A Thanksgiving Word from the Pastor

What is Thanksgiving? Your mind might recall the meal that the Pilgrims and Native Americans share. You may think of a special year when your family gathered in a home over a meal? You may think of the food and the parades and the football… but let’s consider for a moment how Scripture describes Thanksgiving.

One of the most popular passages that commands our thanksgiving is Psalm 100.  It is a short five verses, but in them we have the blueprint for how we should express Thanksgiving.

Psalm 100:1–5 (CSB)

1Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!

2Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his— his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

5For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.

            “Shout triumphantly” (verse 1) - Thanksgiving begins with the idea that the “whole earth” can look to the LORD and find victory! All of creation will be made whole because of Jesus and the Salvation that is found in Him.

            “Serve the LORD with gladness” (verse 2) – If you want to truly understand and practice thanksgiving, look for ways to serve! I want to challenge you to experience Thanksgiving by serving the Lord through ministering to your neighbor, coworker, or even a complete stranger. How can you show God’s love to someone else?

            “Acknowledge that the LORD is God.” (verse 3) – Some of us struggle to be thankful because we don’t have things that we think we deserve. God reminds us here that He is boss, He is “the Lord” and we serve at His pleasure. The Psalmist uses the example of sheep and the shepherd. Those sheep know that they will be taken care of, and they also know that they exist for the shepherd.

            “Enter his gates with thanksgiving” (verse 4) – Here we finally see the “Thankgiving.” Notice that it is for God alone! It’s for His name, because He is good. The “gates” and “courts” are where He reigns, which is EVERYWHERE. So everywhere that you go, be thankful! You are constantly in His presence, and you have the opportunity to proclaim God’s goodness to all that you see.

            “His faithful love endures forever” (verse 5) – God’s love never fails, and so neither should our thanksgiving. We can ALWAYS be thankful. God’s continued faithfulness spurs us to faithfulness as well. We trust God’s goodness even when things seem down. Being thankful when it’s not easy demonstrates how much faith we have in the LORD.


            So this Thanksgiving, strive to follow this blueprint of thankfulness as we give glory to God for all that He continues to do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dr. Cameron,
Pastor