Pastor's Message

You shall eat plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you. …
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is none else.
Joel 2:26-27

Near the end of this month we will, as is our custom, take time to observe a national day of thanksgiving. A crowded table of culinary delights – meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, pies, sweets and a rich variety of beverages – has become the central symbol of the day, and a house filled to overflowing with family, friends and loved ones has become the ideal setting for the feast. At the end of the day, we can take satisfaction in having gathered and enjoyed the best and most basic things of life in abundance: food, family, and shelter.

The ancient prophet Joel encouraged his people to look forward to a day of plenty and abundance as a sign and promise of God’s presence and a testimony to God’s goodness, mercy, and reconciling love at work in the creation and in the lives of God’s people. When the soil and vine and livestock produce in abundance, and God’s people eat, drink and enjoy the fruits of God’s creative providence so as to forget times of scarcity and want, the prophet envisions also a time when the people will praise the name of the LORD their God and know that LORD is their God and there is none else.

I wonder what emotions will be in our hearts, what thoughts will be on our minds and what words will be on our lips as we gather to “give thanks” this year? I wonder if any of us has looked around at a house, family and feast and thought, “Surely God is in the midst of God’s people, and the LORD is our God and there is none else?”

There will be a moment on that day, maybe a brief moment but a time nonetheless, when we have the opportunity to praise and thank the God “who has dealt wondrously with us.” I encourage you to seize and savor that moment in prayer, silent or spoken. I encourage you to seize that moment to give testimony and witness to God’s life-giving presence and gracious providence in your life. I encourage you to take the words and witness of the prophet to heart and realize that it is not our money, our technology, our intelligence, our family character, our nation or our wonderfully designed house that are worthy of our thanks and praise, but it is the LORD who is our God, who deserves our thanks and praise.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until the end of the month to come to the table, to fellowship with family or to offer God your thanks and praise. Each Sunday morning at Holy Trinity, we take time for a thanksgiving feast, the eucharist or Lord’s Supper. Bring your friends and your whole family and let’s fill our house each week to give thanks and praise to the Lord our God who has dealt graciously with us in Jesus Christ. In Word and in Sacrament we come to know that God is in the midst of God’s people, that God is God and there is no other.