Thanksgiving as a Sacrifice

 

Verses

PSALM 50 7-15

PSALM 116 12-19

          Rarely do we think of Thanksgiving as a sacrifice. It is normally seen through the lens of massive amounts of food, fighting off the inevitable sleep due to the aforementioned food, football watching and the shifting on the shelves in our too small refrigerators to attempt to preserve the leftovers that usually get tossed after a few days. Thanksgiving is a time of excess, an expression of how we have been blessed and generally not a time of blessing one another other than our own families. Yes, there maybe some suffering involved: the once-a-year encounter with the dysfunctional relatives, the injured child from playing too rough with siblings and cousins, the bloated belly and blurred senses. These are merely inconveniences and not sacrifices. As we too quickly leave the season of Thanksgiving and enter the Christmas season, let’s reflect on Thanksgiving as a sacrifice.

          First, in Psalm 50 God Is speaking to His people, asking them to listen. What does God not need? (Physical sacrifices, bulls, goats etc.) Notice he doesn’t rebuke their mandated sacrificial offerings but God doesn’t need them. Psalm 24 1-2 reminds us that the earth is His and everything in it. God by His very nature is enough, sufficient. Verse 12 reminds us again of His completeness. What does He charge us as His people to do? (1. Sacrifice thank offerings and fulfill our vows to the Most High 2. Call upon Him in our day of trouble) We tend to do the latter first and forget to do the former.

          In Psalm 116 12-19 the writer is almost giving a response to the Psalm 50 charges issued by the Lord. His opens with a question all of us as believers should periodically ask ourselves. (v. 12 How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?) We could mull over that thought for ages and I suspect that even in Heaven’s bliss that will be part of the wonderment of God. The writer points out several things he will do. What are these things? (1. Lift up the cup of my salvation 2. Call on the name of the Lord 3. Fulfill my vows to the Lord 4. Sacrifice thank offerings) Notice that in verse 15 he gives us the very familiar phrase “Precious is the sight of the Lord in the death of His Saints”. Why does the writer put this in the middle of the things He says He will do to “repay” the Lord? (Death of a loved one, his own death looming)

          The writer concludes with the statement “Praise the Lord”. This short phrase is the cornerstone of the thanks offering that both the Lord desires in Psalm 50 and the writer of Psalm 116 wishes to do to “repay” the Lord. Our sacrifice is not grounded in monetary offerings, our volunteer time at church functions, our attendance at Life Group or any other measure that do require some sacrifice of time, talent or treasure. Our thank offering of sacrifice is an attitude of praise no matter our circumstance. When life unravels, we become fragile, the enemy surrounds with storms of disillusions and distress does our praise diminish or disappear?

Let’s conclude with a story from a weekly newsletter I receive. The story demonstrates what a thank offering looks like in the midst of the Thanksgiving season.  Sheila Heil is the wife of the late Paul Heil, founder of the Gospel Greats broadcast heard on many radio stations. In the newsletter she writes:

Here's Jerri's story:

“Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love everything about it... The colors, the food, the traditions, the family time...ALL the things...even the "being thankful" part. That's where it gets real, really fast.

“When life has become a vastly different place than before, when the heart has not just broken, but shattered, when loneliness has become the norm, when hope seems lost, when the face staring back from the mirror looks strangely unfamiliar... that's when being "thankful" becomes a sacrifice.

“The Word tells us ‘in everything give thanks.’ EVERYTHING?!?! Yes... everything. It's so easy to be thankful when all is going well, but a greater challenge when your world has imploded into rubble at your feet.

“On many occasions, in prayer, I've had no words...just soul sobs. My mind couldn't conceive of what HE was doing nor why.

“This I can say with absolute certainty, however, HE makes no mistakes. HE has a plan and, someday, I'll understand. For now, I lean heavily on HIM, walking face forward, and holding tightly to HIS hand. HE is healing and restoring me. I look forward to what's next, knowing I can trust HIM.

“Thanksgiving has a new, deeper meaning to me now. To quote a great song, ‘...in the good times, praise HIS name...but in the bad times, do the same. In everything give The King all the praise!’ Happy Thanksgiving, Loved Ones! So thankful...so blessed!”