November 22, 2015
The Last Sunday in the Church Year

Daniel 7:9-10
Phillipians 4:6-20 (Epistle for Thanksgiving)
Mark 13:24-31

This next week there will be holidays both in Japan and in America. In America, Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. It was originally a harvest festival, but now-a-days we give thanks for all the things we are thankful for. In Japan, Monday, November 23, is Labor Thanksgiving Day, which is similar to the American holiday of Labor Day. And so today, let�fs talk about giving thanks.

First let us define the word �gthanksgiving.�h It starts with the feeling of happiness. Next you realize that your happiness is because of what another person has done for you. You appreciate that. You accept the fact that you did not do it yourself. If you accomplished something all by yourself, you are happy of course, but you do not thank yourself. You thank someone else for what they did for you.

If you do not feel thankful to someone, it may be because: 1, you mistakenly think you did it yourself. 2, you take credit for what someone else did, which is like theft or plagiarism. 3, you are too proud or haughty to admit that someone is better than you. 4, you do not want to appear weak or humble to others. 5, etc.

It is important not only to feel thankful, but to express that thankfulness, to say, �gthank you.�h Perhaps the words �gthank you�h are the most important words in any language. I know that when I first started studying Japanese one of the first words I learned was �gdomo, thanks.�h Perhaps you know a just a few words in some second language, and I would bet that one of those few words is the word for �gthanks.�h [�gDanke, sheshe.�h] I would go so far as to say that the words �gthank you�h mean the same as �gI love you.�h That is because in the Bible, the word �glove�h (�gagape�h) means that there is a relationship, a connectioton between two people. That is the type of love in the expression �gto love your neighbor.�h [�gto appreciate your neighbor�h? �gto thank your neighbor�h?]

How do you feel when someone says thanks to you? What happens if you do not thank someone for something? How do you feel when someone does not say thanks to you? This is interesting. If you do something special for someone and they do not say thanks, you can feel disappointed, disgusted, angry, insulted. You might want to cut off your relationship with that unthankful person. And that is the opposite of love. To put up with another person�fs ingratitude and insults take patience and love.

But we are sinful people. We are self-centered and proud and unthankful and rude. Therefore mothers have to teach their children to say �gthank you.�h It even takes an act of Congress to teach the nation to say �gthank you�h by making a holiday when we can do so. Likewise, the liturgy of the church worship and the teachings of the church constantly remind us of what Christ has done for us and helps us to express our thanks in worship, song, prayer, and life-style.

But we are sinful people. We are self-centered and proud and unthankful and rude and ignorant, too. After the Thanksgiving dinner, surely we thank the cook, but do we really think of all the other people whom we should thank? There is the cook, the one who went shopping, the store clerks, the grocery truck drivers, the farmers, the people who sell the seed and the fertilizer. And of course there is God who sent the sun and the rain and who gave growth to the seed. Do we remember to thank God for that? This week on the holiday, we have opportunity to do so.

Of course, God loves the world and gives turkeys to everyone who can get one, or sushi or lasagna, or a handful of corn mush in a refugee camp. Thanksgiving Day is the time to realize that everything comes from the hand of God, and so we have confidence to pray to God who loves the world. And as we give thanks to God for the blessings he has given us, we pray that he will bless everyone in the same way.

The biggest blessing for which we give thanks is the blessing of salvation. We thank God for forgiving our sin by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. We thank God for forgiveness. God loves the whole world, even sinners, and so gives food to his creatures. But it is forgiveness that saves us.

• We are forgiven the sin of being ungrateful to God.
• We are forgiven the sin of thinking that we can save ourselves.
• We are forgiven the sin that we think we do not need God.
• We are forgiven the sin of wasting the love of God.
• We are forgiven the sin of taking God for granted.
• We are forgiven the sin of not giving thanks for Jesus.

In the church we have a special way showing thanks to God. When we come to the Table of the Lord to receive the sacrifice of his Body and Blood, we give thanks to God for our salvation. We usually call this sacrament "The Lord's Supper" or "Holy Communion," but there is another word that is often used, "The Eucharist." The word "Eucharist" is Greek for "thanksgiving." That is why we speak or sing the word "thanks" about four times in the Communion/Eucharist liturgy. We are giving thanks that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins. We remember and give thanks for his covenant promise and renew our faith promise with Him. And it is done in the setting of a meal. It is the feast where Jesus is the Host, giving us his Body and Blood.

As the holidays this week on Monday and Thursday approach, we realize that God has indeed given us everything we need. This happiness causes us to give thanks. We thank the cook, the supermarket folks, the farmer, and especially the Lord God. And we give thanks, as the Old Testament reading from Daniel says, that our names are written in the Book of Life. And as Jesus told his disciples in today�fs Gospel reading, we give thanks that the Word of the Lord remains forever.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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