November 22, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for November 22nd: Deuteronomy 8:7-18, Psalm 65, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Luke 17:11-19; Song: Now Thank We all our God UMH 102; Theme: Thanksgiving Deuteronomy: The people finally make it to the promised land. The scouts led them to a place where they would have abundant food. They are finally able to settle down and enjoy life. Moses reminds them not to forget about God just because they are not going through tough times. He reminds them that what they have is not because of their efforts, but God’s. We still make the mistake today of associating God with tough times. The only time we think to pray is when we need something. We may not always realize it, but we need God all of the time. It is important at this time of year to say thank you, but we have to let thankfulness be a regular part of life. Moses words are an important reminder for us today – the be thankful even when God leads us out of hard times. Corinthians: Paul is stressing how important it is to be willing to give as much as we can. The Jerusalem Christians were going through a famine, and Paul was trying to encourage the gentiles to be willing to give to help them. Like many of us, when we are struggling, the first place that we cut back on is our giving. We tell the church that we just don’t have it to give. Paul response is not to give sparingly. We are giving to God, not to people. We should always give God our best. God calls us to help those in need, and in turn God will provide for us. Thanksgiving is our chance to realize that all that we have is a gift from God. It is not ours to hoard. It was given to us, so that we can take care of ourselves and help others. questions: What times has God brought you through? Did you stop going to church and praying when things got better? How can you restore your relationship? What gifts have you received lately? How can you give to help others? How will you say Thank you during this Thanksgiving period?