For whom are you thankful?
November 23rd, 2006This weekend is about many things. Family time is usually must be high on the list. People are traveling to get to the dinner table with Mom and Dad along with grandparents and others. Hugs will be shared all around. And laughter, there will be loads of laughter. Make sure you have all the family issues up to date. You never know when this will be the last Thanksgiving for some. On Saturday of this week, two of our church families will be involved with funerals for family members that ate and laughed with them just a year ago. These are precious days. Don’t waste them.
Friday brings the shopping blitz and Christmas is just four weeks away. These are great days filled with Gospel opportunities. Look for open doors to share the Good News of the incarnation of God through Jesus. Remember, it is His birthday, not ours.
The December issue of The Atlantic Magazine listed their pick of the 100 most influential Americans of all time. You must be dead to qualify – so relax, you are not on the list. People of all walks of life are on the list. Coming in at 91 was Evangelist Lyman Beecher and at number 90 was Jonathan Edwards. Edwards is called by the magazine as one of the most influential theologians in American history. They speak of him having subtle eloquence. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is his most legendary sermon. Bible preaching is the kind that lasts! It is not important for a magazine to recognize our influence but it is nice. What counts is that God and people around us remember that we passed by. Make a mark this Thanksgiving with your family. Be like Jesus!
Pastor Ted Traylor