It has been a week after America celebrated the big Thanksgiving Day. Many families feasted: turkey, ham, stuffings. You name it.
But what is the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day?
Puritans who settled in America gave thanks to God for their newfound nationhood. They survived crossing the Atlantic ocean and the onslaught of their colonial masters. America’s founding fathers built churches before their own homes. To give thanks to God, the Washington Memorial in America’s capital was built, and still stands, as the highest structure. The eastern face on top of the Washington Memorial is inscribed “Laus Deos,” which is Latin for “Give Praise to God.” These words were deliberately inscribed on the eastern face and at the highest point of the capital of America so that the first rays of the rising sun everyday would light up the words “Laus Deos.” On behalf of all of America, giving glory to God.
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
~1 Thes 5:18
Have we inscribed thanksgiving to God into our everyday lives? Do we truly give thanks in all circumstances?
In order to truly live a daily life of thanksgiving, just like how America’s forefathers inscribed “Laus Deos” on the Washington Memorial, we must inscribe God’s eternal words into our hearts. Jesus the Messiah said that, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away.” (Matt 24:35)
May we stand tall as an eternal pillar in the kingdom of heaven – inscribed with God’s eternal truth, shining as a lamp upon all nations.
That is the true meaning of Thanksgiving, which Pastor Joshua Jung Myung Seok succinctly captures in this spectacular sermon excerpt below:
