Thanksgiving Day

Text: Deut. 8:1-10
Theme: Not bread alone
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
My dear beloved flock, the text for our meditation today is the Old Testament Lesson from Deuteronomy chapter eight verses one through ten.
Moses has gathered the people together. He gives them a repetition of the Law. Here Moses reminds the new generation of Israel before they enter the Promised Land about everything that God has provided for them. Remember what the Lord did in the past to continue to trust in the Lord and His provision in the future.
What did the Lord do in the past? He tested His people to strengthen their faith in Him. He knew what they were going to do. He knew their faith or lack thereof. By testing us, he lets us find out what he already knows. “His tests show us that he has created a faith in our hearts far deeper and stronger than we ever realized. His tests also become occasions to exercise our faith, much as a coach arranges a scrimmage to give his team experience.”
He tests in such a way that His people depend upon Him for their daily subsistence. “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.2” We cannot provide food and drink for ourselves.
We must depend upon God for our daily sustenance. At times, He lets us hunger, that we may tame our bodies by focusing on our spiritual needs. By providing manna for the people in the wilderness, the Lord is showing that He can meet all their physical needs as well as the still greater needs of their souls. Without God’s word, physical blessings by themselves will never be enough. Food alone won’t give life. Life has deeper dimensions that only God can satisfy. Christoph Blumhardt said, “Our life has no meaning in itself; it has meaning only in relation to God.”
Thanks be to God that He gives our lives meaning. He gives us not only everything that we need for this physical life, but He also gives us what we need for everlasting life. He gives us Jesus, the very word of God in the flesh for us. As Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus forgives us every single one of our sins by shedding His precious blood upon
the cross. Rising again from the dead, He gives us new life, not only now but for eternity. He gives us of His Holy Spirit to create and sustain our faith, during this life as well as the life to come.
We can, and should, thank God for every good gift that He gives to us in Christ. Thus why, I enjoy our banner today. Notice anything different from normal? What happened to the K? It is the Chi-Ro. It is a Christian monogram or Christogram formed by combining the first two letters of the Greek word Christos, which means “Christ.” It is similar to when we write an X instead of fully spelling out Christmas. This banner reminds us that we give thanks in all times and circumstances for what Christ has done for us. We give thanks that through Christ, God gives us everything that we need for this body, our souls, and life everlasting to come.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard, and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.