Thanksgiving Trivial Pursuit

Thanksgiving Trivial Pursuit

There was a man preparing a Thanksgiving meal and his pet parrot kept bothering him and being rude. So, to discipline him, the man put the parrot in the refrigerator next to the Butterball Turkey he was​​ thawing. After a few minutes, the man took the parrot out and the bird said, ''S-s-s-s-so sorry! P-p-p-p-please f-f-f-orgive m-m-m-me. But may I ask a question? Wh-wh-wh-wh-what did that t-t-t-t- turkey do?'' That funny question made me think about Thanksgiving trivia questions. How many have ever played trivial pursuit? Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which winning is determined by a player's ability to answer trivia and popular culture questions. So, today in preparation for Thanksgiving and in case you play Trivial Pursuit with your family later this week, I have a few questions about Thanksgiving for you. And maybe these questions will help you to win the game.

First question: Which president first called for a day of Thanksgiving? The answer is Abraham Lincoln. In fact, he didn’t just call for one day of Thanksgiving. In 1863, Lincoln called for two days of Thanksgiving. One was in August to express thanks for the Union victory at Gettysburg. The other was a general day of Thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November. By the 1890's nearly every state in the union celebrated Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month. Second question: Which president made Thanksgiving a holiday on the fourth Thursday of the month? The answer is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1939, the United States was at the tail end of the Great Depression and stores were worried about their holiday sales because the last Thursday of the month was November 30 that year. Thanksgiving had become the official start of the holiday shopping season and that only left a twenty-day shopping window, and stores were worried that the shortened season would hurt their sales.

So, FDR called for the holiday to be moved to the 4th Thursday of November and Republican-controlled states were not happy and protested the change. That caused twenty-three states to celebrate on the 4th Thursday and another twenty-three states to celebrate on November 30, the fifth Thursday of November. And in fact, two states actually celebrated both days. Finally, two years later, in November 1941, just a few weeks before Pearl Harbor, FDR signed legislation officially making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of the month. Bonus question: Which two states celebrated Thanksgiving twice in 1939? The answer is Colorado and Texas. Now you are ready to win that game of Trivial Pursuit on Thanksgiving Day, as long as the questions are about Thanksgiving. If they aren’t you are on your own.

Today from Ephesians 5:15–21 and other scriptures, we will ask some other questions about thanksgiving and see how the Bible answers them. The words "thanks" or "thanksgiving" are mentioned anywhere from 100 to 170 times in different Bible translations, depending on the specific words included and the version used. For example, the King James uses those words around 103 times, the New Living Translation around 168 times, and the New American Standard about 170 times. In the Bible, the meaning of "thanks" and "thanksgiving" is a profound expression of gratitude, praise, and worship directed toward God for His blessings, power, and goodness. This is seen in thanks being given for victory, wisdom, and salvation, and it is emphasized as an action to be done in all circumstances and through prayer, song, and righteous living.

Some things to remember about offering “thanksgiving” to God. First, it is an act of worship. It is not just a polite "thank you" but a form of adoration and praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us. Second, it is a sacrifice: In the Old Testament, thanks was sometimes expressed through sacrificial offerings, indicating complete devotion to God. One of the reasons for the whole burnt offering that we are studying in Leviticus was to give thanks to God. Third, thanksgiving should be a way of life. As Christians, we are encouraged to be thankful in every situation, demonstrating faith even in hardship, and living a life of praise. Lastly, thanksgiving is a command. It is explicitly stated as God's will that as believers we should give thanks in all circumstances. That brings us to our big idea that​​ God desires His people to bring Him sacrifices of thanksgiving at all times and in everything.

Let’s pray:​​ Lord, as we open your word today pour out your Holy Spirit on us. Teach us, guide us, rebuke us and correct us through your Spirit so that we may learn more about who you are and how you want us to live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So, these next questions about thanksgiving will probably not come up in your game of Trivial Pursuit. But they are the most important questions, and the answers will affect your life and faith. First, who should give thanks? God commands all people to give thanks to Him as a natural response to His goodness and providence. But as​​ Christians, we should especially give thanks to God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he desires our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving because He is the only one worthy of it. Hebrews 13:15 says,

