In our text for this evening, from the Old Testament reading, we are encouraged by Moses to remember. How fitting this text is as we, on the eve of our National Day of Thanksgiving, take the time, not only to remember but, also to give thanks for all the good gifts and blessings our good Lord has seen fit to bestow upon us, His children. In the spirit and style, if you will, of Moses speaking to the children of Israel, this morning I would encourage you to remember.
Remember . . . remember that God gives us life at conception. This comes through no choice of our own (we do not choose to be conceived and born). This comes through the love of our parents for each other as they reflect God’s love to each other. We thank God for this gift of life at conception and we continue to celebrate His gift of life each and every evening that we awake knowing that each day is a gift from Him. Each day we give Him thanks that He gives us the opportunity to live another day.
God gives life at conception and He gives us new life through His Word and through Holy Baptism. Through His Word and through the waters of Holy Baptism and the putting of His name on us we become His children. He claims us as His own (in the same way that we do not choose to be born, nor do we choose to be given faith through the waters of Holy Baptism or God’s Word). He makes us His children and a part of His kingdom. He gives us forgiveness of sins and puts faith in our hearts. He gives us His Holy Spirit who continues, throughout our lives, to strengthen and keep us in faith until Christ returns.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”
God has graciously poured out on us more gifts and blessings than we can ever think or imagine or count. He has given us a place to live, a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet and food on our tables.
God has given us parents and grandparents, pastors and teachers, and an education. He has given people to care for us as well as people for whom we are privileged to care. He has given us all wisdom and knowledge. He has given us the ability to discover and invent so many things which makes life easier.
God has given us gifts, talents and abilities. He gives us these gifts, talents and abilities to use, especially to use in service to Him, for the strengthening of ourselves as well as the extending of His Kingdom. As we use our gifts, talents and abilities to serve and help others, so we are serving and helping the Lord.
God has given us a vocation, a job, a career, a place to work. We are to use the gifts, talents, and abilities He has given us in order to be efficient and productive in our vocation, our job, our career, or wherever we work. And wherever it is that we do work, we are to remember that we are not working for the company or the boss, but we are working for the Lord, using the gifts, talents and abilities He has given us to His glory.
God has given us freedom of religion. We live in a country where we are relatively free to do as we please, to worship as we choose, even to choose to not worship. Certainly we might imagine that we are persecuted, to a degree, perhaps more subtly than anything, yet at this time still, we do not have to die for our faith.
God has given us a land flowing with milk and honey. We live in one of the most, if not the most blessed country and nation in the world. We suffer from the fact that we have to decide which of several articles of clothing and shoes we will wear, which of several brands of food we wish to eat, which brand of automobile to drive and so forth. Compared to many countries, we are rich indeed.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the first article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”
But there is more to remember. We are to remember that God has given His Son to be born as one of us. He who was true God, gave up the glory that was His in heaven. He took on human flesh and blood. He was born of a woman. The fulness of the Gospel is in this that He lived His life for us in our place so He could be our substitute, trading His life for ours. He suffered temptation as we suffer, even more and yet He did not sin.
We are to remember that God has given His Son to take our sins upon Himself. The purpose for which Jesus came into this world was to live, suffer and die. And He did. He lived a perfect life and then He took all our sins upon Himself and He suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty for us, in our place. That which we should have suffered, He suffered. God has given His Son the punishment which we deserve. Jesus suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty, hell, for us, in our place. Jesus suffered and died.
Yet, we are also to remember that we do not worship a dead God, but a living God. For Jesus did not stay dead, but God raised Him from the dead. After His ascension, He returned to the right hand of His Father where He is ruling over us, watching over us, interceding for us.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the second article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”
Today we remember . . .we remember that it is our duty or better, I like the word privilege, it is our privilege to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy does endure forever. And as we have been saying, He is good, He is merciful, He has given us blessings, more than we can count, more than we can think or imagine.
We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to praise the Lord for His good gifts and blessings. We praise Him because He has and continues to give to us from His bounty, not because we are deserving in any way, but because of His great love for us.
We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to rejoice in the Lord for all His benefits to me. What a great God we have. A God who gives to us, expects nothing in return from us, and rejoices in our pouring out our response of praise and thanksgiving and rejoicing through our giving ourselves to Him, through our giving our worship to Him, through our giving of our time, talents and treasure to Him as a way of glorifying Him as He stirs in us to do so.
