Mercy and Thanksgiving

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mercy - the word only has five letters, but it has a lot of meaning. The ten lepers in today's Gospel lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." Blind men cried aloud saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." A woman whose daughter was demon possessed cried aloud, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David" All these people and many more came to Jesus and asked for help with the words "have mercy." Sometimes they expressed their need, but other times as in today's Gospel, they simply asked for mercy and left the expression of that mercy up to Jesus.

Mercy often partners with grace. Grace gives something wonderful that you do not deserve. Mercy holds back something bad that you do deserve. In some ways mercy is sort of the opposite of grace. Grace gives. Mercy holds back. In other ways mercy and grace complete one another. We usually receive grace and mercy together and we are better off for it.

You Shall Bless the LORD Your God

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.” This is the instruction which Moses gives to the children of Israel, that they are to be careful to do all which the Lord has commanded them.

But notice that the Lord attaches a threefold promise to His commandment: that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give. The Lord has already sworn to give good gifts to His people. Now, all they must do is follow the rules He has set forth in order to receive them.

We sing the hymn:

The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress (LSB 579.1).

"The Lord Swore to Give"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” So we sang in the Psalm earlier. Indeed, the earth has yielded its increase. Harvest has taken place, the fruits of the labor have been stored away, and plans have been made for the profits. Things are good, and now it is time for a winter of rest, while you plan for next year. God shall bless us.

On the face of it, things seem rosy and cheery. Even the pagans around us stop and celebrate Thanksgiving, even if only by presidential proclamation. The people of our nation give thanks, even if they have no idea to whom they offer their thanks. American civil religion sees its holy day of obligation fulfilled. All is quiet on the home front, except perhaps on the football field.

However, to whom is thanks due? What good is a day of national thanksgiving if no one knows to whom we render it? Even Christians are tempted to fall into the trap of sappy, Hallmark-card sentimentality around this time of year. Things are great, and so God is happy with us. We like God, and so He likes us. He blesses us, while those other naughty people starve and go to hell. We give thanks for big turkeys, smooth gravy, and the caffeine that will power us through all the Black Friday insanity. At least for this week, God is an American, a capitalist, and a faceless, benevolent force.

"You Shall Bless the Lord Your God"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.” This admonition Moses spoke to the people of Israel as they gathered on the edge of the Promised Land, anxiously waiting to enter the land which the Lord had sworn to give to their forefathers. And our text speaks just as powerfully to us.

The Lord has indeed promised a land to our forefathers. The land promised to us is a great and wonderful land. Its streets are paved with gold, and its gates are precious stones. Mighty trees line a beautiful river. Their fruit brings life everlasting, and the water satisfies the deepest thirst. There is no need for lamp or sun, and there is no sorrow or dying or sickness or darkness. The Lamb is in the midst of this land, and His people are gathered around Him in one great multitude from every nation and tribe and tongue.