Sermon Text- Proverbs 14:34
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in our country. The Christian church year, in its historic, international form, does not include such a festival, and there are many countries in the world that do not have a thanksgiving observance.
But we live in a country that does. And so, as the government of our nation asks its citizens to set apart a specific day each autumn, to render thanks to God for his blessings, we are eager and willing to comply with this request.
The fact that we are Christians, whose faith in God is shaped by his self-revelation in Holy Scripture, means that we know who the God who has blessed us truly is. We therefore do not offer thanks to a vague and shadowy deity whose character and will are matters only of educated guesses or wishful thinking.
We know what his character is. We know that he is a holy and righteous God, who judges sin and wickedness.
We also know that he is a merciful and forgiving God, who is patient with his fallen creatures, and who wants all people to turn away from evil and to be reconciled to him. St. Paul accordingly writes to Timothy that “God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
God reveals his goodness and patience chiefly through making salvation from sin and eternal life available to the human race, through the redemption and forgiveness that his Son Jesus Christ won for us on the cross. But this is not the only way in which God shows his mercy and goodness to the human race.
Human sin has indeed corrupted the world that God created, and has contaminated it. But the fundamental goodness of God’s creation also still shines forth in many ways.
As the world continues to function, we can see the loving hand of divine providence at work for the earthly happiness and well-being of all people – believers and unbelievers alike. In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus points out that “your Father in heaven…makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Also in the area of human relationships and the good order of human societies, God works through the voice of conscience and reason, to restrain evil and to promote civil righteousness.
Now, civil righteousness, which manifests itself primarily in people outwardly following the golden rule in their families and communities, is not the righteousness that saves us. But it is a good thing as far as it goes, and is much to be preferred to anarchy and social chaos.
St. Paul writes to the Romans that when Gentiles, who do not have the law – meaning the written Law of Moses – “by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”
Also in his Epistle to the Romans, Paul explains that God works through rulers, and others who have governmental authority, to maintain law and order for the earthly well-being and physical safety of those who live in this world. He writes that “there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”
He adds that, according to the ordinance of God, “rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.” A government official who is entrusted with the duty of enforcing just laws is, according to Paul, “God’s minister to you for good,” who “does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”
This is why today’s Epistle reading, from First Timothy, instructs us “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
We don’t want the civil government to presume to do the spiritual work of the church. And we certainly don’t want the civil government to hinder and oppose the work of the church.
But we do want the civil government to create a protected safe space, under the rule of law, within which the church can fulfill its divine commission in publicly proclaiming the message of Christ crucified for sinners, and can without restraint administer the means of grace that have been entrusted to it by the Lord, for the salvation of souls and for the comforting of consciences.
So, on this Thanksgiving Day, we are indeed thankful for all these earthly blessings. As Christians we are certainly thankful as well, for the spiritual blessings of forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation from sin and damnation that God has poured out upon his church in all nations.
But since this is a national Day of Thanksgiving, which focuses on the blessings that God has poured out upon our nation as a whole, that is also the focus of our thanks on this day.
We live in a country with a tradition of freedom, and in particular with a Constitutional guarantee of the free exercise of religion. We live in a country with a tradition of the rule of law, and of impartial courts and law enforcement agencies that are governed by the principles of the Constitution and not by partisanship or political favoritism.
We live in a country with a tradition of punishing criminals and of protecting the general population from their predations. And we live in a country with a strong tradition of respect for the institutions of marriage and the family, and of public policies that have encouraged the stability and integrity of families.
Insofar as we still enjoy these good blessings in our nation, we gratefully recognize God as the merciful source of all this. St. James writes that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
But insofar as these blessings are in some ways being taken away from us – so that our freedoms are being gradually curtailed and restricted, and the social order that surrounds us is gradually disintegrating – then we should consider what judgments and chastisements the Lord may be bringing upon us, because of our national and personal sins.
Most of what the Old Testament says regarding the life of a nation, is applicable specifically to the nation of Israel, with its very unique covenantal relationship with the Lord. Old Testament Israel is in many ways parallel to the Christian church, with its special standing before God, and is not parallel to the United States or to any other modern earthly realm.
But some of what the Old Testament teaches regarding the life of a nation, is applicable to all nations – including pagan and idolatrous nations – especially in regard to whether the voice of conscience and reason is being followed in those nations, in the maintenance of public order and public justice.
