St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, Milford Center, OH

Dear Members of St. Paul,

I cannot wait for Thanksgiving Day. Of the many blessings that God has
given to me, one such blessing that I regularly enjoy is that God has placed
me into a family that has several top notch cooks. Every Thanksgiving Day
(and in fact, any time that there is any sort of celebration) I eat very
well. But I especially love Thanksgiving. The meal, the desserts, the
whole thing is great. I cannot wait to sit down to yet another great
Thanksgiving Day meal.

But there are more reasons that just the one mentioned to look forward to
Thanksgiving Day. There is more to Thanksgiving than just a big meal.
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to consider the many gifts that God has given
over the past year and to celebrate how richly we have been blessed. God is
gracious and good. He loves us and he gives to us every good thing.

In the First Article of The Apostle’s Creed we confess faith that “God has
given me my body and soul, my eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and
all my senses and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and
shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and
all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support
this body and life.” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation to the Second
Article) If we apply this, this means for us that everything that we have
is a gift from God.

Look around you. Look at your home, the furniture in your home, the car in
your garage, the bed you sleep in, the clothes you wear, the television that
you turn on to watch your Saturday football games, the food in your
refrigerator, the occupation that pays you the money that you need to
support your life and your family. God made all of it. He designed it. He
put it together just for you. He made it for your enjoyment. He made it to
bring you happiness and joy. God created these things with you in mind. It
is his desire that you use them for your own enjoyment and in his service.

That being said there is much to be thankful for. God has given to us so
much. He has blessed us with so much. We cannot help but be thankful.
Certainly Thanksgiving is a day for celebrations with family, for eating all
of the traditional favorites that we set on our tables every year. Beyond
those external things, however, there is an underlying truth that we recall:
everything that we have is a gift given to us by a good, gracious, and
loving God.

May you have a happy Thanksgiving.

In Christ,
Pastor Schlueter