Thanksgiving Sunday: Five Reminders to Give Thanks in Every Season
Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is a posture of the heart.
On Thanksgiving Sunday, we gathered as a church family for a special Five for Five service: five speakers, each sharing for five minutes from Scripture about gratitude, worship, trust, and remembering the goodness of God.
Pastor Craig opened by reminding us of Psalm 92:1: “It is good to praise the Lord.” Thanksgiving is not simply a cultural tradition or a seasonal pause. For the people of God, thanksgiving has always been part of who we are. We are called to be a community that gives thanks to Almighty God, the source of every blessing.
Each speaker brought a different perspective, but together they carried one clear invitation: give thanks in every season.
Yet I Will Rejoice
Hannah Jordan-Joel shared from Habakkuk 3:17-18, where the prophet describes a season of loss, lack, and uncertainty. No blossoms on the fig trees. No grapes on the vines. No crops in the fields. No livestock in the barns.
And yet, Habakkuk says, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”
That word “yet” matters.
It teaches us that thanksgiving is not dependent on perfect circumstances. We can acknowledge what is hard without letting it change what we know to be true about God.
We can say, “This is disappointing, yet God is still good.”
“I am confused, yet I will trust Him.”
“I am still waiting, yet I will worship.”
Thanksgiving does not mean pretending everything is okay. It means remembering who God is, even when we do not understand what He is doing.
Be the One Who Returns
Sarah Roberts shared from Luke 17, where Jesus heals ten men with leprosy, but only one returns to thank Him.
Her question was simple and powerful: are we like the nine who receive the blessing and keep going, or are we like the one who turns back to thank Jesus?
It is easy to praise God when things go the way we prayed they would. But Sarah reminded us that even when we do not understand, even when we are walking through grief or unanswered questions, Jesus is still worthy.
If God answers the way we hoped, praise God.
If He does not, praise God.
If we feel it, praise God.
If we do not feel it, praise God.
Because our thanksgiving is not ultimately based on what God gives us. It is based on who He is.
Forget Not His Benefits
David Nkansah shared from Psalm 103, where David tells his soul to praise the Lord and forget not all His benefits.
Sometimes one unanswered prayer can cause us to forget the many things God has already done.
When we are waiting, when we are discouraged, or when nothing seems to be changing, we can shift our approach. Instead of only asking again, we can begin to thank God again.
Thank You for life.
Thank You for provision.
Thank You for what You have already done.
Thank You for what You are still doing.
David reminded us that gratitude can change our hearts, even before our circumstances change.
There is always a reason to say thank You.
Is God Really Good?
Lola Opatayo shared from Psalm 100:4-5 and asked a question many people wrestle with: is God really good?
That question can become especially difficult when life looks nothing like what we imagined, or when we see suffering, injustice, disappointment, and unanswered prayers.
But Scripture repeats this truth again and again: “For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever.”
God’s goodness is not dependent on our circumstances, our understanding, or our ability to explain everything. His goodness is true because His Word says it is true.
Thanksgiving, then, becomes an act of faith.
It is choosing to trust the unchanging truth of God’s Word, even when life gives us questions we cannot fully answer.
Remember the Lord
David Balandy shared from Deuteronomy 8:17-18, where Moses warns the people of Israel not to enter the promised land and forget the Lord.
The danger was not success itself. The danger was forgetting God in success.
It is easy to pray through the wilderness and then forget the Promise Keeper when we arrive in the promise.
Moses reminds the people that even the ability to produce wealth comes from God. The strength in our hands, the breath in our lungs, the opportunities before us, the jobs we step into, and the success we experience all carry the fingerprints of God.
So this Thanksgiving, we are invited not only to name what we have, but to remember what we did not earn.
The job we were not qualified for.
The person who prayed for us.
The door God opened.
The breakthrough we could not manufacture.
The grace that carried us further than we could have gone on our own.
Success is not the danger. Forgetting God is.
It Is Good to Give Thanks
Thanksgiving does not require us to ignore pain, grief, questions, or waiting.
It does not mean pretending.
It means choosing to place our lives in the light of who God is.
God is good.
God is faithful.
God is present.
God is provider.
God is healer.
God is worthy.
In every season, it is good to give thanks to the Lord.
Which of the five messages stood out to you most, and why?
Hannah spoke about the word “yet” from Habakkuk 3. What is an area of your life where you need to say, “Yet I will rejoice”?
Sarah asked whether we are like the nine who received and kept going, or the one who returned to thank Jesus. What helps you remember to return and give thanks?
David Nkansah reminded us to “forget not all His benefits.” What is something God has done that you need to remember again?
Lola asked, “Is God really good?” How do we hold onto the goodness of God when life gives us questions?
David Balandy warned that success can cause us to forget God. Why is it sometimes easier to remember God in hardship than in blessing?
What is the difference between thanking God for what He gives and thanking Him for who He is?
How can thanksgiving become an act of faith, not just an emotional response?
What is one thing you did not earn that you can thank God for this week?
How can you build a rhythm of gratitude beyond Thanksgiving Sunday?