Jonah Albrecht

Thanksgiving Day

11/28/2024

What’s the Centerpiece at Your Thanksgiving?

Psalm 118

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Finish the line: “Come Lord Jesus…”  For many of you, you are able to finish without a moment’s hesitation. The common table prayer has been used is many households for generations. It actually dates back to a schoolbook published in 1698. Why do you suppose this prayer of all the prayers has been such a mainstay for families at mealtime? I think it is because of the simple truth it teaches. This prayer reminds us that something as commonplace as the food on the table is a gift from God, that even in nourishing our bodies, our LORD and Savior is present with us, and we ought always give thanks for the smallest of things to the biggest of things.

Thanksgiving, though not a religious holiday in nature, is one that Christians utilize to take extra time to be thankful to God for the blessings He has granted to them. Most Thanksgivings, however, are anything but simple. The crazy amount of preparation, the piles upon piles of food and desserts, and all the family and friends who gather together makes for a busy albeit enjoyable day. There’s so much happening on Thanksgiving Day, it often pays to pause and remind ourselves: Who’s at the centerpiece at your Thanksgiving?

When you read through Psalm 118, you can see the emotions going through the heart of the psalmist. He is so thankful to the LORD that he repeats his “thanks” 4 times and the phrase, “His steadfast love endures forever!” 5 times. No matter what situation God’s people find themselves in, this victory song reminds them of the deliverance God will bring to them. But what is the Psalmist thankful for? Why can God’s people rejoice in God’s deliverance? Because this Psalm is also a Messianic Psalm. The centerpiece of this Psalm is none other than Jesus.

5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. 6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 12 They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.

Though the words seem to be general, take yourself to the Garden of Gethsemane. Think of the mental, spiritual, and physical anguish the Savior was enduring at this time. Remember how His distress was so great that His sweat was like drops of blood. Think of all the enemies He faced down that day…The Romans, the Jewish Sanhedrin, the mockery of passersby; you and me.

On Good Friday Jesus was encamped by the sins of every single human being, not just in His day, but for ALL TIME. Your sins and mine, the sins of our children and children’s children weighed down the Son of God on the cross like a great millstone was hung around His neck.

Worst of all, He even endured literal hell when His Heavenly Father forsook Him upon that tree. Surely it was enough to make anyone curse God, to throw in the towel and be done. But not Jesus. In the very midst of His anguish in the Garden, His helper and refuge remained in His Father. He said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  When in the greatest agony on the cross, Jesus’ helper and refuge remained in His Father. He never once cursed His Father, but rather, “Father, Forgive Them;” “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me;” and “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”

Jesus didn’t cry these words as an attempt to gain sympathy, or in hopes that God would lessen His punishment that He was enduring. He cried these words to stand as a living testimony for you. So you can know that God forsook His Son and thus will never forsake you. So you can know that because of Jesus, you always have forgiveness from God no matter the depth or depravity of the things you have done or will do. So that you can know, that even at death’s door, God will still be with you to take care of you and bring you safely home.

Notice Who was at the centerpiece of Jesus’ heart and mind when all hell was breaking loose upon Him. God. It was always His Father. Whether it was in the good times when He was healing the sick, preaching the Gospel to thirsty souls, or whether it was during the darkest day, Jesus’ focus never drifted from His Father.

What about you? Does your focus always remain on your Heavenly Father? Or do the distractions of all the blessings in your life cause you to lose sight of where they came from? Are you like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane who couldn’t watch and pray with Jesus for one little hour? Or maybe the words “Come, Lord Jesus” come out a little too easily and we don’t even think about what we’re saying.

The truth is, we all lose sight of Him. When we compare our lives to our Savior, it isn’t even close. Even a day of Thanksgiving like today is rife with distractions that pull our attention elsewhere instead of to His Word. But it isn’t limited to the “slowdown” times of the holidays, is it? It gets even worse when we don’t have a day set aside to be thankful, or a day set aside to remember our Savior’s birth, death, or resurrection. I cannot read your heart, nor see your sin; but I do know myself and how often I have let distractions arise and drive my focus away from my LORD; drive my attitude and lifestyle away from my Savior; drive my faith behind a rock in my heart.

My sinful, decrepit heart does not place Jesus as the centerpiece at my table. It replaces Him with myself; it replaces Him with my work, my relationships. You name it and my heart will find a way to remove God from the equation. Is the same true for you?

If so, my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is all the more reason to echo the words of the Psalmist, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! It is in those last words: His steadfast love endures forever. The sinful nature that dwells in each of us and our adversary the Devil, both want to drive us away from the love of God. Constantly, every day the temptation is there to leave God behind. But God doesn’t go anywhere. Even when we forget Him, lose sight of His blessings, or trust in ourselves; God’s steadfast, that is unchanging and undeserved love endures forever.

Do you know how involved God is in your daily life? It is pretty incredible when you stop to think about it. Take a moment right now, and think about the most common items in your every day life and ask yourself, “Where did they come from?” *Pause* Sure you could name the manufacturer of your toothbrush; but who made the materials; who provided the knowledge to construct such a thing? Don’t you see? It all goes back to our Heavenly Father! There is not one thing we do, we wear, we eat, we have that isn’t a gift from our God. In every crevice of our life God’s hand is present, working and helping; comforting and securing; answering prayers and forgiving our sins.

There is one last thought I’d like to leave with you this morning. But first, hear the last few verses of Psalm 118: 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. 27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.

The Lord’s work in your life doesn’t just happen at Thanksgiving. It happens every single day. On this day of Thanksgiving, take time to look around and see just how many blessings the LORD has granted you. See how involved He has been in your life and will continue to be. But most importantly of all, this Thanksgiving, see the cross. Thank Him for the grace He has shown to each one of us in becoming the cornerstone of our faith, forgiving us our sins, and making every day we have the breath of life a day we get to sing the praises of Him who delivered us from death! Let Christ be at the centerpiece of your table today and every day. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Amen.