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that​​ openly give thanks to his name.” Why should Christians give thanks to God? One, thanksgiving is a mark of our faith. Psalms 95:1-2 says, “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our​​ salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Two, thanksgiving keeps us in a right relationship with God. When we are living a life of thanksgiving, we will recognize and acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God, and then we can truly enjoy and appreciate the Giver and the gifts. Three, thanksgiving reinforces our dependence on God as we affirm that our existence and every good thing come from His sovereign control, wisdom, and grace.​​ Fourth, thanksgiving keeps us focused on God. When we are focused on Him and not on the things of this world, it keeps us from falling into idolatry and loving the things of this world more than God. Five, thanksgiving helps us to be aligned to His will. When we give thanks in all circumstances as commanded, it brings​​ us back in line and re-centers our hearts when we have strayed. Six, thanksgiving also helps us to maintain our spiritual health. A lack of thankfulness is linked to moral corruption, while a thankful heart guards against bitterness and promotes joy.

Seven, thanksgiving builds confidence. It gives us confidence in God for what He has done for us in the past, what He is doing for us in the present and what He will do for us in the future. We can trust in His perfect and good plan for our​​ lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” So, who should give thanks? Everyone should give thanks to God but especially Christians should be the first ones to give thanks. And one day everyone will give thanks to the Lord praising Him, no matter if you are a believer or not. Romans 14:11 says, “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will​​ bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

That brings us to our second question: When should we give thanks? We should give thanks to God always and in​​ everything. Ephesians 5:20 says, “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says to “Rejoice always.” It is important we give thanks to God in the good times and the bad. I Chronicles 16:34 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” And Psalm 34:2-3 says, “I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”​​ It's interesting that it​​ can be harder to thank God in the good times than in the bad. When things are good, we get busy and distracted and a lot of times we don’t prioritize taking time to thank God for what He’s done for us and supplied to us. We are also too materialistic. We tend to rely on what we have, our money, possessions or other people more than God. Another reason is our own pride or jealousy. We think we deserve more and more, or we wonder why those we perceive as bad people are prospering more than we are. When things​​ are good, we still tend to dwell on the negative, feeling there is nothing to be grateful for. We fail to take the time to be in the Lord’s presence in order to renew our gratefulness to Him. A lack of thankfulness is most often associated with a low view of God and high view of self. Or in other words, a low view of God’s holiness and a high view of our worthiness and what we deserve. In reality, it means we have a low view of our own sin.​​ So when should we give thanks? We should give thanks to God always​​ and in everything, in the good times or bad. (Big Idea)

That brings us to question number three: How should we​​ give thanks? First, thanksgiving must come from more than just the heart, it must also be an action. In order to truly give thanks to God, you have to DO something. Now when you do that something, it must be with the right heart. But if we never actually do anything to prove our thankfulness or pray to God in gratitude, are we really thankful? It seems similar to how faith and works go together. A heart of thankfulness should lead us into living a life committed to thankfulness. The first way we can show our thanks to God is through obedience and living a righteous life. Ephesians 5:15-17​​ says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And in John 14:15, Jesus says to His disciples, “If you love me, keep or obey my commands.” If we are disobedient to the Lord’s commands, can we truly be grateful and thankful for who He is and what He has done for us? No,​​ we can’t. Thankfulness is rooted in faith and trust that leads to obedience. Disobedience is a contradiction to a thankful heart and living a lifestyle of gratitude. Being disobedient shows a lack of trust in God's goodness and trading His will for our own.

The second way we can show our thanks to God is by worshipping with other believers. We​​ see this Ephesians 5:18b - 19 which says, “Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with​​ psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Thanksgiving is a central part of worship, which involves gratitude for God's provision, goodness, and character. We show our thankfulness through prayer, songs and hymns, testimonies, communion and reading scripture. Both personal and corporate prayers of gratitude are important in worship. Worship often includes specific hymns and songs of praise that talk about the themes of gratitude, which a lot of times comes from the Psalms. Worship also involves sharing personal stories of God's faithfulness which serves as a powerful reminder for the community of believers. One of the reasons we praise the Lord for answered prayer is because they remind us of God’s faithfulness to us, they encourage us and they strengthen our faith which leads to more thankfulness and gratitude on our part toward Him. Worship also involves taking Communion, which is a profound expression of thanksgiving. The word "Eucharist" which is another word for Communion actually means "thanksgiving" in Greek. And worship involves reading scripture and recounting God's works and faithfulness as a form of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is rooted in scripture, where believers are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances and view it as a way to deepen their relationship with God. It shifts focus from self to God, cultivates a humble and content spirit,​​ and acknowledges God's sovereignty.

