Title Give thanks to God (Exodus 34:22)
Contents
Give thanks to God (Exodus 34:22)
The first sacrifice of thanksgiving in the Old Testament may be the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, but we can find the origins of the institutionalized Thanksgiving in many places in the Old Testament.
The text (Exodus 34:22) says, “Keep the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Firstfruits, and in the autumn, the Feast of Ingathering.” It is the 49th day, which is the 6th day of the Swan month (March in the Jewish calendar). And the Feast of Ingathering of the vintage was also called the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Tabernacles) (Deuteronomy 16:13), which can be considered the biblical origin of the Thanksgiving Day observed in the church today.
This Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th after the Atonement Day on the 10th day of the 7th holy July month, and for one week, booths are built with olive trees, willow trees, palm branches, etc. 43), also kept the autumn grape harvest as a season of thanksgiving.
In Korea, since ancient times, it has been customary to offer thanksgiving to the heavenly gods by calling October as the “Sangmoon”.
American Thanksgiving begins with the history of the Puritans.
In 1607, King Huamus of England's persecution of the Puritans intensified, and the Puritans set out for the Americas via Holland in search of religious freedom. Arriving in Primas on December 21, 1620, after 63 days of arduous voyage on the Mayflower, they had a crew of 102 at the time of their departure, but before the end of winter that year, 44 people were killed. However, these dead could not even afford a funeral because the Indians were counting the tombs and counting how many were left.
In the spring of the following year, there were 27 men left, but only 21 men and 6 boys. First, they built a church, and living in 7 houses and 4 public buildings, they cultivated the farmland while demonstrating a desperate pioneering spirit. The harvest season has finally come. In the fall of 1621, the Puritans invited Masaso and chieftain with 90 men to celebrate the first three days of joyous Thanksgiving. Then, in 1623, the New World Administrator Bradford established Thanksgiving Day, and in 1789, the first president of the United States, George Washington, designated November 26 as the day of thanksgiving, and then President Lincoln established it as the last Thursday in November. President Roosevelt revised the third Thursday of November to be Thanksgiving Day and has been observed to this day.
The Korean church has been observing the third Sunday of November every year as Thanksgiving Day, influenced by the American church's Thanksgiving Day along with the arrival of American missionaries. Of course, there are prayers for Chuseok or other movements to adjust the timing as needed by the church in recent years.
Our church, Oh Geum, keeps the third Sunday in November this year as Thanksgiving Sunday.
Looking back on the past days of the year, I think about the significance of Thanksgiving, hoping that it will be a season to check our faith anew.
1) Thanksgiving is a season to give thanks by remembering and not forgetting God's grace that has been preserved so far. It is a season to give thanks to God, who has intervened and intervened in my life and made this day possible.
2) Thanksgiving should be a “festival”. It should be a place where people express their greatest joy and gratitude through poetry, song, and hymns. Even if the days I have lived so far have been a difficult life path, it should be a festival where each other celebrates by discovering the grace that I received while living my life.
3) Thanksgiving should be celebrated with the poor and the marginalized. We must not only be grateful for the gratitude we have received, but also share it with our neighbors in need. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to share and give.
4) Thanksgiving is a festival to offer material according to the blessings God has given you. There is no time to be grateful. However, I hope that through this Thanksgiving season, we will once again look back on ourselves and become an opportunity to establish a life of faith “through thanksgiving”.
The hallmark of the saints is being able to give thanks in everything. What people with good faith have in common is that gratitude is ingrained in them.
If you look closely at the letters of the Apostle Paul, the noun and verb “thank you” are recorded 46 times. In the book of Colossians, the words to give thanks are used seven times, even though it was written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome, under free and oppressed.
Someone went to the hospital and was diagnosed with tongue cancer. The only way to save a life is to have an operation to cut off the tongue over time. When I was asked to say one last thing before the operation to cut off the tongue, he closed his eyes for a long time (with tears) and then cried, “Thank God.” He was the last to say the most precious thing.
This saint gave thanks while cutting off his tongue, but even though we have a healthy tongue, we cannot thank God, we cannot live a thankful life of faith, we cannot pray and sing thanksgivings. May we all be blessed with thanksgiving. Amen.
From today onwards, we pray that you will become believers who give thanks unconditionally. Amen.
1. A grateful saint is like the sun.
Just as the sun rises and the fog and darkness dissipate and fill with warm light, so when a grateful person is at home, at church, or at work, it is like the light of the sun that brightens a dark room. Where there are adversity, tribulation, and setbacks, the saints will inspire them and give them hope.
2. A grateful saint is like Danbi.
When it's dry, the ground is dry, and it's raining down on plants, animals, and people, it's hard to be thankful and happy.
All dirty things are washed away, dead life is revived, sprouts sprout, flowers bloom, bear fruit, and all things throb.
3. A grateful saint is like perfume.
Where there is incense, the evil odor will dissipate. It makes a person feel good because of the good scent. Spices also make food taste good.
A grateful saint is like a juniper tree. The juniper tree is said to apply incense to the ax that cuts itself, the saw, and the sickle.
A grateful believer spreads the beautiful fragrance of Jesus even to those who persecute and harm them.
4. A grateful saint is like a medicine.
A good medicine cures a painful disease. It restores health. It benefits the body. Thankful saints become healthy in spirit, mind, and body, they can be healed from desperate diseases, and even their appearance changes to be beautiful.
5. A grateful saint is like the soil.
All grains do well in loam. Faith can also grow well on the soil of gratitude. Just as we can't grow grain on a rock, we can't grow anything good without gratitude.
Thank God for everything. - Amen -.