And so, we read in the Book of Proverbs that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
God was certainly offended by the religious unbelief and misbelief that characterized the pagan nations. But even with their spiritual errors, they were still capable of maintaining civil righteousness in their society, with just laws and fair treatment of all citizens.
And God expects that of our nation, too, even though our nation does not have the same kind of spiritual standing before God as the ancient nation of Israel did. But given the way things are going in our country, the warnings that God spoke through the Prophet Malachi may very well be landing also on us:
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.”
There are too many cases among us, where criminals are rewarded and law-abiding citizens suffer. The frustrations expressed by the prophet Jeremiah are our frustrations as well: “Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?”
How long will God allow this to continue? Through the prophet Isaiah he warns:
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!”
In Psalm 139, King David offers a prayer of awe and thanksgiving regarding God’s lifelong love for him, beginning even when he was first conceived and was still in his mother’s womb:
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret… Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”
How provoked do you think God is by a society like ours, that continues to allow the killing of unborn children on a massive scale? Are you doing what you can, to bring this slaughter to an end? Are you following the Lord’s injunctions, as written in the Book of Proverbs?:
“Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
In a few short words, the Book of Genesis lays out God’s design for the human race, which he created as male and female, and for human procreation through the marital union of a biological man and a biological woman. We read:
“God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.’”
Our normal physical features, according to the way God made us, are a part of who we are as his creatures. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord asks this rhetorical question:
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?”
The implied answer, of course, is that they cannot. And they should not want to.
In the Book of Deuteronomy, the people of Israel are warned about the punishment that God will bring upon them if they disobey him and violate his will:
“The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion.”
Doesn’t that describe so much of what is happening among us today? Vulnerable and confused people – often very young people – are encouraged by those in authority, who should know better, to undergo disfiguring surgery that will prevent them from ever living a normal life, or from ever having children.
How long will God tolerate such abuse? And how long will God tolerate our lack of love and active concern for those who are being harmed by all of this?
In his Epistle to the Galatians, St. Paul encourages us never to stop caring about others in need, and never to stop doing what we can to help them and protect them. He writes:
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Are you trying to be an influence for sanity in our increasingly crazy society? Are you doing what you can to bring about true healing, and peace of mind, for those who are troubled and confused?
Are we seeking, with the Lord’s help, to be agents of a culture of life, in opposition to the culture of death that is increasingly shrouding our land – and increasingly taking away our own liberty in the process?
On this Thanksgiving Day – as citizens of God’s kingdom, and as members of his holy church – there is much for us to be thankful for, as we enjoy all the blessings of God’s redeeming love in his Son Jesus Christ, whom we know by faith, and whom we worship in hope.
And on this Thanksgiving Day – as citizens of a mostly free and prosperous land – there is also much for us to be thankful for. Our nation still abounds in prosperity, and enjoys external peace.
But will this last? Indeed, on this Thanksgiving Day, and on all days, there is much to be concerned about, and much to be sorry for, as we look around us, and as we look inside of ourselves.
In our life in this world, God has given us many opportunities to show our love for him and for our neighbor, which we have not taken advantage of. In his Word, God has given us many warnings and admonitions, which we have not heeded.
So, we are thankful today – deeply and humbly thankful – for God’s patience with us, and with our country. He has not yet destroyed us – or more precisely, he has not yet allowed us to destroy ourselves.
So, as we are thankful for the time that God has given us – time to repent of past failures, and to implore him for future wisdom and strength – we do indeed repent of past failures. We have not loved God with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
And Jesus – the friend of the downtrodden and the helper of the suffering – covers over our failures, with his perfect, saving righteousness, and washes away our sin with his blood. You are forgiven! And you are set free once again to sing with joy:
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
As his forgiven people; as citizens of his heavenly kingdom; and as his ambassadors of light in the midst of much darkness, Jesus will also open our eyes to see where and how we can now live out the deeper reality of our heavenly citizenship, in the context of our earthly citizenship – and in the context of the needs of our earthly country and of the people who live here with us.
Jesus will open your heart, and will give you a renewed desire to honor God and to be a blessing to your neighbor, as you daily bear the fruit of the Spirit who resides within you. Indeed, as St. Paul teaches in his Epistle to the Galatians,
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
We close with these words from St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians:
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Amen.