This evening and tomorrow we remember, we recall all that our Lord gives and we are moved to say, “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever. Amen.”
Remember . . . remember that God gives us life at conception. This comes through no choice of our own (we do not choose to be conceived and born). This comes through the love of our parents for each other as they reflect God’s love to each other. We thank God for this gift of life at conception and we continue to celebrate His gift of life each and every evening that we awake knowing that each day is a gift from Him. Each day we give Him thanks that He gives us the opportunity to live another day.
God gives life at conception and He gives us new life through His Word and through Holy Baptism. Through His Word and through the waters of Holy Baptism and the putting of His name on us we become His children. He claims us as His own (in the same way that we do not choose to be born, nor do we choose to be given faith through the waters of Holy Baptism or God’s Word). He makes us His children and a part of His kingdom. He gives us forgiveness of sins and puts faith in our hearts. He gives us His Holy Spirit who continues, throughout our lives, to strengthen and keep us in faith until Christ returns.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”
God has graciously poured out on us more gifts and blessings than we can ever think or imagine or count. He has given us a place to live, a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet and food on our tables.
God has given us parents and grandparents, pastors and teachers, and an education. He has given people to care for us as well as people for whom we are privileged to care. He has given us all wisdom and knowledge. He has given us the ability to discover and invent so many things which makes life easier.
God has given us gifts, talents and abilities. He gives us these gifts, talents and abilities to use, especially to use in service to Him, for the strengthening of ourselves as well as the extending of His Kingdom. As we use our gifts, talents and abilities to serve and help others, so we are serving and helping the Lord.
God has given us a vocation, a job, a career, a place to work. We are to use the gifts, talents, and abilities He has given us in order to be efficient and productive in our vocation, our job, our career, or wherever we work. And wherever it is that we do work, we are to remember that we are not working for the company or the boss, but we are working for the Lord, using the gifts, talents and abilities He has given us to His glory.
God has given us freedom of religion. We live in a country where we are relatively free to do as we please, to worship as we choose, even to choose to not worship. Certainly we might imagine that we are persecuted, to a degree, perhaps more subtly than anything, yet at this time still, we do not have to die for our faith.
God has given us a land flowing with milk and honey. We live in one of the most, if not the most blessed country and nation in the world. We suffer from the fact that we have to decide which of several articles of clothing and shoes we will wear, which of several brands of food we wish to eat, which brand of automobile to drive and so forth. Compared to many countries, we are rich indeed.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the first article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”
But there is more to remember. We are to remember that God has given His Son to be born as one of us. He who was true God, gave up the glory that was His in heaven. He took on human flesh and blood. He was born of a woman. The fulness of the Gospel is in this that He lived His life for us in our place so He could be our substitute, trading His life for ours. He suffered temptation as we suffer, even more and yet He did not sin.
We are to remember that God has given His Son to take our sins upon Himself. The purpose for which Jesus came into this world was to live, suffer and die. And He did. He lived a perfect life and then He took all our sins upon Himself and He suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty for us, in our place. That which we should have suffered, He suffered. God has given His Son the punishment which we deserve. Jesus suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty, hell, for us, in our place. Jesus suffered and died.
Yet, we are also to remember that we do not worship a dead God, but a living God. For Jesus did not stay dead, but God raised Him from the dead. After His ascension, He returned to the right hand of His Father where He is ruling over us, watching over us, interceding for us.
We might summarize what God has given to us and done for us in Dr. Martin Luther’s words of explanation to the second article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”
Today we remember . . .we remember that it is our duty or better, I like the word privilege, it is our privilege to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy does endure forever. And as we have been saying, He is good, He is merciful, He has given us blessings, more than we can count, more than we can think or imagine.
We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to praise the Lord for His good gifts and blessings. We praise Him because He has and continues to give to us from His bounty, not because we are deserving in any way, but because of His great love for us.
We remember that it is our duty, our privilege to rejoice in the Lord for all His benefits to me. What a great God we have. A God who gives to us, expects nothing in return from us, and rejoices in our pouring out our response of praise and thanksgiving and rejoicing through our giving ourselves to Him, through our giving our worship to Him, through our giving of our time, talents and treasure to Him as a way of glorifying Him as He stirs in us to do so.
This evening and tomorrow we remember, we recall all that our Lord gives and we are moved to say, “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever. Amen.”
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