The other thing is there will be a lot of thanksgiving going on in heaven and so being thankful to God on earth is practice for when we get there.​​ Revelation 4:9 talks about the living creatures in heaven giving glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever.” And Revelation 11:16-17a says, “And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks​​ to you, Lord God Almighty.” Guess who the 24 elders represent? They represent us, the church! As the angels are shouting ‘Holy, Holy, Holy!', throughout eternity we will be singing, ''Thank You Lord...'' The third way we can show our thanks to God is through our personal relationships. We see this in​​ Ephesians 5:21 which​​ says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Giving thanks for our personal relationships involves treating them in a Godly way and not taking advantage of them or speaking ill about them to others. When we practice thankfulness in our relationships, it helps shift our focus from what's missing to what's appreciated, which can positively affect our mental and physical health, improve communication, and foster a more loving environment. When we do these things with our family and friends it strengthens the bonds of friendship and familial love and strengthens our faith in God because we are in obedience to Him. God has wired us to be thankful people and to enjoy our relationships with others that in turn strengthens our relationship with Him.

What are some practical ways we can express thankfulness in our personal relationships? We can express gratitude to them verbally and show our appreciation for them by giving handwritten notes or doing other thoughtful gestures. We can show we care by remembering their preferences and​​ spending​​ quality time with them, especially doing things they like to do which demonstrates your appreciation for them. We can also serve our family and friends by helping to alleviate their burdens. Lastly, it is important to express our thankfulness in the moment. That will carry more weight than if you wait days later to show your thankfulness. This is also important to being thankful to God. We should give thanks to God right away instead of waiting. When we don’t give thanks immediately, we are prone to forget to do it at all. Once we forget to be thankful to God or anyone else, it is really easy to forget the next time and the next time. Then it becomes a habit that turns into ungratefulness.  ​​ ​​​​ 

Also, God gives us good things so we can give good things to others. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 says, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also​​ supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” God is good to us and supplies everything we need from the big things to the small things in life, and He expects His followers to be generous to others because of how He has enriched us. And when we are generous to others it will result in thanksgiving to God. This is where you might do something for someone and they ask you why you are doing it. It now becomes an opportunity to​​ witness to your​​ faith in Jesus Christ and his saving grace. It may just be the thing they need to hear to point them to Jesus for their salvation. When we don't treat our personal relationships in a Godly way, we are telling God that we are not thankful for them. He is the one who gave us those relationships in the first place and so we should be thankful for every relationship we have. So, one of​​ the best ways you can express thanks to God for your family and friends is to serve them, love them and be a good friend or family member to them.​​ That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is​​ I will express​​ thanksgiving​​ to God for my personal​​ relationships​​ by​​ serving​​ and​​ loving​​ them.

That brings us to question number four: For what should we give thanks? We should give thanks to God for all things. Colossians 3:17 says, “And​​ whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Big Idea) This means giving thanks to God for our many blessings but also giving thanks to God for the things we DON'T have. So, are you struggling physically, emotionally, spiritually or financially today? If not, thank God for that. Are you homeless or starving today? If not, thank God for that. Are you blind or deaf today? If not, thank God for that. The great thing about not​​ struggling with those things is that it frees each one of us up to be able to help someone who is struggling. They may need a ride to a doctor’s appointment. Or they may need help around their house. Or they may need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. Or they may just need you to pray for them. So, when we run out of things we HAVE to thank God for, we should spend some time thanking Him for what we DON'T have.

It also means giving thanks for our burdens.​​ Matthew 11:28-30​​ says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” This verse encourages us to cast our burdens on the Lord, with the promise that "He will sustain you" and "will not let the righteous be moved." So, how is it possible to give thanks to God for our burdens? First, we must recognize God's power. God is omnipotent; He is all-powerful. He is able to handle any situation we are facing. We can trust in His ability to sustain us through all our trials and testing, because He has the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Second, we must pray for perspective. Ask God to help us see the good in difficult times and to give us hope. Prayer is a way to place our burdens at the foot of the cross and replace them with God's lighter, easier yoke. Third, we must use the hard times as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God. This is done by taking time to be in God’s presence in prayer, reading and studying the Bible, meditating on God’s Word and hiding it in our hearts. This helps to build a stronger connection and trust with Him. Four, instead of being overwhelmed with our burdens we must focus on seeing how God is growing our faith during those times. This can include thanking Him for​​ His presence and his continuing work to transform our difficulties. Lastly, we need to trust in God’s plan, even when we don't understand it. Remember that God is able to keep you from falling and will bring you into His glorious presence with great joy.

