From Thanksgiving to Giving Thanks

This powerful message invites us to rediscover thanksgiving not as a once-a-year holiday, but as a foundational rhythm of Christian life rooted in ancient biblical tradition. We explore the Hebrew word 'yadah'—meaning to throw, cast, or speak out in praise—which reveals that giving thanks is far more than polite gratitude. It's a deliberate, faith-filled act of recognizing who God is and what He has done. The sermon traces thanksgiving from Leah's transformation in Genesis 29, where her fourth son Judah's name literally means 'praise,' marking the moment she shifted from seeking human approval to finding her identity in God's love. We see how King David institutionalized thanksgiving as a daily priestly duty, making gratitude a rhythm rather than a reaction. The Psalms become our model for remembering and recounting God's faithfulness across generations. Perhaps most challenging is Paul's call in 1 Thessalonians to 'give thanks in all circumstances'—not for every situation, but in every situation, recognizing that God remains good, present, and redemptive even in our hardest moments. This perspective shift is life-changing: when we document and declare God's goodness, we build a foundation of faith that sustains us through trials and becomes a powerful witness to others. The question we must ask ourselves is: What would our personal psalm of thanksgiving look like? What has God done that we've forgotten to write down, to remember, to pass on?