church

INI
Thanksgiving Day
November 27, 2008
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

A GIFT FOR THE ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING
I Peter 4:7-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The text for our message this morning comes from the First Epistle of Peter,
chapter four, beginning with the seventh verse, as follows:

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your
prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will
cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As
each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If
anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all
things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and
the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Here ends our text.

In Jesus Christ, Whom we love because He first loved us, Dear Fellow
Redeemed,

Have you noticed that it's getting harder to find gifts for people than it used to
be? It seems that way to me. One reason for it is that our society is becoming
more and more affluent, and the standard of living keeps rising, year by year.
That makes it tougher to find birthday and anniversary and Christmas presents
for people, I think. Because when you come up with an idea for something they
really like or need, the chances are that they've already bought it for themselves!
It stands to reason that a lot of money can be made if a company can come up
with a new and different gift idea. Something that people aren't likely to have
already. And it seems like every new product like that to hit the market is
advertised as, "A Gift for the One who has Everything."

Strictly speaking, of course, that's never true. No one, regardless of his wealth,
has everything. Well, no one but God. God does have everything. He owns and
controls everything in the world. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness
thereof," says the Psalmist. -- Now there's a challenge - what gift could we
possibly give to God that He didn't have before? On this national day of
Thanksgiving, it is especially appropriate to ask this question. As Christians,
what can we bring to God to show our thanks toward Him for all the wonderful
blessings He has bestowed upon us and our families? Our text for today has a
suggestion for us. We can give glory to our God! That's why this year's
Thanksgiving theme is:

"A GIFT FOR THE ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING"

We'll see I. WHY we give glory to God, and also
II. HOW we give glory to God!

The idea of "giving glory to God" is a little difficult to understand. After all,
how can a person add any glory to the eternal God? The Bible says that "the
Lord Almighty - he is the King of glory!" Ps 24:10. Well it's true that we can't
add any glory to God; to "glorify God" means to reflect His great glory. To
show forth His glory, His grace, His lovingkindness with our lips and with our
lives. It means to show others, and tell others, about God's glory. That's the gift
we bring when we glorify God.

-- And it's always just the right gift for us to give, too! It's a gift that we can
give to God again and again, not just in church on Thanksgiving, but wherever
we are or whatever we're doing. It will never be out of place or inappropriate. In
fact, God tells us that that's one of the reasons He put us on this earth in the
first place - to give praise and glory to Him! Peter says to us Christians, "You
are a chosen generation, a royal priest hood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light." I Pet 2:9.

Why do we give this gift of glory to God? It shouldn't be our effort to earn
points with God. It shouldn't be an attempt to look pious and upstanding in the
eyes of our neighbors. What it should be is a reflex action. Do you remember
the last time the doctor tested your reflexes? He took that little rubber hammer
and tapped your knee, didn't he? A nerve was struck, muscles contracted, and
your leg moved. Reflex. A natural reaction. If your leg hadn't jerked, it would
have meant something was wrong with you. Our giving glory to God is a reflex.
It's a natural reaction to everything that He has given us. When you think about
it, there'd be something wrong with us if we didn't offer praise to God! He's
given us everything we have

Samuel once told the people of Israel, Fear the Lord and serve him faithfully
with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you." That's good
advice for us on this Thanksgiving Day. Look around you and consider what
great things the Lord has done for you! Our God is not a stingy God, but an
overwhelmingly bountiful God. It is certainly true, as Paul said, that He who
gave His own Son for our Redemption also freely gives us all things. As you
find reasons to give glory to God this morning, be careful to note all the
blessings the Lord has showered upon your and your family in the year past.

Of course, if we had to list all of them out loud, we might be here till tomorrow
morning. But surely we need to thank God today for the wonderfully rich
country we live in. He's given us the highest standard of living in the history of
the world. Isn't it strange - that even in the midst of one of the worst financial
crises to hit the U.S. since the Great Depression, we still have more wealth and
luxury in our modern, convenient life than our grandparents every dreamed of
fifty years ago. When have there been more luxury items that were taken for
granted by so many - large-screen TVs, microwave ovens, cell phones,
computers, hybrid vehicles? When has there ever been a greater variety of fresh
foods on our tables from all over the world? God has given us all these things,
and we're so used to them that we take them for granted. Let's thank Him
today!

Also, in your inventory, remember to count the fact that the Lord has given us
freedom to worship as we choose. That's something rather rare in the history of
Christianity. Remember the precious gift of your fellowship with like-minded
believers in this congregation. Remember, and give glory to God for, the
families that He has given you. Your job, your health, your friends, and on
down the line -- blessings that are literally too many to name! They all come
from your Heavenly Father, as James says, "Every good gift, and every perfect
gift, is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights." Jas 1:17.