That brings us to our final Thanksgiving question this morning: Why should we give thanks? First, we should give thanks because Jesus Christ is our sovereign king. Mike Stone says, “If gratitude is a command, then​​ ingratitude is​​ a sin. It is an act of high treason against our commander in chief. Ingratitude is a sign of a person who does not honor God.”​​ Romans 1:21 says,​​ “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Did you hear that? There are people who know God but will not glorify Him or give thanks to Him. Romans 1 goes on to say that they became idolaters and sexually impure degrading their bodies​​ with one another. And then Paul goes into a litany of every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. Here are just a few: they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, boastful, they invent ways to do evil, they disobey their parents, have no love and no mercy. There is a connection between a depraved heart, a darkened mind and thankfulness. One sign of a depraved heart and a darkened mind is a refusal to give thanks to God? Stone again says, “Have you ever rushed the altar, or collapsed into your prayer closet to confess to God the wicked, vile, heinous, abominable act of...ingratitude?!?!” If not, we should and we must.

Second, we should give thanks because Jesus Christ is the savior of our souls. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” If there was no other reason to give thanks to God, we must do it because Jesus Christ died on a cross for you and me. He redeemed us through His blood freely shed for us. Without His grace and mercy, we are dead in our sins and going to Hell, being separated from God for all eternity. But He loved us so much that He came down from Heaven, His throne room, and dwelled among us in order to die for us. He washed us in His blood and saved us by His power. Only God the Father could have come up with such a perfect plan for our salvation. It is so mind-boggling and humbling that it is hard to wrap our heads around and understand the love God has for us. Finally, we should give thanks to God because He is the only one worthy to be praised. E. E. Hewitt wrote “when we all get to heaven it will be a day​​ of rejoicing, a day in which we will sing and shout the victory.” We should not and we must not wait until we get to heaven. We must be praising, honoring and glorifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ today with thanksgiving for saving our souls and forgiving our sin. So, one last Thanksgiving question for you this morning: Are you in the habit of thanking God daily? If not, this second next step is for you.​​ I will​​ thank​​ God daily for​​ who​​ He is and for​​ what​​ He has​​ done​​ for me.

In conclusion, I want to read this poem by Red Foley called “God Forgive Me When I Whine.” Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair. I envied her she seemed so blessed, and oh I wished I were so fair. When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle, she had one foot and wore a crutch but as she passed she had a smile. Oh God forgive me when I whine, I have two feet -- the world is mine. And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm. He seemed to radiate good cheer His manner was so kind and warm. I said, ''It's nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find,'' He turned and said, ''Oh, thank you sir.'' And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine. Then when walking down the street, I saw a child w/eyes of blue. He stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do. I stopped a moment, then I said, ''Why don't you join the others, dear?'' He looked ahead without a word and​​ then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine. With feet to take me where I'd go. With eyes to see the sunsets glow. With ears to hear what I would know. With thoughts to know You love me so. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine, Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I think we all at some time or the other are prone to whine especially when things are not going the way we think they should. We may wonder what God is doing in our lives as we struggle through times of trials and testing. We may even blame the Lord instead of trying to learn what He wants to show and or tell us.​​ So, if you search your heart this morning and realize you have been ungrateful to God, this last next step is for you:​​ I will​​ confess​​ my​​ sin​​ of​​ ingratitude​​ before the​​ Lord.​​ Let us be people who are intentionally and purposefully giving thanks to God always and in all things.

As the praise team comes to lead us in a final song and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and​​ offerings, let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for this time in your presence with other like-minded people. Help us to not forget to bring you a sacrifice of thanksgiving at all times and in everything. Help us to not be ungrateful for what you have given us. Help us to show our gratitude for the relationships you have given us by serving and loving them. Help us to thank you daily for who you are and for what you have done for us. And, Lord, if we have been ungrateful toward you, convict us of our sin of ingratitude. We want to be right with you and we give you all honor, praise, glory and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.