A note from Pastor regarding his sermon:

Our reading from Deuteronomy as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving includes Moses’ instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to take possession of the Promised Land at the conclusion of the Exodus. Each year, the Israelites were to offer a sacrifice of the firstfruits of their harvest, repeating the words that Moses gave them that acknowledged how much God had done for them to deliver them from captivity and protect them throughout their journey to the land they were to inherit.

This “firstfruits offering” was one of many offerings and sacrifices the Israelites were to make to God over the course of the year. But all of them pointed, eventually, to the same truth: God is the ultimate source of all of the blessings we enjoy in this life. He is our provider and protector. And He had promised even greater things, including deliverance from our captivity to sin and the punishment it deserves. We no longer practice the tradition of all of the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament – recognizing with Paul that we are to live lives of thanksgiving and cheerful giving – but we continue to give thanks for all God has done and is doing for us!