Mt.
Heights Healthcare
Raymond
A. Foss
November
24, 2017
Thanksgiving
and Advent
Psalm
118
Ephesians
2:8-10
Message,
“We Offer Thanksgiving”
Let
us pray. Lord I ask You to send down Your Holy Spirit, that the Spirit would be
present with us as we worship You today. Lord, be present with us; give me
words to share with your people. Speak through me words that You would have
them hear. May the meditation of my mind and spirit be pleasing to You,
Almighty God. And it is in Jesus’ name
we pray. Amen.
Please
listen to Psalm 118 for this poem for God’s people. I will be reading the King
James Version.
118 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:
because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for
ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy
endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his
mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord
answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can
man do unto me?
7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me:
therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence
in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name
of the Lord will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me
about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees: they are
quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy
them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall:
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become
my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the
tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right
hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works
of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not
given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go
into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous
shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and
art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become
the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our
eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will
rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I
beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the
Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind
the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art
my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for
his mercy endureth for ever.
Amen.
Good
afternoon; how are you all doing today? Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Did you all
have turkey yesterday?
What
does Thanksgiving mean to you?
What
is your favorite memory of Thanksgiving?
For
what are you thankful?
Who
are you thankful for?
To
whom are you thankful?
Merriam-Webster’s
definition of thankful is:
1
: conscious of benefit received - for
what we are about to receive make us truly thankful
2
: expressive of thanks - thankful service
3
: well pleased : glad - was thankful
that it didn't rain
Merriam-Webster’s
definition of thanks is:
1
: kindly or grateful thoughts : gratitude
2
: an expression of gratitude
return thanks before the meal
—often
used in an utterance containing no verb and serving as a courteous and somewhat
informal expression of gratitude, many thanks
We
have so much to be thankful for. We have friends and family. We have food on
the table. We have the modern comforts of life, indoor plumbing, heat, hot
water, telephones, televisions, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Westminster
Dog Show, cars to get from place to place.
We
live in a land of freedom, a land of plenty, we are at peace within our land,
even if we are at war far afield.
We
are thankful, we give thanks, for health, for our senses, for the ability to
see, to move, to function.
We
are thankful, we give thanks, for creation, for Mount Katahdin, for the
changing of the seasons.
We
are thankful, we give thanks, for our memories, for the ability to call up the
senses, the feelings, the words, the moments, that we experienced in the past,
when we gathered for Thanksgiving with our families.
Yes,
we are thankful, yes, we give thanks; but there is more than that. We offer
thanksgiving. We celebrate, we worship.
Merriam-Webster,
in contrast said the definition of thanksgiving is:
1
a capitalized : Thanksgiving Day
b
: a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness
2
: the act of giving thanks
3
: a prayer expressing gratitude
That
is a real distinction, a difference, not just in degree but in importance. We
don’t just offer thanks. We aren’t merely thankful. We offer thanksgiving. We
thank God for our many gifts, all the things we are thankful for.
We
acknowledge the gifts, the blessings, the things for which we are thankful. We
speak out loud our joy. We raise up our blessings, we quantify, we measure, our
cups overflowing, sharing with others the joy that is within us.
“What
are you thankful for?”, my wife, Pastor Ruth Foss, asked me on Sunday morning
(or maybe Saturday). I said, “I am
thankful for life, and for life eternal”. For everything else flows from that,
from the fact of salvation, through the sacrifice of Jesus, through the gift of
the cross and the empty tomb. That is nothing we earned but something for which
we offer thanksgiving to God.
As
Ephesians 2:8-10 says
Ephesians
2:8-10King James Version (KJV)
“8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.”
This
is the word of God spoke to us, His children. Thanks be to God.
It
is God who blesses us, to whom we should offer thanksgiving, speaking out loud
our absolute reliance on God.
Thanksgiving,
the act of thanking God, that there is someone to whom we lift our thanks, is
what the day of Thanksgiving is about. The pilgrims in Plimoth Plantation in
1621 weren’t merely celebrating the harvest. They weren’t merely thankful that
they had survived the winter of 1620 and the hard year before the harvest.
They
were thanking the Creator, the Savior, the eternal God who provided the growth,
the weather, the conditions that led to the harvest. They were acknowledging
the divine in the ordinary, in their daily lives.
