A Grateful Heart Offered to God

The first section of the sermon presents the wrong formula that most people use to measure gratitude: thanksgiving = desired blessings minus losses. According to this formula, when losses exceed gains, people become bitter and ungrateful. However, Scripture teaches that we must thank God in all circumstances, not only when favorable (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), as this is God's will. The sermon uses the history of Hong Kong as an example to demonstrate that even in the most difficult times, people can still express gratitude to God because they believe He is the One who preserves the nation.

The second section develops the history of Thanksgiving's origin through the story of the Pilgrims (1607-1620). These people left England to seek freedom of worship, sailed to Holland, and then crossed the Atlantic to America. Their voyage was filled with dangers and hardships, with several attempts to return to port. When they reached the new land (Massachusetts) in November 1620, they endured an extremely harsh winter, and by spring 1621 only about half of the original settlers survived. With the help of a Native American named Squanto, they learned how to farm and hunt, resulting in an abundant harvest in autumn 1621. Therefore, they organized a three-day feast to thank God and express gratitude to the Native Americans who helped them. The sermon emphasizes that the purpose of this feast was to thank God for protecting them, preserving their lives, and providing abundant crops, not merely to celebrate material things.

The third section presents the official history of America's national Thanksgiving Day and the profound lessons from it. More than 150 years later, in 1863 when the United States was suffering through a devastating civil war, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of fasting and prayer. In his proclamation, Lincoln confessed that although God had blessed the nation abundantly, the people had forgotten Him, becoming self-satisfied and proud, believing that all their success came from their own wisdom and virtue. In October 1863, Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as the nation's first official Thanksgiving Day, calling all people to acknowledge God together with grateful hearts. This event is profoundly significant because it occurred during the darkest period of the nation's history, when the country was engulfed in war, loss, and suffering. The sermon uses Psalm 33:12 to explain that a nation is blessed when God is their Lord. When people recognize their sin, humble themselves before God and repent, He promises to save them (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The fourth section emphasizes that true blessings include not only material possessions but also deep spiritual values. When we help others, they can express thanks, but material things like houses, cars, or money can never say thank you. Therefore, genuine gratitude must be directed toward God who forgives sin, grants salvation and new life, as well as toward people who help us, rather than toward material possessions alone. The sermon encourages the congregation not to wait until everything is perfect before giving thanks, as this will certainly never happen. Instead, we must learn to count God's blessings, add to what we already have, subtract unnecessary things and feelings of resentment, multiply God's grace, and share His blessings with others. The sermon concludes with a powerful message: whoever forgets the language of gratitude will never be able to speak the language of happiness.