And, of course, the big gift that dwarfs all the others - the gift of God's Son.
For sinful mankind, who hated God and turned away from Him and disobeyed
all His commandments, He gave His son. God sent Him down to earth to live a
life of homelessness and poverty. Sent Him among wicked and treacherous men
who schemed and plotted and persecuted Him. Finally, God sent His Son up
that last lonely hill of Calvary, sent Him to the cross to die for a race of people
who wanted nothing to do with Him. That's how much God loved you and me!
Surely, there would be something terribly wrong with our "reflexes" if we didn't
react to that love by loving God in return. And we do! "We love Him because
He first loved us." I John 4:9. That's why we give glory to God!

But how, exactly, does God want us to give Him glory? Well, one way is by
doing what you're doing right now, coming here to God's house to offer him
your thanks and your praise. But giving glory to God isn't just the hymns you
sing in church, and the prayers you pray in church. It doesn't stop when you
walk out those church doors when the service is over. Giving glory to God is
the way you live your life! An old cowboy once explained his idea of Christian
living this way: he said, "Now I'm working for Jim here. If I just spent one day a
week sitting around, telling what a good fellow Jim is, and singing songs about
him, I'd be doing just what a lot of Christians do; but it wouldn't suit Jim very
good, and I'd get fired mighty quick. No, my work is to saddle my horse every
day, and ride among the hills, making sure that Jim's herd is all right and not
suffering from lack of water or feed or wandering off or getting stolen by cattle
thieves. Then I'm showing my love for Jim and serving him the way he wants to
be served."

Very often, what you do glorifies your God more than what you say. And our
text tells us some things that we can do to give glory to God, and show our love
for Him. And above all things, it says, have fervent love for one another. When
you love God, it shows in the way you treat other people - especially your
fellow Christians!

And of our love for each other, Peter says - it will cover a multitude of sins.
That's a very strange idea, especially in the society in which we live today.
Covering people's sins doesn't come naturally to us. Our system of gossip and
the "grapevine" tends to publish people's sins. Even for us Christians, as soon
as we find out some nasty piece of news about someone, our first impulse is to
reach for the phone. Here's another way you can give glory to God - by resisting
that impulse. A great way to give glory to God is by guarding your tongue and
resisting the impulse to let others in on the secret. Instead, why not go a little
bit out of your way and help that person privately with his problem? Why not
encourage him with the comfort of God's Word and do what you can to lighten
his load. Then you're not only giving help to your neighbor, you're giving glory
to God. What more fitting way could there of showing your thanks to God,
who's blessed you so richly?

Peter says, Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. That's harder to do
than it sounds. Welcoming people to share your home and your bread, even
when they arrive unexpectedly -- making our visitors here in church to feel at
home and comfortable -- cheerfully sharing the gifts God has given us with our
fellow-Christians here at home and around the world -- this is a service not only
to them, but to Jesus, who said, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it
to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt 25:40.

Another way that we give glory to God? By using our talents to serve Him.
Each of you sitting here today has a talent (perhaps many talents) that God has
given you and that the rest of us need. Be a good steward of that talent! Use it
to uplift your fellow Christians! Our text says, As each one has received a gift,
minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If
anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him
do it as with the ability which God supplies. Perhaps your talent is teaching or
working with children - each year we need volunteers to teach Sunday School.
Perhaps your talent is working with your hands - there are always ongoing
projects around our church property that need that special talent. Perhaps your
gift is financial - maybe God has blessed you lately so that you have a little
extra income - you can use it to support the work of the Gospel in our midst.
Maybe you have the type of personality that can encourage those we haven't
seen for a while to join us once again for worship. Maybe your only gift is the
gift of a cheerful spirit - use it! -- to offer comfort and friendship and the hope
of God's Word to those among us who are suffering or going through hard
times. The point is that God's grace is manifold -- He gives us all different kinds
of gifts, and we serve Him by using those gifts to help each other.

Each one of us has our separate talents, our separate gifts, our separate place in
God's plan. But each of us has the same goal. Every act of service is aiming at
the same target - that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to
whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. This is the way that
we glorify God. This is our Thanksgiving gift -- our "gift for the One who has
everything!"

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? The man who rode down
from Jerusalem to Jericho that day had nothing to do but follow the highway,
and make sure his donkey didn't stumble or hurt itself. Another routine day;
same old same old. But when he came to the place where that unknown pilgrim
lay senseless and bleeding beside the road - in that moment his duty changed. In
that moment he became a rescuer, a nurse, a helper of the wounded. Tomorrow
is a new day for you, too. Will you be ready for unexpected calls and new
responsibilities? Will you be ready to serve, to help, to use the talents God has
given you? The real question is, will you be ready to give glory to God? May the
Lord give to each of us the faith to answer that question with a resounding
"YES!" In Jesus' name, AMEN.