Do you know how many countries celebrate Thanksgiving? Of course, Canada and the United States commemorate this event. American Thanksgiving is held on the fourth Thursday in November and dates back to the Pilgrims in 1621. Canadian Thanksgiving originates with an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, in 1578. He held a formal ceremony when he established his first settlement, now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and gave thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Eventually, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed in 1957, “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.” Since then, as Canadians, we have observed Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. We have turkey, even though some choose ham or chicken instead, along with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and pumpkin pie at the dining table.

Almost two weeks ago, Korean Thanksgiving Day, called Chu-Sok in Korean or Fall Evening in English, took place. During this festival season, many Koreans visit their parents and/or grandparents’ homes. Early on this Thanksgiving Day, they prepare special food made from new crops and thank their ancestors for giving them good fortune. Afterward, they eat together and talk to each other. On that night, some people make wishes to the moon for what they hope to receive, believing that the moon can listen to them.

The Chinese have a Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, at roughly the same time of year as Koreans, along with a long holiday called “National Day.” During that time, many people travel with their families and have family gatherings while eating mooncakes and lighting lanterns. Some Europeans countries also involves “the celebration of the autumn harvests” during this time of year. Unlike the North American festivities, they have more public celebrations with musical performances, dancing, fireworks, and, of course, food. We have learned that people like to have thankful celebrations with their loved ones in various ways.

In the Bible, God commanded the people of Israel to observe three festivals, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:14-16). On the Day of the Feast of Harvest, He wanted them to bring the first fruits of their crops and honor the Lord their God with a freewill offering (Deuteronomy 16:10). This type of event during or at the end of harvest in the Scripture can be considered “Thanksgiving” nowadays. As children of God, today is a time to thank God for the past harvest, acknowledge God’s presence, protection and provision over the year, and look forward to the coming year in prayer. It is also a time to remember our loved ones as we share this sacred holiday.

In our main text for today, Jesus talks about the importance of a thankful heart. One day, Jesus was passing between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem. In those days, people living in Samaria were often looked down upon by Jewish people. So, as a Jew, Jesus might have avoided that route and chosen a different path. However, Jesus went through that area, and this itinerary could teach us that Christ wanted to break the barriers between the two groups.

When Jesus was staying there, ten men who had leprosy came to Him. They stood at a distance and called out to Christ in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” In Jesus’ time, there were strict rules that lepers had to follow. People with that contagious disease had to be separated from their community. Lepers were not allowed to be close to other people, not even their loved ones. They had to live outside for their entire lives. When ordinary people approached them, they had to identify themselves by covering the lower part of their faces and crying out, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Lev. 13:45-46). What a lonesome and hurtful life they must have lived?

We remember the strict regulations and tough social distancing rules during the Covid-19 era. Anyone who tested positive for Covid-19 had to be isolated for 14 days. Whether they had a fever, coughing, or any related symptoms or not, they had to keep themselves apart from others and stay in their homes. During the Covid-19 era, my family and I had to undergo mandatory 14-day isolations three times. Friends, from our own experiences, I can tell you that isolation or quarantine and losing the freedom to move around were unpleasant even though those restrictions were necessary at the time.

When the ten lepers heard of Jesus’ healing ministry, they found the courage to challenge themselves and step out of their comfort zones. When Jesus saw them, with compassion, Jesus said, “Go show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14). As they followed Jesus’ direction, their infected skin became clean, and all of them were free from leprosy. Can we imagine the joy they must have felt? They might have pinched themselves to see if they were dreaming. They had received the healing power from Jesus. However, only one leper among the ten prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and praised the Lord in a loud voice. Jesus was so pleased with his grateful heart and said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). Jesus completely healed the Samaritan leper both physically and spiritually. At the same time, Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17). The reason why Jesus questioned was not that He did not know where they were but because He wanted them to be spiritually healed as well. Whether we admit it or not, sometimes, as believers, we may be one of the ungrateful nine lepers based on Jesus’ question.

In our Old Testament for today, Moses emphasized the importance of remembering the Lord their God as the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Canaan. He repeatedly urged them, saying, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God…” (Deut. 8:10-18). The potential danger the Israelites would face upon experiencing God’s blessings in the Promised Land was not the presence of enemies but rather the pride that could take root in their hearts. God understood that during times of abundance, the people of Israel were more likely to forget Him. He knew their human nature, their tendencies toward forgetfulness and pride. Moses wanted to impress upon them that it would be God who provided them with the strength and power to establish themselves in this new land. Remembering God was the key to the future of the people of Israel.

Remembering God is also the key to our future. Throughout our lives, there are many things we forget. As we age, we may find it easy to forget people’s names, phone numbers, dates, and events. Have you ever walked into another room at home with a purpose, only to return to your starting point because you forgot what you intended to do? I certainly have! It is normal for us to forget certain things. With our limited human brain capacity, we cannot remember everything we would like to. However, one thing, we, as Christ’s followers, should never forget is our Creator, God.

