CORINTH

-Sermon Notes-

November 23, 2025 (Thanksgiving Sunday)

 

 “What’s Your Emoji?”

 (Deuteronomy 8:7-18, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Luke 9:10–17)

     Do you know what an emoji is?  There are over 3000 of them; each expresses a non-verbal message…anything from love, disgust, surprise, etc.  If you were an emoji, what would you look like?  Hopefully, your emoji looks a lot like “Thank you,” which is especially appropriate this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

     In our Deuteronomy passage, the people Moses had been leading through thick and thin for decades are about to enter the Promise land, where they will experience prosperity after being in poverty for so long. Moses’ message to them is to remember God’s faithfulness to them (people who become prosperous often forget about their need for God.)  Moses implored them to remain humble and thankful, and to continue in relationship with God through the commandments.  Moses indicated that this is how people will know you are followers of God, by being thankful and by following the commandments.

     The 2nd Corinthians passage features Paul’s instruction to the people to avoid sowing sparingly, an image which would connect readily with the people since most were farmers. When a planter is stingy with seeds, there will be a stingy harvest, so sow (offer your gifts and ministry) generously, which will result in a bountiful harvest. Paul suggests that this is how people will know you are followers of Jesus, by sowing gifts of love and ministry generously.

     Jesus addressed the subject of thankfulness in the passage from Luke. Before the feeding of the thousands with seemingly meager rations, Jesus lifted what they had and expressed words of thanksgiving. With this act, Jesus invited those gathered to see through the lens of thanksgiving.  Do we also see with this lens, even when it appears life has handed us meager “rations?”

     Today is Thanksgiving Sunday.  It is my prayer that we will heed the words Moses; that when we find ourselves in times of prosperity we won’t forget from whom it is that all blessings flow.  I hope we learn from Paul the importance of being generous sowers of ministry, love and care; to understand that to sow generously is to gain an abundant harvest.  And as was the case with the feeding of the thousands, may we be identified as thankful followers of Jesus, praising God with words of Thanksgiving.