(Please, put a big smile on your face.) When we hear the word Thanksgiving, we think of family members gathering together to celebrate the holiday; playing games, watching a movie, and eating roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, or a pumpkin pie. But what is the true meaning of Thanksgiving? It’s the day for all of us to give thanks not so much because of the things that we have, but because of the God who gives. Today, we are going to see what God has done for us and the reasons we should thank Him.

Psalm 100 is a hymn, and the inscription under the heading of this psalm says, ‘A Psalm for giving thanks.’ There are 150 psalms in the Bible, yet Psalm 100 is the only one psalm that is explicitly identified as a psalm of giving thanks. Let’s read out Psalm 100 verse 1-2. “(Psalm 100:1) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! (Psalm 100:2) Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100 suggests us to give thanks to God in three ways.

First, we can give thanks to God by praising Him. The Psalm says, “make a joyful noise to the Lord.” It encourages us to make a glad noise and to praise God loudly. Have you ever been to a concert? When their favorite singers show up on the stage, fans shout out with joy. They shout out the names of singers in the top of their lungs, they give a round of applause with happiness, and people have big smiles on their faces. Fans do this not because someone forced them, but because they love their performers on the stage. When we fall in love with somebody, our hearts become happy to see the ones we love. Our hearts glad to spend our time with them. It’s just the same with God. We are to praise our God loudly with gladness because we are happy that He is our God. We can give thanks to God by praising Him.

Second, we can give thanks to God by serving Him and His people. The Psalm says, “Serve the LORD with gladness.” The word ‘serve’ in the Bible can be translated to ‘worship.’ The former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Warren Wiersbe, once said that “Worship leads to service, and true service is Worship.” We, Christians, should worship and serve our God because God is worthy of our worship and service. God wants every nation, tribe, people, and language gathered before His throne to serve and worship Him. Whenever we serve others come closer to God, we are not merely serving people but serving God. We can give thanks to God by serving Him and His people.

Third, we can give thanks to God by gathering together before Him. The Psalm says, “Come into his presence with singing.” This refers to public worship. We gather today to worship and serve him. We can certainly worship and express thanks to God individually, but God encourages us to come together as a church to express our thanks to Him. In the mutual sharing of thanks, our praise and our worship to God only grows. We can give thanks to God by gathering together before Him.

It is important to know the reasons why the psalmist is inviting us to worship God and give thanks to Him. Let’s read verse 3. “(100:3) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” The psalmist says that God is the one who made us. God is our Creator. Still some people think that they have no creator and they try to explain their own existence without God. However, if we fail to acknowledge God as our Creator, we will be lost. We will get in all kinds of trouble. The whole universe will become cold and mechanical. There will be no meaning or purpose in life. Nothing in our lives is more important to do than to acknowledge God as our Creator. Our thanksgiving comes from our minds and hearts by knowing that God created us.

The psalmist also says that God is our shepherd. The Bible says that “we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Like a shepherd who leads his sheep to green pastures and peaceful waters, our God provides our daily needs. Regardless of what may come our way, we can always trust in God that he will protect us. Troubles are inevitable in our lives. Life will happen. But no matter what, because he is our shepherd, we are safe in Him.

God is our creator and shepherd. For these reasons, the psalmist invites us to praise our God and give thanks to Him. Let’s read psalm 100:4-5 “(100:4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (100:5) For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” The psalmist says that God is good. It is written, “For the Lord is good.” There were many other gods in the days of psalmist. The psalmist knew that the false gods who other nations worshiped were not good. The false gods were perceived as being selfish and capricious. But the God of the Bible is always good. The psalmist also says that our God is love. It is written, “His steadfast love endures forever.” God’s love is stronger than the power of the grave. God’s love never fails. His love will never run out on us. Our God is faithful. The psalmist says that “His faithfulness to all generations.” Our universe is changing constantly. However, there is always one thing remains. Our God never changes. God is same yesterday, today, and forever. Our God is faithful. As we look back to our past, we know that God’s faithfulness was always there in our lives. This encourages us to put our trust in the same God will look after us in the future as well. Our God is faithful, and he will never fail to keep his promises.

Cornerstone, Thanksgiving Day is acknowledged by many as a day for giving thanks. As we celebrate thanksgiving let us come before His presence with a heart of gratitude. Our thanks and worship belong to God. God is our creator and God is our shepherd. Our God is good, He is love, and He is faithful. Cornerstone, let us all praise God for what He has done in our lives and give thank Him for these things.