“The Mystery of Thanksgiving”

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-12, Colossians 4:2-6

Today, we begin a series that will take us through the month of November, and the theme will be “Thanksgiving”. For some folks, many of whom we know, this holiday has become simply a day to go hunting in the morning, eating turkey until we burst, and then settling down in front of the TV to watch football games for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, that isn’t even close to what the original purpose was.

Tradition tells us that the Pilgrims held a day of thanksgiving to celebrate their first year of living in the New World. It had been an extremely difficult year, to say the least, but they didn’t even hesitate to take a day to give thanks to their merciful God for bringing them through the past year’s struggle. It wouldn’t be until years later, in 1789, that President George Washington proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving, to give Almighty God the glory for the establishment of the new nation and for the future growth and discoveries of her people. And it wasn’t until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln established our yearly celebration of thankfulness.

It had always been about giving the Lord praise for all that the nation had received, but somehow, over the years, we have lost that focus. For most, the day has become little more than a day off from work, giving us time to do other things that we enjoy. The inclusion of feasting and friends is still with us, but where is our thankfulness for the bounty that comes to us from our Gracious Lord?

Read Colossians 2:6-8

Paul has been encouraging the church in Colosse to continue to love being united with each other, and to seek out the mystery of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus. He is the power behind the workings of faith; He is the source of all goodness and richness for this life; He is the hope for all that the life to come will mean for our lives. Jesus is the foundation that supports us when the trials of life become that proverbial “shifting sand”.

Paul had stood upon that shifting sand in his life before Jesus. The Law of Moses had been his foundation, but it never supported him very well. He saw the law as a divine absolute, when it was actually no more than human extensions beyond what God wanted the people to be. The rituals, the sacrifices, the demands, the exclusionary faith, the condemnation of all who did not, or would not, follow the same way that he did. And if you didn’t subscribe to the same ideals of life that he did, you were worthless and unworthy of any blessing from Jehovah.

He had been deceived into thinking that the only way into Jehovah’s pleasure was to live life perfectly - as if any person actually could. But then, without the Lord in your life, what else was there to do? Without the forgiveness that faith in Christ could bring, the only way left was continuous sacrifice. Without allowing the love of Christ into your heart, how could there possibly be any love for others, especially those who lived totally different lives than you did? Without a life with the Living God, what else was there but a life in human law?

Paul had left his hollow life behind, and now that he was living a Christ-centered love to the fullest, he wanted others to know his new found secret – that Jesus is nothing less than the answer to the mystery of life, and that He is worthy of our thanksgivings every moment of every day.

Read Colossians 2:9-12

Since he met Jesus on that road to Damascus, Paul had learned how to be thankful, instead of obligated, to his Almighty God. He had discovered that Jesus is the fulfillment of God – not for heaven’s sake, but for the sake of all people of earth. And he had discovered that when we surrender our life to Christ, His fullness will become our fullness. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, is the perfect solution to the great divide that exists between human failure and Godly hope.

Paul also had come to the realization that Christ not only had the power and authority of heaven at His disposal, but that He was the ruler over all power and authority on earth! As much as we may think that we are in charge of our lives, that we have ultimate authority in our business and in government, that we are responsible for making decisions that improve our life and the world around us, the truth is that our authority rests solely in our ability to choose to do things in Christ’s way, or not!

Even though most folks refuse to accept the fact that their wisdom and understanding is flawed, and that God’s way is perfect, the truth is that we will be far better off if we just admit that our knowledge base is nothing compared to what the Lord can bring to bear for us. And by following the Lord’s way and call, our decisions will be right on track with His.

The apostle then begins to discuss the issue of circumcision. For Israel, this was a sign that a man was one of the “chosen” of God. But now, Paul sees baptism as the sign that a person is one with the Lord. Baptism by water has to be accomplished by human hands, but the power of baptism has nothing to do with the work of human flesh. The power and authority of baptism is conveyed through our receiving God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.

Circumcision in the Spirit means that we are no longer dependent on the ways of earth, that our allegiance has shifted from what we know and understand, to what God knows about us and in what he can now do through us. Baptism by water, whether by sprinkling, or pouring, or immersion, is significant through our being cleansed and released from the world’s ways, and risen into a new existence in Christ. Baptism is not something to take lightly or as routine – it is a sign that we have traded our dependence and reliance on worldly ways, and have, in return, chosen those of heaven. Anything less that that is a lie to Almighty God.

Read Colossians 4:2-6

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” And this is the point of Thanksgiving – that through prayer, we let our Triune God know just how much we value His presence in our lives. And this thankfulness can never be restricted to our own relationship with the Lord. It must be proclaimed to all who will listen.

Proclaim the mystery of just what faith in Jesus Christ has done for you. Proclaim it clearly so that everyone can hear and understand. Proclaim it through the way you live your life, proclaim it as often as you can, in every way you can, in every place you can. And the last verse of this passage is just as important as the first. Let others know the reason for your thankfulness, but do it in a way that is graceful, joyful, truthful, loving, and personal.

How grateful are we to the Lord for all that He has done for us, and what will we do for Him this Thanksgiving? There’s an old saying, that “we can never out give God”, but that doesn’t mean we should ever stop trying!

So what will you give to God this Thanksgiving? It’s your decision, so do it with joy.