Thanksgiving Message
May prefer to use this:
This Thanksgiving has me reflecting on the struggles of “listening to understand.
We have strayed so far from the center that gives us balance to live civilly and united in common purposes.
I just wonder if in the spirit of Thanksgiving we will soon celebrate, do we honor the TRUTH of Thanksgiving with our thoughts, words, and life? Does the meaning of the words that make Thanksgiving- Thanks and Giving – actually make us think about who and what we are, as human beings who strive to live in a place that has provided us an opportunity to be united through understanding and respect. To breathe justice, mercy, and faithfulness as we live in faith, hope, and love to, with, and through each other in thanks to God. God who gave us life though His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now that IS Love that is worthy of giving thanks to!
2 Corinthians 9.6-11 read
Remember this: The one who plants few seeds will have a small harvest. But the one who plants a lot will have a big harvest. 7 Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. 8 And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“He gives generously to the poor;
his goodness will continue forever.”
10 God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives bread for food. And God will give you spiritual seed and make that seed grow. He will produce a great harvest from your goodness. 11 God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God.
Following is a poem about freedom in God’s Love.
Love Is The Color Of Freedom by Rev. Mark Ehrlichmann, July 3, 2021
- Centered in Perfect Love's Freedom
- Faithfulness mercy and justice
- The three pillars of love
- Hidden by humanity's self-centered aims
- The centeredness of life has lost its source
- This conundrum of Satan's conniving
- Created a fog in the air
- Like cataracts covering our eyes
- The truth becomes a mystery
- Daily living constrained to be
- Confusion in wayward exile
- The lines of clarity blurred
- Society in chaotic uproar
- Authority misconstrued
- Soulless intellectuals
- Lifeless and directionless
- All roads lead to nowhere
- Where can hope be found?
- For society’s moral compass
- To return to its rightful center
- By which the red and white stripes
- Reminds the bright stars of freedom
- The blue honor of courage
- In faithfulness mercy and justice
- Hope can be found in none other
- Than God Almighty, our Lord
- His truth, steadfast and unwavering
- Tower of refuge and strength
- Beacon of grace and love
- Love that is perfectly centered
- In the living Triune God
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Father, in the Spirit of Thanksgiving, we humbly express our thanks for Your breath that gives us life and understanding. Help us by Your grace to love with a heart of gratitude and mercy as we live in Your Word and Your Light. Grant us wisdom to acknowledge our sins and seek Your forgiveness, then to do the same with each other in the spirit of Your love. This is the “Thanksgiving” You desire as Your Son, Jesus showed with His Last Supper. May we rejoice in the salvation He won for us. In His name we pray, Amen!