Thank You
What do you have in your life to be thankful for?
A warm bed, food to eat, friends?
How often do we actually take the time and trouble to say
Thank You?
The Story of a Thanksgiving Day
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Give the Lord the First Part of Your Harvest
Moses said to Israel:
26 The Lord is giving you the land, and soon you will conquer it, settle down, 2 and plant crops. And when you begin harvesting each of your crops, the very first things you pick must be put in a basket. Take them to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped, 3 and tell the priest, “Long ago the Lord our God promised our ancestors that he would give us this land. And today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land.”
4 The priest will take the basket and set it in front of the Lord’s altar. 5 Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray:
My ancestor was homeless,
an Aramean who went to live
in Egypt.
There were only a few
in his family then,
but they became great
and powerful,
a nation of many people.
6 The Egyptians were cruel
and had no pity on us.
They mistreated our people
and forced us into slavery.
7 We called out for help
to you,
the Lord God
of our ancestors.
You heard our cries;
you knew we were in trouble
and abused.
8 Then you terrified the Egyptians
with your mighty miracles
and rescued us from Egypt.
9 You brought us here
and gave us this land
rich with milk and honey.
10 Now, Lord, I bring to you
the best of the crops
that you have given me.
After you say these things, place the basket in front of the Lord’s altar and bow down to worship him.
11 Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the Lord your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town.
The people are on their way out of The Wilderness. Moses looks forward to the time they will be a settled people and, knowing he won’t be with them (Numbers 20:8-12), he starts to give them advice for their life there.
They will plant crops, and when those crops grow and are harvested the first of it is to be given to God.
today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land
They are to give to God, out of what he has first given to them, to thank him. To acknowledge what he has given, to remember and say thank you.
How often do we stop and take stock of what we have? To thank God for all he has given us? Not just food, but all the other things too.
What do we offer to him in acknowledgement of our thanks?
As we enter the season of Lent, can we be intentionally thankful – both to God and to those around us who give so much to us? Can we live our lives in thanksgiving?
Lord
I come,
and I thank you
for all you have done for me,
all you give to me.
May I live my life in thanksgiving
Pam's Perambulation 