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Thanksgiving Eve
11/23/2011
1 Kings 8:55-61, Colossians 3:12-17, & St. John 6:25-35
LSB – 782, 785,as Magnificant - 943, 936
Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen.
The sermon text is the Gospel appointed, the Gospel according to St. John, the 6th chapter, with particular focus on these words:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
The text in part. Please be seated.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
This Thanksgiving Eve even our secular government, it seems, has set aside tomorrow as a day to give thanks to God. However, clearly our government does not know the one true God, but instead points to a god of choice, invention, convenience, freedom, and imagination.
It hasn't always been so. Long ago in another land, King David also set aside a day of thanksgiving.
The Chronicler writes:
“And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.
Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.” (1 Ch 16:1-4).
David took giving thanks to be important, and even second nature for anyone who faithfully waited for the promised Messiah, even as they enjoyed and received the daily bread from the Lord as well.
What did the thanks that David and his people give God look and sound like? Well..., let's read some more from the Chronicler.
7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.
David’s Song of Thanks
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! (1 Ch 16:7-13).
This is just part of Asaph's Psalm commissioned by King David. The first stanza of the ancient hymn, verse eight is key to understanding what David's thanksgiving to God looked like – what he is thankful for and how that thanksgiving then played out.
The stanza, once more, is “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!”
This evening then let us examine Jesus' words in the Gospel through David's thanksgiving informed eyes.
In beginning then we consider, “Oh give thanks to the Lord.”
People come looking for Jesus. He had left them and crossed the lake by night because they had, in response to the miraculous feeding of the multitude, wanted to make Jesus a bread king.
Now He tells them. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” And so that they understand their miss focus, Jesus continues,
“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”
Obviously man must work to earn his way, but Jesus is telling us that it shouldn't be our main desire, or even the main effort in our lives on planet earth.
And now these work righteous Israelites are confused, and they ask, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
This answer is quite shocking to those Israelites, and to your flesh as well. First Jesus says clearly that your believing in Him is the work of God. “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
It is His gift to you. And second, that faith looks only to the promised Messiah and to the His works of redemption for you.
David might not have had all the details of how the Messiah would, centuries later, pay for His sins, justify him, and prepare a place in heaven for him, but David trusted the promise of God, and that faith was counted as righteousness for Jesus sake.
David and all of Israel sat down and ate a meal, for which they are quite thankful. But as thankful as they are for their daily bread, they have something even greater to be thankful for.
They sing, “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name.” Luther helps us understand the great privilege to call upon His name with these words,
Our Father in heaven.
What does this mean?
With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear Father.
Of course there is also the invitation to call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks garnered from the meaning of the second commandment.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name.” Something is received, salvation is given to you through the Savior. And in Baptism you are placed in the the name of God and we have the command of God to pray to Him. He really listens.
Calling upon His name is a sacred privilege given to us through Christ's life, suffering, death, and resurrection. And praying is part of the new baptismal life created through the water and Word of Baptism.
For you forgiven by Christ, His love, forgiveness, and Gospel Words given so freely to you now flow through you to your neighbor. Praying, calling upon His name, is reflective of the new Christian life.
You call upon His name, you are baptized into His name, and your new life lives inside this baptismal reality of your new life in Him, in His name. Of course you call upon Him in every trouble but also to pray, praise, and this evening give thanks.
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
This we have already touched on for there is no giving of thanks, no calling upon His name, without the gift of faith first given by God through Christ in His Word to you.
David, Asaph, the prophets and the chronicler all gave thanks for the recorded rescues by God of His people. For God to protect His people was to protect the blood line through which the Messiah was promised to come. So, their remembrance of God's past deliverances was also helpful for them to see and believe in God's faithfulness to His promises.
Back in our Gospel account Jesus reveals the greatest reason for those Israelites to be thankful. He is that Messiah. They want earthly bread, but He is the promised One, the Great Manna, the Bread of Life.
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Shouldn't you and I, who sin daily and much, with our confused focus on the here and now, be more concerned with our more important eternal needs?
We are sinners, often unconcerned with our sinfulness, and are instead worried about the weather, the bills, the country, health care, our health, and even afraid to think about our inevitable death.
We give little thought to how we can help our neighbor, and instead ignore him, complain about him, lie to him, speak poorly of him, and neglect to share the good news of Christ with Him.
Yet this was part of David's thanksgiving to God. Remember, Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
Yes you are poor miserable sinners. Yet this evening, even if you are sometimes as confused as the Israelites in their desire for a bread king over the promised Messiah, Jesus comes and reminds you once more,
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
And in the hearing of this His gracious Word, the Holy Spirit leads you to see the Savior who suffered, died, and rose again for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Jesus forgives all your sins of neighborly neglect. Jesus forgives your sin of sometimes having bread king gods over, and above the one true God. Jesus forgives all your sins.
And so, this Thanksgiving Eve, tomorrow, and every day let us remember to be thankful for good health, meals, paid bills, and family gatherings. Truly they are great gifts of God. But they are not our gods.
“Do not labor for the food that perishes.”
Remembering Christ, and what He has done for us at Calvary, and on Easter morning, let us give thanks even in poor health, for not so much or any meals, for bill collectors, and even the lonely miserable times.
For what are these things that melt, rust, and blow away in the wind compared to the eternal things?
“[But labor] for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”
Labor in Christ Jesus and in His name to believe things like the fact that you are forgiven, you are saved, and you have already begun to live forever (point to the font), for Jesus' Holy Passion's sake. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Please stand.
The Peace of God which passes all understanding, keep you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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