We must remember that Sunday is the Lord’s Day, a day set aside for us to worship the Lord ,our Creator with all our hearts and minds in His sanctuary. We should remember the wonderful things God has done for us, our families, our churches, and our communities. On Thanksgiving Sunday, as we reflect on our past, we may recall not only moments of joy but also the challenges we have faced. We need to acknowledge that God did not always lead the people of Israel down smooth and trouble-free paths. There were times when He guided them through the wilderness, where they could not find enough resources on their own. However, God used these difficulties to humble them, teach them to rely on Him, and provide for their needs in these tough situations. Even as we remember the stressful times in our lives, we should recognize the presence of our Mighty God, who is always with us and provides solutions for us. So, how is our memory when it comes to God and the things He has done for us on this Thanksgiving Sunday morning?

In today’s Psalm, the Psalmist declares, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs…” (Psalm 100:1-2). Have you noticed the first three commands in this Psalm? They are: Come before God, worship, and shout to Him. In these initial commands, our Lord God encourages us to be happy, to shout with joy, and to serve Him with gladness. Have you ever watched a movie clip of a victory celebration after a war has ended? Such celebrations are filled with shouts of praise because the war is over, and victory has been achieved. We should shout joy to the Lord because we know that He is the one who has won the ultimate victory. This is why the Apostle Paul exclaims with praise: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57). Maybe God has provided us with blessings yet. Maybe God has not answered our prayers so far. No matter what we have, we should shout for joy with thanksgiving in our hearts because we have ultimate victory over the power of death and sin when we place our trust in God.

One thing we really need to be careful when thanking God is that our thanksgiving should not be based on how much we have materially. There is nothing wrong with being thankful for the material things in our lives, but all these things can change at any time. The one we can be sure of in this unstable world is our intimate relationship with the Lord. This is why this 100th Psalm emphasizes the name of the Lord. If we read this Psalm carefully, we will find the name of the Lord mentioned in every verse. Remembering that the Lord is the provider of every blessing we have is the most important thing, regardless of how much or little we have on our Thanksgiving table.

In verse 3, the Psalmist also commands us to “know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” When God created human beings in His image, He expressed His satisfaction by saying: “It was very good” (Genesis 1:31). This means that, from God’s perspective, we, as human beings, are a special joy in His sight. We are precious and valuable, regardless of our physical appearance. It does not matter whether we are short or tall, or what kind of background we come from. In God’s eyes, each of us is very good and exceptional because we are His creation, painted by the Wonderful Painter, our Creator. Are we content with the evaluation of the things we have accomplished over the past months of this year? There are two kinds of reactions: negative and positive. When we are evaluated negatively, we often hear critical voices that seem louder than the encouraging ones. However, we should remember that as God’s children, we are His workmanship. We may make mistakes and fall short, but our Lord understands our shortcomings. When we repent of our sins, He forgives us. God desires for all of us to rest in His right evaluation and to glorify His name. From God’s perspective, we are valuable and priceless just as we are because we belong to Him.

To conclude today’s message, I want to share a portion of my favorite essay by Helen Keller titled “3 Days to See.” She wrote, “If, by some miracle, I were granted three days of sight…” Helen Keller longed for the ordinary things that we often take for granted.

Friends, are we sometimes overwhelmed by burdens that seem too heavy to bear alone? Do we find ourselves weighed down by responsibilities for our loved ones and ourselves? If we ever feel this way, it is essential to pause, count our blessings, and name them one by one, just as Moses and the Psalmist did.

Have you ever noticed the connection between the words “think” and “thank”? The difference between them is just one letter in the middle of each word: “I” or “A.” Yet both verbs share the root word “to consider.” When we take a moment to think about God’s blessings in our lives, we find ourselves overflowing with gratitude. If we stop for a moment, we will realize there are countless other blessings, in other words, many of the nine graces, we can think of.

Let us pause now to remember our Lord and think about how abundantly blessed we are today. We thank God for the privilege of waking up this morning. We are thankful for the opportunity to gather here and worship Him. Our hearts overflow with gratitude for our families, friends, church, and community. We are grateful for our health, the clean air we breathe, the abundance of pure water, and all the blessings of living in this great nation, Canada. We are thankful for God’s protection in situations we may not even be aware of – times we were rescued from danger. We appreciate the resources both small and large that God has graciously provided for us. We recognize God’s forgiveness, for we are all sinners in need of His mercy. We give thanks for God’s goodness, faithfulness, steadfast love, and His unique plan for each of us. As we reflect on these blessings, we come to understand that we can never thank our Creator enough. We are truly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

* In this sermon, I have drawn inspiration and materials from various messages based on the following texts: Deuteronomy 8:10-18; Psalm 100:1-5; Luke 17:11-19.