Sermon Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Like most cultures, did you know that Israel had a Thanksgiving celebration? It was called "The feast of weeks". If you celebrated properly, you would take your first fruits; the best offering of your grain and go to Jerusalem. You would offer the grain to the temple as a thanksgiving offering to God. The grain would then be used for the temple upkeep and for distribution to the poor. While offering the grain you would recite these words.

"A wandering Aramean was my ancestor ... he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying display of power, and signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first fruit of the ground to you, O Lord, have given me."

These words are a creed. A way of remembering where one came from and who a person was, and is. We have the Apostles Creed and the Nicean Creed, which we recite from time to time.

But let's look at this ancient Thanksgiving creed, of Israel.

A wandering Aramean was my ancestor. That would be Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Jacob is the grandson of the promise of God that out of Abraham would come a nation named Israel. And in the Bible we know that Jacob was renamed Israel after wrestling with an angel. He Jacob, and his people, would go down to Egypt and live as an alien and a foreigner, only to suffer oppression at the hands of the Egyptians.

When saying these words, the people are reminded that their nation comes out of a foreign nation whom God makes into a new nation, Israel. And they are reminded that they were foreigners in Egypt. In giving Thanks for the gift of their land they are first reminded that they once had no land and no nation.

Then key formative events in the early life of Israel. We once were slaves in Egypt and we were abused as a minority; harshly. But with God's help we escaped! Through the might of God at the red sea we escaped from oppression and were given a new land. A land flowing with milk and honey.

Therefore, the first fruits of the harvest, from the land given by God is given back to God as an act of Thanksgiving and an act of remembrance. In giving of the grain the people were reminded of who they were and where they came from and to be a people of thanksgiving and gratitude.

That is why to this day, most Jews and Christians present offerings in their worship. No, it is not pay for the worship service, as some cynical people think, but rather it is to remind us that all of our lives, all of our wealth, all of our future rests upon the generosity of God.

First, without God our Father, who created the Universe, we would not exist. Without the gift of our planet, we would not exist to be prosperous. Without God's working to bring about order, peace, and justice, we would not be able to work, create, and produce any wealth.

Second, without God the Son, Jesus Christ, we might still have wealth, since God blesses both the good and the evil people. However, without Jesus Christ, we might be among those who "live by bread alone." People who are unaware that all we have is a gift. People who live apart from God, and miss living lives of thankfulness and praise to God. This might seem unimportant, however, I believe thankfulness is crucial to persons and to church communities, especially during times of loss. Expectations are crushed and the dreams and hopes for ones life are unfulfilled. We can often feel that God has abandoned us, unless we are reminded that everything we have, ever have had, and ever will have are a gift from God.

I'll give you an example. A Christian named Tony remembered coming home after school and being called a family meeting. His father told the children that he had been laid off from his job. Tony knew that his family was poor, and fear filled his heart. What would this mean for him, his family, and his father.

He asked his father, "What are we going to do?" His father replied, "The first thing we're going to do is buy some ice cream and give thanks to God. "Thanks for what?", Tony asked. "Thanks for our health, thanks for our family, thanks for being alive, thanks for ice cream, thanks for this sunny day, thanks for you Tony ..."

Thanksgiving is important, and I believe it is crucial to the life of any Christian congregation. Someone once said, that when a church is in trouble financially, it should not fundraise, but should rather it should have a party. It should celebrate the good things that God has done, then later look at the finances. Too many churches have died or almost died because of endless struggles to solve financial problems.

Shiloh is no exception. When I first came to Shiloh, I looked at the building and could see that it was in disrepair. Yes, there was the painting and good work done as basic upkeep, but I also noticed the lights with missing bulbs, the rotten cross, and other things. I don't mean to say this to make you feel guilty or to put anyone down. But I think it is a fair observation, and I don't say this to be unkind, but rather to point out that it is a symptom of a spiritual issue. Primarily, not enough thanksgiving in the church and many other Churches.

I wondered when things changed, so I looked back at the annual reports, and I sensed a change in tone around 1970. That's about 35 years ago, and about the time when many in our culture abandoned giving thanks to God each Sunday in worship. Talk turned from thanksgiving to include encouragements to give more, and discussions of increasing struggles. Gradually, over the years, I suspect that many drifted away from the church due to these struggles. I suspect that the spirit of struggles soon came to overshadow a spirit of thanksgiving.

Don't get me wrong, Shiloh has many wonderful spiritual gifts, that I enjoy and give thanks for. Shiloh is mostly a kind Church, with people who enjoy each other. You welcome people who are different, and I think people feel genuinely welcomed when they come. You respect and enjoy learning about Christian faith, and I am warmed by the strength of discipleship that is displayed amongst us.

But, until the leadership weekend, I was feeling that thanksgiving had given way to resignation about the future. It was the Monday afterwards, when I was walking with my son that my spirit lifted.. We go for a walk every Monday, in order to give Janice a break. And I was feeling good, not just good, but elated. I thought to myself, "Why and I feeling to elated." And I then realized it was because something changed for Shiloh and the United Church of New Westminster over the weekend. Something happened over the Leadership Visioning weekend and I think it was God opening our eyes to remind us who we are, and reminding us to be a thankful people.

There was no talk of closing buildings at the weekend, but rather asking, "Who are we to be." There was no talk of our difficulties, but rather, "What does God want us to do." There was no talk of our churches, "Only having a few years left.", but rather a deep sense that God does intend to give us a future.

That is what Thanksgiving is about; having a trust in the future. Of course it is about appreciating the gifts of the present that we often forget, but it is also trusting that there is a future of blessing awaiting us. It may not be the future we imagined, however with God's help unimagined blessings do await us, if we have eyes to see them.

Thank God we have stopped seeing the future as gloomy. Who knows whether we will be worshipping here in a couple years, or not, but that is not the point. We still may close buildings. But the main point is that we are returning to being a people who are seeing that God has a future for us, rather than a people who grieve what has been lost. We are becoming a thanksgiving people who see how God is blessing us now, and looking forward to blessings in the future. It might not be the future we expected, however it will still be a future where we can give thanks to God for the blessings of life, give thanks for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, and give thanks for the working of the Holy Spirit within us and our community.

And remember this. That despite our best efforts, in the end the kingdom of God will still arrive, the resurrection will still happen, and God's future for us will still find fulfillment. Rememver that you are part of a Good News people. Remember the goodness of God and give thanks!

Hymns
VU#651 Guide me O thou great Jehovah {Translation}
VU#289 It Only Takes a Spark

Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Luke 4:1-13

Call to Worship
Psalm 1 verses 1-2

Offering Prayer
We offer our lives and the fruits of our work for your holy mission. Multiply these gifts so that we along with your world may grow in holiness and peace. In the spirit of Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.

Commissioning and Benefiction
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Go in peace to love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.