What Are We Thankful For?
Pastor Tan Thai · Nov 25, 2017
This sermon reflects on the true meaning of gratitude through three characters: David, Louie Zamperini, and Laura Hillenbrand. The pastor teaches that people need God and meaningful relationships more than material things, and that only with God can losses be truly restored.
The sermon opens by introducing three characters who lived through extreme hardship: David, who fled enemies for nearly 15 years in caves and wilderness; Louie Zamperini — an American Olympic athlete — who survived 47 days adrift at sea before being brutally tortured as a Japanese POW for over two years; and Laura Hillenbrand — author of the book Unbroken — who battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for more than 24 years while continuing to write. All three found meaning and strength to rise above their darkest circumstances.
The sermon analyzes the common human formula for gratitude: thankfulness equals what is received minus what is lost. When losses outweigh gains, bitterness sets in. The pastor uses the image of the dried-up brook from the story of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17) to illustrate life's moments of emptiness and disappointment — when loved ones withdraw, when children fall into sin, when illness overwhelms. A touching story of a little girl who drew a hand for her Thanksgiving assignment powerfully reminds the congregation that people need love and human presence far more than material things.
The pastor points to Psalm 57 — written by David in a dark cave — as evidence that genuine gratitude is rooted in God, not circumstances. Louie Zamperini, after receiving Christ at a Billy Graham crusade in 1949, gave up alcohol, restored his broken marriage, and forgave the enemy who had tortured him. This stands as clear testimony that salvation not only changes one's eternal destiny but also heals the soul and spirit in this present life.
The application emphasizes that the believer's formula for gratitude must include God — because with God, no loss is so great that it cannot be restored. Second Corinthians 1:3-4 teaches that God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others in theirs. The pastor calls the congregation not to trade their relationship with God or with loved ones for material gain, because even when possessions are lost, as long as God and loved ones remain, life can be rebuilt.