This Sunday is annual Thanksgiving Festival. We Sunrise Christian Community has been establishing since seventeen years ago. We have been celebrating this festival. We celebrate it might not on the actual date (the fourth Thursday of every November), every zone will select the most convenient time to celebrate it, therefore, we celebrate it on the “Thanksgiving Festival” today.
Talk about “thanksgiving”, we expect the Sunrise brothers and sisters aware of this festival was not originated from America. Thanksgiving is originated from the Bible and God. The Jews offered “Thanksgiving” sacrifice in their lives. Abraham offered a tithe of victory to the High Priest Melchizedek after he won a battle. It was because the Most High God put the enemy into his hands. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!” Abraham therefore offered tithe to the High Priest Melchizedek (Genesis 14: 20). In the New Testament Jesus healed ten lepers but only one came back to Him with a gratitude heart.
“Thanksgiving” is a kind of design of God. “Thanksgiving” is neutrally born. Most of the times we cannot give thanks, its causes are as follows:
1. Custom
Most of the time we cannot give thanks is because we think that the things we received are a must, and we need not to give thanks.
For example, children receive caring by their parents, receiving their provision is a must. But from the perspective of God, parents might not forever be our parents in eternity; they also may not receive our appreciation. They only provide for us when we have relationship on the earth. We need to return it to them.
2.Self-centerness
Always looks for profits, people will always feel not sufficient. Therefore they will not easily to give thanks. Perhaps people have high expectation. Though people come to appreciate us, they also turn up one’s nose, and try not to talk about it and give thanks to others. Perhaps what we expect is not matched with what we received. We will not give thanks. For example, we expect others to do things exactly like our styles, though we contributed much, but our expectation are higher than others’ contribution, then we will not give thanks. All these, we need to make a reflection. If a self-centered person got hurt, it was difficult for a person to give thanks. It always feels others owe them; it is difficult to give thanks to others. How can they appreciate others?
But, I believe Sunrise brothers and sisters will not the persons we mentioned, we should give thanks to those people who have done small things and big things, finally, we should give thanks to God, because He is the resources of grace and love. Amen.