We
stop, we gather, we are thankful, but if we aren’t stopping to thank God it is
just another day, nothing special, nothing set apart.
We
are getting ready to move into the season of Advent. This too is a time of
thanksgiving, of being mindful of the gifts of God, the touch of the divine in
our daily lives, the coming of the Christ-child, Immanuel, “God here with us”.
I
want you to think of it this way, maybe. Being thankful and offering
thanksgiving are different. It’s like when someone passes away. Some people
say, “you’re in my thoughts”. Other people say, “you’re in my prayers”. Or its
like some people say, “Happy Holidays”. Other people say, “Merry Christmas”.
That
is a real distinction, a difference. We prayer for people because we know God
alone can heal them, can walk with them in the shadows, that only God can
comfort them. We remember Christ in Christmas. We don’t just offer thanks. We
aren’t merely thankful. We offer thanksgiving. We thank God for our many gifts,
all the things we are thankful for.
And
that starts with the babe in the manger, the man who lived among us, who taught
us with his words and his life. It starts with this man, Christ Jesus, who was
God incarnate.
It
starts with Christ who chose to climb our cross, to suffer and die to set us
free from sin and death. It starts with the One who is seated on the throne at
the right hand of God, our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth who
came in the flesh.
It
is to Him we are thankful, to Him we lift up our thanks. It is to Him we offer
thanksgiving for all He has done, for all He is doing in our lives.
I’d
like to close with a poem I wrote for today and it is called, “we offer thanksgiving”.
we offer thanksgiving – v3
We offer thanksgiving, our
praise, our worship
we raise our prayers up to
Almighty God.
We offer thanksgiving for
the gifts God gives us
for life, for life eternal,
for the gift of Jesus
that God would descend, that
God would redeem us,
from our sin, our past, our
day to day lives.
We offer thanksgiving, our
praise, our worship
we raise our prayers up to
Almighty God.
We must thank God not
ourselves, others;
our gifts are not vague, they
come from our Savior.
we must thank God our source
of joy, fulfillment;
our gifts are from God, the
living Holy Spirit.
We offer thanksgiving, our
praise, our worship
we raise our prayers up to
Almighty God.
Our thanks is grounded in
the work of our Savior,
climbing Golgotha, choosing
the cross.
Our thanks is grounded in
the sacrifice of Jesus
choosing to decide to drink
of the cup.
We offer thanksgiving, our
praise, our worship
we raise our prayers up to
Almighty God.
Our thanks is grounded in
the rising of Jesus,
in the empty tomb, His
throne in heaven above.
Amen.
========================
November 24, 2017
edited November 24, 2017
we offer thanksgiving – v3
edited November 24, 2017
like a treasure trove – v2
edited November 18, 2017
we thank you for life – v2
November 18, 2017
giving thanks is not enough
edited November 18, 2017
Our thanks is grounded – v2
November 18, 2017
our thanks is grounded
November 18, 2017
we must thank God
edited November 18, 2017
we offer thanksgiving – v2
November 18, 2017
we offer thanksgiving
November 18, 2017
we thank you for life
November 18, 2017
for grace, for mercy
edited November 18, 2017
offer thanksgiving – v2
November 18, 2017
to our Lord, our Savior
November 18, 2017
Offer thanksgiving
&
Thanksgiving 2017
Psalm 118
Ephesians 2:8-10
sermon, “We Offer Thanksgiving”
text:
video:
worship led by Raymond A. Foss
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
Fourth Friday of the month
service at Mt. Heights Health Care Facility
November 24, 2017
&
edited November 24, 2017
For so many saints – v2
edited November 24, 2017
our cups overflow – 2 – v2
adding 3rd stanza
November 24, 2017
our cups overflow - 2
edited
November 23, 2017
we thank You
Lord – 2 - v2
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
November 23,
2017
for so many
saints
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
edited
November 23, 2017
on this day of
Thanksgiving – v2
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
November 23,
2017
on this day of
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
November 23,
2017
we thank you
Lord - 2
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
November 23,
2017
like a
treasure trove
Thanksgiving
Day 2017
edited
November 22, 2017
her angels, her
saints – v2
November 22,
2017
Thankful - 2
Thanksgiving
worship service
Aroostook
Cluster of the United Methodist Church
sermon
“Thankful”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Northern Maine
District
service held
at Grant Memorial United Methodist Church
Presque Isle,
ME
November 19,
2017
&
edited/new
name November 20, 2017
changing the
world - 2
November 20,
2017
not changing
the world
edited
November 19, 2017
we walk His
path – v2
November 19,
2017
her angels,
her saints
November 19,
2017
we walk his
path
November 19, 2017
remembering so
many names
November 19,
2017
coming home to
this place
edited
November 19, 2017
fed from the
well of God’s hands – v2
November 19,
2017
fed from the
well of God’s hands
November 19,
2017
“Thanks-Giving”
cover of bulletin
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Psalm 34:1-10
Matthew 6:1-4
and
sermon / testimony, “Who Has Nourished You….”
