Thanksgiving is gradually coming upon us, and many look up to it enthusiastically.
Why not? Thanksgiving brings pleasant memories and presents us with a time to bond together and share some love.
While many of us are preparing for Thanksgiving in one or the other, pastors eagerly anticipate feeding their members – with some inspirational messages. However, in case you are a pastor and are yet to settle for a sermon, you can take a leave from the following Thanksgiving sermon ideas:
1. Give Thanks Always
Help your congregation understand the significance of giving thanks – at all times. It doesn’t have to be done after we receive some huge blessings. We need not forget that the greatest blessing anyone could have is nothing but the gift of life.
As such, one has to make thanksgiving a regular part of his/her life. You’ve got to be grateful for life and your Maker, who’s made it to be.
More so, when you look around, there are people you should be grateful for being present in your life. Those who had your back when you were in your low estate; those who invested in seeing you happy and putting a smile on your face.
Look around you and take stock of your life; you will always find a reason to give thanks.
2. The Lord’s Blessing Is Rooted In Thanksgiving
Another message inspiration for Thanksgiving hovers around letting your audience come to terms with how the Lord’s blessings evolve from the standpoint of Thanksgiving.
This is seen in the miraculous act of Jesus Christ when He fed a great multitude with five barley loaves and two pieces of small fish. The Bible recounted that Jesus gave thanks, and the food was distributed. But that was not all; there was abundant [and extra] supply.
When you are thankful for your multiple blessings, you position yourself to receive more. We should not attempt to approach God from a place of entitlement even when our needs are ‘mountainous’.
We should first engage God from the point of thanksgiving, acknowledging Him and making it known that we are oblivious of His graciousness towards us.
3. Biblical Examples Of People Who Changed Things Through Thanksgiving
You can also cite examples of people in the Bible who had situations turned around by acknowledging God through thanksgiving. Jesus Christ will be the perfect example here, and some of these were quite notable.
You can talk about how He gave thanks before raising Lazarus from the dead and when He was about to feed multiple with relatively small amounts of loaves and fish.
Hannah was another Biblical example of someone who gave thanks to turn the tides around. This is reflected by how she thanked God for the gift of Samuel, who she eventually leaned to the Lord.
After that, she was blessed with even more children. One cannot conclude the discussion on the significance of thanksgiving in the Bible without considering David.
David was acknowledged to be fond of giving thanks to God, and He got massive victories at various times. Daniel also showed an attitude of thankfulness, and the great exploits he did while in Babylon are duly documented in the Bible. Paul was also never oblivious to how God has been gracious to him, and he expressed this through thanksgiving. The list goes on; these people can serve as a source of inspiration to help your audience embrace a life of gratitude.
4. Thanksgiving: A Simple Act With A Huge Reward
Thanksgiving may appear as a simple act to men, but it is not something God takes for granted. More so, there is nothing we could have given to God than a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving – a heartfelt one at that.
And it is even good to make them see the benefits associated with being thankful. For one, thankfulness keeps us in God’s will and gives us peace of mind.
Additionally, thankfulness is meant through which our faith can be strengthened as we are drawn closer to God. Plus, there is an aura of overcoming hopelessness that arises as thanksgiving is ascribed to God.
This comes on the back of knowing that God has got us covered. So, thankfulness may drive despair away to some extent.
5. America Was Wired To Give Thanks
Thanksgiving is common among people in different nations. Still, there seems to be more to it in the US and other parts of North America – where Thanksgiving is a national public holiday.
Therefore, your Thanksgiving Day sermon can be centered on the history and significance of the day. Let them realize that while it is tremendously impressive to celebrate the day with family and friends, we need not forget the reason for the season – thanksgiving.
You should present thanksgiving as some form of cultural heritage that we have come to embrace. You should help them gain insight into all they have got to be thankful for – as a nation, family, and individuals. Let them know that we are only being held up because of the Lord’s mercies, and we’ve got to be thankful for this.
6. All But One
All but one draws on the story of the ten lepers healed of their disease by Jesus. You can develop your Thanksgiving sermon around this particular incident.
In the biblical account, only one out of the ten lepers returned to thank Jesus for his healing. And, notably, everyone went home with more blessing – as he was made whole. This further tells us how gratifying thanksgiving can be when genuinely done.
Conclusion
Your Thanksgiving sermon should be developed to refocus people’s attention on expressing gratitude. You should help them see the need to make thanksgiving a daily reality and lay before them its cultural connection.
Everyone has something to be thankful for, and this should not be lost on us at any point in time. You should not end the presentation without taking time to lead the audience in a series of thanksgiving prayers.
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