Thanksgiving #1

November 19, 2020 (Thursday)

 

In America, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week. I thought I would take look at a few verses as we prepare are hearts for this Thanksgiving. This year, because of covid-19, many of us will not be having our traditional celebrations. Many of us will be missing our families. This forces us to refocus on what we are doing and why?

 

Psalm 95 1 – 3 [ESV] will be our subject today.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

 

This is an invitation. It is extended to “us.”  Who is this “us?” I am so glad you asked! I feel this Psalm invites “whosoever will” (see Revelation 22:17b). This is one of the most spectacular and controversial elements of the good news Christians share about Jesus.

 

There are some who want to weigh this simple truth against John 6:44a, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” [ESV] Doing so creates a discrepancy and sets us up for ignoring one thing for another. The difficulty here is some want to deny humanity’s “free will” or any ability to respond to the invitation. The irony for those who deny free will is they also deny the context of John 6:44. (“For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” John 6:55 NIV)

 

The simplest way to understand the invitation; it is an invitation. God invites all to repent, to be born again, to turn to Him. Or as Peter claimed, God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” [2 Peter 3:9b KJV] The pattern we have in the Bible is that God takes the initiative but requires us to respond. Just a note, responding to this invitation (such as repent, believe, receive, etc.) is in no way a “work” that earns or deserves salvation or merit.

 

We are invited to sing and make a joyful noise. For some of us, it’s the same thing! Let me repeat, this is an “us” response not a “me” response. While we must personally be thankful, it is also a corporate (group) responsibility. Just a small caution: I’m not advocating being stupid in gathering in large groups in this time of plague. I think we can understand, as we do this individually (personally), we add our voice to a larger unseen choir/crowd.

 

Think about it. Your team just won the Super Bowl, the World Series, the World Cup, the Stanley Cup, the world championship, and every other imaginable title; TIMES INFINITY!!! It’s time to park that grumpy, gloomy, and glum attitude someplace it will never be found again.  

 

There are two reasons for thanksgiving. The first is our salvation. Jesus is the “rock” of our salvation. We can completely depend on Him. The second is “the Lord is a great God.” He is above all. Meaning, God is above all political turns, any government that rules, and any spiritual power or authority.

 

So drag that sorry excuse for a carcass out of the cesspool of self-pity and firmly plant it on the “rock of our salvation.” Don’t feel like it? Give thanks anyway. Your emotions will eventually catch get it.