Thank God

Thanksgiving Sermon on James 1:17

Text: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Today is Thanksgiving. It is a special day that has been set aside to think about all the blessings that we have received. The day is often referred to as Turkey Day, which is obviously in reference to the traditional main dish. Yet, does that term for today mask something else, at times? Obviously, if you are going to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, that is something to be thankful for. However, is that all that there is to be thankful for? In addition, is there a tendency, at times, for some people to think that there is no one to be thankful to except myself? After all, I have worked hard for all that I have and, if anything, someone should thank me. However, as James reminds us, the exact opposite is true. Today, then, let us THANK GOD 1. For Whom He Is and 2. For What He Has Given Us.

It would be so easy for us to read this verse in a matter of seconds and pass over all the wonderful descriptions of our God. We note that he is “The Father of the heavenly lights.” This phrase reminds us of God’s creation of the world in which we live. If you take a moment and think about creation, you can see several qualities of God. First, we see his almighty power. You and I, if we wish to make something, we need to have the basic ingredients. God simply spoke and the world came to be. He said, “Let there be light,” and the light was created. We also see his wisdom in the way that he created everything. Just think for a moment about how intricately he made all the things in this world. The way that the water cycle continues, from rain and snow falling from the sky and then eventually evaporating back into the sky, is simply amazing. God’s creation also shows his kindness. He placed the earth at just the right distance from the sun to sustain life on it. If it had been too close, it would have been too hot. If it had been placed too far away, there would be no life, either. I would like to call to your mind one more example of the power, wisdom, kindness exhibited in creation, and this is the human body. Think of all the systems that need to work and work together for there to be life. Think of all the body parts and how fantastically they move. When we examine these wonderful bodies, from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet, as well as the rest of all creation, we must exclaim with the psalmist, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

We also note that he is the “Father of heavenly lights.” God is light. John wrote in his first epistle, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) John is contrasting light and darkness as pictures of holiness and evil. God is holy. That word does not just mean that he is without sin, though he is without sin. The word “holy” has the idea of being something to the nth degree. It has the idea of perfection. There are no character flaws in God. The fact that God is light reminds us that God has nothing to do with darkness, that is to say imperfection. God’s holiness also reminds us that he is totally independent of his creation. While his creation depends on him for everything, he does not need his creation for anything. God is the “Father of the heavenly lights.”

The next phrase also reveals something to us about our God. It says that he “does not change like shifting shadows.” As the days get shorter in the winter, the length of the shadows on the ground changes from those cast in the heat of summer. Shadows also change depending on what time of day they are being cast. Shadows shift. They change. The same is true for the lights in the sky. We think of eclipses, the phases of the moon, the movement of the planets. They all shift. God does not. As a matter of fact, the Greek phrase here not only says that this does not happen. It negates the very possibility of it happening. Not only does God not change like the shifting shadows, but, because of whom he is, it is impossible for him to do so.

That is another reason we thank God. We can count on him. When he makes a promise to us, we know that he will keep it. When he tells us something in his Word, we know that it is true. When he promised mankind that he would never again destroy the world by a flood, we know that the world will not be destroyed by a flood. God himself assures us in Numbers 23:29, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” We thank our God that he does not change.

There is another area where God does not change and that is regarding his justice. God has made it quite clear how he feels about sin. We find in Ezekiel 18:4, “The one who sins is the one who will die.” What do we mean by the word “sin?” It has the idea of missing the bull’s-eye. God demands that with every one of our thoughts, words and actions, we are to hit the bull’s-eye of perfection every single time. Any time that we do not, we sin. I remember that, once when I was using this picture in a devotion, a lady spoke up and asked “Isn’t that just a mistake?” That is typical of our human reaction. ‘God surely cannot be angry with me for a few simple mistakes that I have made.’ Yet, as we are reminded in this verse from James, God “does not change like shifting shadows.” While I might dismiss my angry words or my greedy thoughts or my laziness, God does not. Just in case, I think there might be a loophole or an exception to the rule, God reminds us in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” While we thank God that he does not change, yet, because of his complete justice, we would have every reason to fear.

This fact then brings us to the first part of our text that says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” The greatest and most perfect gift which is from above is Jesus Christ. God sent his Son to be our Savior. His perfection is what was necessary for our salvation. He had to be perfect, because we are not. He lived as our Substitute. He, also, died as our Substitute. God is just. He cannot and will not let sin go unpunished. Yet, rather than punishing you and me, who deserved it, God punished Jesus in our place. Because Jesus is true God, and as such “does not change like the shifting shadows,” we know that when he said, “It is finished,” that meant that our sins were completely paid for. There is nothing that we can add to our salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, so that there would never need to be any doubt in our minds whether or not all that was necessary was done. This fact is the greatest reason that we thank God. He has given us salvation.

In addition, he has blessed us in many other ways. God has promised eternal life to those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Again, because God has promised it, we know that it will happen. The way that all the blessings of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life are received is through faith. God supplied this faith, through the working of the Holy Spirit. In addition, so that we might know who God is and what he has done for us, he has given us his holy Word. It has been passed on from generation to generation in its truth and purity. God has also given us his sacraments. Through the washing of Baptism, faith is created and sins are washed away, even in the hearts of infants. We have the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus comes to us in a very personal way through his body and blood together with that bread and wine and tells us, “Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven.” We have the opportunity to come to God in prayer and praise him for all that he has done for us and ask him for all that we need. These are just a few of the spiritual blessings that we thank God for.

There are also so many physical blessings that God has given to us. Again, it would be impossible for us to enumerate all of them this morning. Let us take just a few of them for examples. God has given us families that love us and that we love. Here is a unique system of support, comfort and joy. It is a place where we can feel safe and secure. We have been blessed with wonderful homes in which to live. We have food in our pantries and clothes in our closets and vehicles in our garages. We thank God for the harvest that he has allowed us to gather. We thank God for this wonderful country in which we live. We thank God for those who lead our country and those who protect it. My dear friends, we could go on and on and have a great difficulty exhausting the list of all the blessings that God has given us.

We would also have to admit that not everything always is the way that we would like it to be. There have been adversities, tests and trials that have entered my life. At those times, we might be tempted to ask, “Is God still blessing me?” The answer is an unqualified “Yes.” First, we have God’s promise in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Remember that promise comes from the God, who “does not change like shifting shadows.” God has not abandoned you at those times. We have this promise in Romans 8:28 that “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” There is a blessing that God has in mind through that trial. It may be a blessing for you. It may be a blessing for someone else, as God gives them an opportunity to put their Christianity into practice. Yet, of this we can be sure. God knows what is best for his children and will always give them what they need. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:11, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Even at the times of trials and adversities, we can still thank God for all that he has given us.

At times, on Thanksgiving, we are chided for not being thankful enough. We ask and ask and never say thank you. Whenever that is the case, then shame on us and may God forgive us for it. Yet, Thanksgiving is not just a day to lament our unthankfulness. It is, first and foremost, a day to be thankful. May we do that, not only today, but every day of our lives. My dear Christian friends, we join together and thank our God for all that he is and all that he is given to us. We give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Amen.