[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 22nd of November, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church. This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our YouTube streaming channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg. Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, and I’d like for us to think about what is generally considered the first Thanksgiving, or perhaps the model Thanksgiving. The colony formed primarily of Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth barely survived their first winter on the new world’s soil. Had it not been for the help and the sharing of the natives, the colony surely would have perished. So to celebrate, the Pilgrims held a huge feast and invited their benefactors to attend, giving thanks to God for seeing them through.
The natives shared both food and knowledge with the settlers, giving them what they needed to survive. How willing are we to share what we have with others, even if it means their survival or failure? Jesus tells us of a time when our willingness to share with others will be duly taken into account. Please listen and follow along to what our Lord shared, as recorded in chapter 25 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account, verses 31 through 46, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His left.34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.’37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show You hospitality? Or naked and give You clothing? 39 When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?’40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!’41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed Me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give Me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite Me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give Me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit Me.’44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help You?’45 “And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help Me.’46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
--Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for giving us the knowledge of what is to come so that we can prepare. Thank You for the promise of eternal life with You if we love and serve Your Son Jesus. Please help us to be ready in our hearts for His return. Help us to be good, obedient servants by seeing to both the physical and spiritual needs of others. And Father, please protect us from all the madness we see in this world. Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day. Give us the proper heart for sharing with others in their need. This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms from Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a solicitous hand. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented, "Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander responded in royal fashion, "Cooper coins would suit the beggar's need, but gold coins suit Alexander's giving."
Alexander became King at the age of 20 and had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world by the time he was 30. And he died from malaria just shy of his 33rd birthday. Yet for a man so young, he showed an astonishingly generously heart.
Can the same be said of us? What suits our spirit of giving? Copper coins or gold, pennies or dollars, bologna sandwiches or turkey meals?
Earlier, I alluded to the possibility that what we consider the first American Thanksgiving actually might not have been. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it was not a feast.
The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced the group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.
Regardless of which we consider as the first, giving thanks to God for His many blessings, and for our salvation, is the sole reason for Thanksgiving. And sharing the bounty of God’s blessings is a great way to thank Him.
Jesus spoke the words in our scripture reading to His disciples just a few days before His arrest, mock trial, and execution. Throughout His three year ministry, He had been trying to prepare His followers for what was about to occur. And now Jesus is giving them fair warning of what is yet to come. They might not understand any of it yet, but once what He has told them comes to pass, they can know that what He has foretold for the future will also come true. And we can know everything He says is true for the same reason.
Jesus will return someday, in all His divine glory, with all the angels of heaven in attendance. And like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats, the Good Shepherd will separate all mankind. Those who have accepted Him as Lord and carried out His commands will be granted eternal life in paradise. Those who have refused Him and put their own needs and concerns above those of other folk will be condemned to everlasting torment and pain, separated from our Father God for all eternity.
And what is the determining factor Jesus uses to measure us all? How we treated our fellow man. Whether we shared our God-given bounty with others, or kept it all for ourselves.
Now we know that Jesus most often spoke in terms that the people could understand and relate to. Separating the sheep from the goats, giving food and water to the hungry and thirsty, giving shelter to the stranger. These all sound like physical activities, seeing to physical needs, but they also have spiritual aspects and can indeed be needs of the spirit alone.
The homeless have need of shelter, especially now with the onset of winter and freezing weather. They have need of food that they can’t easily provide for themselves. But they also have the need of human compassion, of knowing someone cares, of the human touch. Can the wealthy person who seems to have everything they could ever want still have needs? Sure, needs of the spirit. Some isolate themselves with all their things and need human interaction and caring. Some have not accept Jesus and so do not have true happiness in this life. They need our spirit to touch and soften theirs.
We are so blessed in this great land. The poorest among us would be considered wealthy in many parts of our world. We are rich in physical things, and rich in spirit. And it all comes from God. Jesus expects us to share this great bounty, both at home and abroad.
Now, it’s easy to think that if we give away what we have, we will eventually run out of anything to give and might not even have enough for our own needs. I believe the Apostle Paul would disagree with that train of thought.
Paul uses his letters to speak to all the churches in what we call Asia Minor, and of course to us as well. In his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth, he is addressing the churches in Greece regarding his ministry of giving to help fill the needs of the believers in Jerusalem. Listen to what Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 6 through 15…
6 Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of righteousness in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving — the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for His gift, too wonderful for words!
--2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NLT)
Now as we read this, it might be easy to think that Paul was just being greedy, wanting to collect even more money for the believers back in Jerusalem. Maybe he wanted to look better in their eyes so he pressured the churches there in Macedonia to give more, almost laying a guilt trip on them. But if we look deep enough, I think we can see genuine love and concern in action. Sure, Paul cared about the believers in Jerusalem, surrounded as it were by unsympathetic Jews. But he cared about these Greek believers as well, and about their future both in this life and the next. Just as God cares about us and ensured that these words would be saved for us to read.
Sharing freely and giving generously to those in need will result in our receiving even more generously from our Father in heaven. We cannot out-give God! He will enrich us in every way. That isn’t to say that what we receive will all be physical. Of greater value will be the spiritual rewards, the harvest of great righteousness God will bring about within us.
God has richly blessed us so we can be a blessing to others. And the blessings only increase as we share them with the less fortunate. Those we help will remember us and the believers among them will give glory to God. Even while thanking us, they will thank God.
And for this gift, too wonderful for words, we should thank God, too - on Thanksgiving Day and every day. So let’s be sure to thank our heavenly Father this coming Thursday for all His many blessings in our life. And let’s share the bounty He gives us with others. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Savior, the one true Son of God. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You have placed us here in this land of great abundance. Thank You for the richness of our nation, of its soil and natural resources. Help us, please Father, to remember that all we have comes from You. Show us clearly the needs of others so that we can serve You by helping them. Help us be more willing and quick to share what You have given us with others in their times of need. And Father, help us be more loving, more trusting, more merciful, and more kindhearted toward all that we encounter in our daily walk.
Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…
Lord Jesus, You have told us what to expect when You return. You will separate all of mankind, everyone who ever lived, into two groups: those who faithfully served You in this life and those who refused to serve. Please help us to be counted among the sheep. Forgive us, Jesus, when we hesitate to see to the needs of others. Help us to share all the rich bounty that our Father God has given us. Forgive us when we fail to quickly respond to situations You show us where we can make a difference. Help us be more like You, give us Your heart for loving and helping others. Strengthen us, Jesus, through these dark times. And Lord, please heal those hurts that separate and divide us, even within Your church family. Help us remain faithful and obedient no matter what we go through. May our focus be more on the needs of others rather than our own wants and desires. This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment