Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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While a thanksgiving day had been celebrated in the past of our history as a country, it really became solidified by President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of a day for giving thanks. He did this in the midst of the Civil War, and specifically asked the country to pray that the Almighty would help “heal the wounds of the nation.”
Because of this background, I believe our Gospel reading for this day is particularly appropriate. It’s in the midst of our worries that Jesus calls on us to focus not on the trials we face, but on serving God in this world. We’re called not to have fear, but to trust in and have faith in our Lord.
It can be hard in the midst of everything going on in the world and in the midst of the conflicts we face in this country, in this county, and sometimes in our very homes to give way to worry and fear. Yet Lincoln and those who heeded his call in one of the darkest chapters of our history didn’t give in to the trials they faced. My hope is that we will not either. My hope further still is that when you stop at this time to give thanks, you will also take the time to move closer to God and strive to love our Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.