11/26/2024
I was thrilled by the devotional message I read this morning. In this time of roll your own religion, and with some, an outright disdain for church and assembling with other believers... we are reminded of the importance of togetherness in Hebrews 10, and the impact that our faiths have on each other. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young wrote a song in the 70s called ‘Teach Your Children Well’, and it speaks of a truth about having a code that we pass on to our children… our code as Christians is our Faith, and our belief in God and Jesus Christ. How do we teach it, and are our religious holidays, like Thanksgiving, a perfect times to do so?
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
And if you would like to hear the song again… https://youtu.be/ags5PUDKLi8?si=xSK3gPI30DHILpNg
On Thanksgiving Day in the United States we gather together as families, friends, communities, a nation, and churches to give thanks to the Lord God for his provision and many blessings. Thanking God is more than a cordiality it is acknowledging Him as our God and above all else lifting Him up together as one. Gathering together to celebrate Thanksgiving should be more than a family reunion; it should be a heartfelt appreciation for God in our lives, and a time when elder family members reaffirm God's presence through communal prayer before the entire family.
I have often spoken of the power of Christ in us and the witness that our spiritual lives present to others, well on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, we should be keenly aware of our witness before our families. Each time our family gathers is an opportunity to demonstrate our solidarity in Christ. In our prayers before family and friends we should once again reveal our faith, and goodness, in a powerful and lasting way to those we love. Our children and grandchildren need to be taught through our prayers and actions what matters most to us... God’s presence and love in our day to day lives; and in theirs.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16 ESV
I am reminded of the times when my children were very young and they would imitate something I was doing. I particularly remember mowing the grass with a push mower and looking behind me to see my tiny son pushing his toy mower in my footsteps. When we gather together as families we should always include a prayer of thanks; our grown children, and young grandchildren, will be watching us, and they will carry the image of our demonstrated faith with them for a lifetime. Long after you are gone your children will gather, and through stories, and their own prayers, the witness of your life and faith will live on... if worthy it will do so for generations to come.
Just as Hebrews 10 instructs us to gather as churches and believers to teach and exhort one another, when we gather as families and friends we should pursue that same purpose. Let's not give into the commercial hype which depicts our Christian holiday gatherings as nothing more than a reunion and a big meal; let's demonstrate our godliness and give our families a gift of faith that they can emulate. Then, as we pray our thankfulness and blessings before them, let's demonstrate the power of praying together... A practice that will serve them well throughout the coming years.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored. As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.”
Proverbs 27:17-19 ESV
Are we thanking God in prayer as we should today? Are we demonstrating our faith in such a way that our families and friends are strengthened by our faithfulness? I pray that the remainder of your Thanksgiving week will be a blessed one, and that God continues to pour his loving kindness over you and all your family today, and during the coming year!
Prayer:
Thank you Father for our friends and families. Thank you for allowing us to influence them through our prayers, the pronouncement of our faith, and by demonstrating through our faithful lives that you are the one true God, and Jesus our Savior. Father, we pray and lift you up in our family gatherings. We praise and thank you in our large reunions such as Christmas, and in the small gatherings such as everyday meals and visits. Hear our prayers Lord and open the ears of our families that they might hear them too, and come to realize the love and Thankfulness we have for you. Let our times of shared family prayer serve as a witness to us all that you are the focus of our lives and that our family is yours. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who provides for us, and is deserving of our praise for everything you give us. Holy are you who is loving, kind, and good. Hear our prayers as we kneel with our children, hear them too as we pray with our friends, and in them all let us honor you in all things. Let what we hear in faith consume us body, mind, and soul. Help us to think about Jesus, you, and every good thing which you have given as we enter into prayer because what we think in our heart is what we are, and in this way we learn to abide in you, and are the image of Christ.
We lift our hearts in thanksgiving, and together say… Amen!
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
Psalm 100:4 ESV
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 ESV
Rich Forbes