by Sally Drew
Children’s
Message
by Sally Drew
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 19,
2017
&
November 30, 2015
We are thankful to those who believed
edited November 30, 2015
We are thankful to you – v2
posted November 30, 2015
edited, new poem November 27, 2013
we are thankful to you
new poem November 27, 2013
Thankful to God – 2
Edited November 27, 2013
Thanksgiving – v2
post to blog
“Thankful to God
this Thanksgiving”
“Let us all #remember To Whom we are #Thankful this
#Thanksgiving.
It is to #God to whom we lift our #thanks and #praise.
#joy #faith #Christ”
November 29, 2015
We are thankful to those who
came before us
November 29, 2015
We are thankful to them
November 29, 2015
We are thankful to the Spirit
November 29, 2015
We are thankful to Christ
November 28, 2015
We are thankful to God - 3
November 27, 2015
For the bounty of our table
Thanksgiving 2015
Psalm 100:4
Philippians 2:6-8
Matthew 26:4
John 14:3
Acts 2:1-4
Romans 8:26-27
sermon, “To Whom Are We
Thankful?”
text:
video:
worship led by Raymond A. Foss
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
Fourth Friday of the month
service at Mt. Heights Health Care Facility
November 27, 2015
&
edited November 26, 2015
Saints and Strangers – v2
Thanksgiving Day
July 24, 2006 22:52
Saints and Strangers
====
November 26, 2015
I am thankful to God - 2
Thanksgiving Day
November 26, 2015
with joyful hearts – 2
Thanksgiving Day
November 26, 2015
To God we are Thankful
Thanksgiving Day
November 26, 2015
Thankful for Your blessings
Thanksgiving Day
edited November 26, 2015
In Thanksgiving – v5
(editing version 4)
Thanksgiving Day
edited June 2, 2015
In Thanksgiving – v4
(editing original)
edited November 27, 2014
In Thanksgiving – v3
(editing original again)
Thanksgiving Day
edited June 28, 2014
In Thanksgiving – v2
November 27, 2008
In Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day
&
edited August 22, 2014
I am thankful to God – v2
November 28, 2013
I am thankful to God
(Thanksgiving Day)
Christ the King Sunday
6th and final service of Fall Sermon Series:
“Shepherd Us O God”
Psalm 23:6 King James Version
Jeremiah 29:11 Common English Bible
2 Timothy 4:7-8 Common English Bible
John 14:1-3 Common English Bible
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
Psalm 23
Prayer of Thanksgiving
“For this prayer”
by Raymond Foss
children’s sermon
“we get to live with God for eternity”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “From Here To Eternity”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 24, 2013
&
November 23, 2013
Sermon 5 of Fall Series
“Shepherd Us O
God”
Psalm 23:5 King James Version
Psalm 144:15 The Message Bible
Psalm 68:3-4 The Message Bible
1 Chronicles 16:30-33 The Message Bible
“Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen
5th service of Fall Sermon Series:
Psalm 23
Prayer of Thanksgiving
“We come to worship You”
by Raymond Foss
children’s sermon
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and sermon “Oh Happy Day”
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Patten, ME
November 17, 2013
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted
by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved.
Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 45,530 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.
Christ, Faith, God, love, grace, hope, witness, Spirit,
Savior, goodness, mercy, Psalm 118, Ephesians 2, Thanksgiving, thankful,
praise, bounty, harvest, America, Mountain Heights Healthcare, sermon,
#Christ #Faith #God #love #grace #Spirit #Thanksgiving
#harvest #America #Pilgrims #Psalm118 #Ephesians2 #blessings #life #salvation #sermon
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