“Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving”

The Appomattox Court House Presbyterian Church Pulpit
Rev. Cameron S. Smith
The Lord's Day, November 19, 2006
Psalm 100

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." -- Philippians 4:4

MY Thanksgiving
I am so thankful for many things as we approach this Thanksgiving:
  I am thankful for being born to a mother and a father who loved me dearly.
  I am thankful for growing up with brothers and a sister who watched out for me.
  I am thankful for a childhood that really did resemble "Leave It To Beaver" and "Ozzie and Harriet."
  I am thankful for the neighborhood friends who taught me well, and then again, not so well.
  I am thankful for the twenty-one years of education that I received from kindergarten right through seminary.
  I am thankful for the church family that received me into their care when I was an eighteen year old "seeker."
  I am thankful for that bowl of won ton soup that I was eating when I signed a "decision card for Christ" when I was nineteen years old.
  I am thankful for the church elder who stuck with me and patiently discipled me and turned me on to Chinese food.
  I am thankful for the permanent turn in my life was reaffirmed and solidified during my college years.
  I am thankful that ten years later, one of the mothers in that church thought I was right for her daughter.
  I am thankful that that mother's daughter agreed with her mother's insightful assessment.
  I am thankful for fourteen years of marriage.
  I am thankful for my little boy.
  I am thankful for my little girl.
  I am thankful for a wife who is painstakingly instilling in this little boy and this little girl a love for neighbor and God.
  I am thankful for the prospect of adopting another child into this family.
  I am thankful for being your minister.
  I am thankful for the warm relationships we have here in Appomattox.
  I am thankful for the many times this church family has taken care of us: The many trips to the manse to fix things.
  I am thankful for the roof over our heads and the money to buy the things we need to survive.
  I am thankful for a wonderful place in which to raise my children.
  I am thankful that I was able to put together a 3000 piece computer desk yesterday without calling on Joel, Roger, Carl, Earl or Walt to help me get it together. And it's still together this morning!
  I am thankful for being in charge of the remote control in my house.
  I am thanking God in advance of a third state championship in a row for the Salem High School football team.
  And, last, but surely not the least, I am really going out on a limb to thank Him for a BCS championship for the Hokies next year!

     Many of these things are well and good; some of them are just fanciful and self-centered. I think that when Thanksgiving rolls around each year, our thanksgivings tend to center around all of the good things that come our way in life. You'll notice that I didn't include anything in that list that was painful! I didn't even thank God for Jesus or how He has used not so pleasant things in my life to make me more like Jesus.

Remembering Plymouth
     At this time of the year, it's always helpful to recall the history that started this tradition of Thanksgiving. I'm thinking of a group of English Separatists, who in 1608, sold all of their worldly possessions and tried on two different occasions to escape the oppression of King James' Church of England. On the second try, at the threat of imprisonment or worse, they finally succeeded in escaping to the Netherlands, where they lived in poverty while faithfully worshiping God.
     After about ten years, and saving up their hard earned money, they determined to sail to the New World, where they would be free of the worldliness of the Old World, and worship God as they saw fit. About 100 of them boarded two ships: The Speedwell and the Mayflower.
     This was a rough journey. When they were 300 miles into the Atlantic, the Speedwell sprung a leak. They had to turn back. Nearly half of them gave up at that point. And so, the remainder crammed on the Mayflower, and they sailed once again, landing in the winter of 1620 on Plymouth Rock.
     The winter was harsh. They were in constant fear for their lives from the natives of the land and the diseases that were new and deadly to them. But, the most telling thing about these Pilgrims was their devotion to their God. Through thick and thin, good and bad, they were grateful for His provision and the life experience He gave them. As you read their published journals, you find that these men and women looked at all of life through the lens of Divine Providence.
     There's another side to the story that you may not be as familiar with - the Indian's point of view.
     More than a decade before the Pilgrims arrived, Charles Colson writes in one of his Breakpoint commentaries that

"[a] group of English traders sailed [landed in] Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, the traders took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery. It was an unimaginable horror. But God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians -- a boy named Squanto. Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the stables of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto's desire to return home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America. It wasn't until 1618 -- ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped -- that a ship was found. Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home. But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out Squanto's entire village. We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto's mind: Why had God allowed him to return home, against all odds, only to find his loved ones dead? A year later, the answer came. A shipload of English families arrived and settled on the very land once occupied by Squanto's people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the startled Pilgrims in English. According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto 'became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.' When Squanto lay dying of a fever, Bradford wrote that their Indian friend 'desir[ed] the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen's God in heaven.' Squanto bequeathed his possessions to the Pilgrims 'as remembrances of his love.' Who but God could so miraculously convert a lonely Indian and then use him to save a struggling band of Englishmen? It is reminiscent of the biblical story of Joseph, who was also sold into slavery -- and whom God, likewise, used as a special instrument for good." (BreakPoint Commentaries by Charles Colson, Politics & Government 'GOD'S INSTRUMENT' 11/4/2005)

True Thanksgiving
     These two connected stories teach us much about the meaning of true Thanksgiving. It's not just about thanking God for the good things in life. It's not just about thanking God when things are working out for me and then cursing Him when personal fortunes turn sour.
     Psalm 100 reminds us this morning of our posture before God at all times: "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!" Immediately preceding Psalm 100 are seven psalms that have generally been called Sabbath Psalms. These were songs used in conjunction with worship in the Temple, stressing God's Kingship; His righteous rule; His good provision and His shepherdly care. The Sabbath Psalms set up the resounding praise of Psalm 100.
     "Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!" Not just Israel, but the entire world; all nations and all peoples.
"Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" When you come to worship, you do it not because it's compulsory, but because you can't do anything but come willfully and thankfully.
"Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." This reminds us that all of life belongs to God; and that for good or ill, God works out His purposes in this world.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!" God's people of old were restricted to the courts of the Temple; they could not go into the Holy Place, much less the Holy of Holies; but they still understood that they had much to be thankful for. And yet today, in light of the coming of Jesus Christ, we are no longer restricted to the Temple courts, having direct access to the Father through the atoning work of Christ.
"Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

     I began this sermon with a list of things for which I am thankful. Some of the items, as I said, were a bit silly, no less true!
     Preaching to myself, as well as all of you, I would pray that we would adopt the mindset of our Pilgrim ancestors in all stations of life.
     That we would have the faith of Squanto that comprehends the hand of the Almighty in all of life so that ultimately praise and thanksgiving resound heavenward in all things.

Thanksgiving Close To Home
     I close by leaving you the example of a member of our church family. I have been blessed by my visits with George Kelsey. George will turn 95 next month. His health has been failing for years. He has battled emphysema for years, and breathing is a real challenge. He has congestive heart failure, and periodic hospitalizations will be the norm for the rest of his life to drain the excess fluid. He dearly loves to be in that back pew on the Lord's Day - he has shared with me that if his health were better, he'd prefer the front row! George knows what it means to "enter his gates with thanksgiving." But, George hasn't been able to be with us since last March. It nearly killed him to be here that day! We served him communion in his seat, but he really wanted to come forward that morning.
     I say all that to say this: Without exception, George always praises God and gives thanksgiving to God for salvation and for life - and life hasn't been real easy for George for a number of years. But, George takes the good with the bad because he recognizes the truth of this Psalm.
     My friends, let us enter his gates with thanksgiving for the Lord is good! His steadfast love endures forever!

Amen