that it remains a time when no matter who we are, no matter what faith
we practice, no matter what people we call our ancestors, no matter what hardships
we might have faced or be facing we are invited for a least a few hours on one day
to "give thanks." For I believe that it is true that gratitude, true gratitude fills us
with joy and releases powerful energy for good in our lives and in the world!
As I was thinking about today and how I might invite us to begin that
thanksgiving a little ahead of schedule, I came across a sermon by Rev. Bass
Mitchell in which he recounted a thanksgiving story from his youth. I'd like to share
it with you in Rev. Mitchell's own words:
His name was Kenny. He was my best friend in elementary school.
We had much in common. He had three sisters, so did I, so we were able
to comfort one another. He liked to collect coins, so did I. He went to
church, so did I (though not to the same one).
He liked Debbie Fulcher, the coolest girl in 5th grade, and so did I. He
really liked school and so...well, you can't be alike in every way!
His family had moved to our town from a place called Massachusetts -
which sounded like a foreign country to me. Indeed, Kenny and his family
had a peculiar accent and I often teased him about it. He would rightly
point out that I had quite an accent as well.
Kenny and his family also had strange customs. And one of them I
discovered when they invited me to a meal at their house around
Thanksgiving...
We all went into the dining room. The table was set - plates and
glasses but no food. Not even a piece of bread. We all sat down and then
I noticed beside each empty plate a little pile of corn, five kernels to be
exact. And my first thought was, "I didn't know Kenny and his family
were so poor!" My second thought was, "I'm gonna starve!"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-18-07 psalm 100- thanksgiving.doc
Last printed 1/23/2008 10:24:00 AM - 2 -
Then I saw Kenny's father nod to his youngest daughter and she
asked, "Father, why are there five pieces of corn beside our plates?"
I wanted to know that too.
And I don't remember everything he said, but the gist of it was that
the Pilgrim fathers and mothers faced many hardships when they came to
America seeking freedom to worship God as they felt they should. One of
those was hunger. One of the first winters it was so bad that they had
only five pieces of corn per person each day to eat. The next spring,
however, because of God's blessings through help from their Indian
friends, they had a bountiful harvest and raised their voices in
thanksgiving, inviting their new Indian friends to a great banquet - the
first Thanksgiving. So the five pieces of corn are there to remind us of
their suffering, of our bounty, and our need to give thanks.
Then he picked up a piece of corn and looked around at his family and
told them and God, I suppose, just how thankful he was for them. He laid
the piece of corn on the other side of the plate. Then Kenny's mother
took a kernel of corn and named something she was thankful for...and
they went around the table until they got to Kenny...and Kenny, I still see
him holding that tiny piece of corn, looked at me and said that he was
thankful for me, and what a good friend I had been to him, for he didn't
think he would make any friends when he moved here. I felt my eyes
grow moist...but it was my turn...I picked up a piece of corn and then
shared thanks for Kenny and his whole strange family, for I was beginning
to like them all, even his sisters...
We went around the table until everyone had given thanks for five
blessings, one for each piece of corn...
After that, we all went out to the kitchen and there laying on the
counter were all kinds of food. What a relief! We all took the food back
out to the table and then stood behind our chairs and held hands while
Kenny's father gave thanks. Then, at long last, we got to eat!
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all
generations.
Now my friends at Trinity United Church of Christ have a custom that I really
like; whenever the preacher or worship leader says "God is good" the gathered
community -with great feeling- responds "all the time." Then the leader follows
with the words "all the time" and the gathered community -with great feelingresponds
"God is good." So let's try it...
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
It's important to remember that, isn't it?
"God is good"
"all the time"
O:\Sermons\Sermons 2007\11-18-07 psalm 100- thanksgiving.doc
Last printed 1/23/2008 10:24:00 AM - 3 -
"All the time"
"God is good"
I believe that taking the time to remember our blessings and say "thank you"
for them is one way that we can remember that
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
To share all the things for which I am thankful -all the blessings in my lifewould
take far more than five kernels of corn. I'm sure the same is true for you.
But right now, what I'm going to invite each of us to do is to turn to someone
sitting nearby -that may mean some of you will have to move a little bit- share
with one another some of the things for which you are thankful. So that everyone
gets a chance to say at least one or two things I'm going to suggest that person "A"
says one thing and then together the two of you say, "God, we give you thanks!"
Then "B" does the same thing. Then repeat that with a second thing. Some of you
will barely get two things in during the time I will give us to do this. Others of you
will share many more blessings perhaps with less commentary. The number you
share is not important, but try to be specific. In other words instead of saying, "I'm
thankful for my family," say something like "I'm thankful for my husband Tom who
supports and encourages me when I am struggling." or "I'm thankful for my friend
Yolanda who listens to my joy and my pain and accepts them both with love."
Remember after each person shares you both say "God we give you thanks." OK,
let's try it.....
"God is good"
"all the time"
"All the time"
"God is good"
Please join me as we sing Give Thanks
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
Give thanks
