This Thursday, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. We will we praise the LORD and give Him thanks for all the many things He has done for us. It is not unusual at this time of year, for Virginians and those in Massachusetts to argue about when the first Thanksgiving was observed in America. We Virginians claim it first occurred at Berkeley Plantation on December 4, 1619—a full two years and 17 days before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts.[1] The debate reached the presidential level in November of 1962 when President Kennedy gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation. In his proclamation, he gave full credit to Massachusetts for having the first Thanksgiving celebration. In response, Virginia State Senator, John J. Wicker, notified the President of his error and insisted that the record be corrected. The following year, President Kennedy (who—by the way—was a former Senator from Massachusetts) graciously amended his Thanksgiving proclamation and stated: “Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts, far from home, in a lonely wilderness set aside a time of Thanksgiving. They gave thanks for their safety, the health of their children, the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God.” With this, Virginians were satisfied that the historical record was finally made straight.[2]
Sometimes we don’t recognize all the many things God does for us for which we should always offer Him thanks. This morning, I want you to think about eight things you can be grateful for. There are many more than eight and I am certain you can add to the list.
No. 1: We surely can be thankful for God’s material blessings: Our food, homes, clothing, etc. And yet, there are so many things we take for granted. This really hit me when working with The Journey Home. Many of the guests there are trying to pull their lives back together. One thing that helps is having a job. But, it’s hard to have a job without adequate transportation. You might have a car or truck with 300,000 miles on it, but if you were without it, you would appreciate what a blessing having that vehicle really is. We live in a land of great abundance, not due to our ingenuity or talents, but because of God’s generosity. But, many people don’t feel that way. They look at the food on their tables and the things they possess and say to themselves: “All of this is a result of the fruits of my labors.” But, I wonder how fruitful they would be without the health that God gives them. I wonder how productive they would be without the opportunities that God brings their way. Only a fool would think the way they think. Jesus spoke of such a fool. He said: 16 “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:16-21 (NLT2) It’s notable that the foolish man in Jesus’ parable used the personal pronoun “I”, drawing attention to himself, six times in just three verses. Sadly, he thought his riches were all a product of his efforts and not gracious blessings from God. Billy Graham hit this on the head when he said: “John D. Rockefeller made his millions in oil, but if a benevolent God had not put the oil in the ground, and hadn't endowed man with the sense to refine it and market it, there would be no fortunes in oil.”[3] To this, Benjamin Franklin adds a thoughtful question: “If your riches are yours, why don't you take them with you to the other world?” [4] So, whatever material possessions that you may have—small or great—give thanks to God for His provision.
No. 2: We need to be thankful to God that we live in a country where we are free to worship. This is not the case in so many parts of the world. Recently, Newsweek reported that, in just the first two-thirds of this year, over 7,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria alone. To put it in perspective, that’s about 35 murders a day. This has been an ongoing problem for many years. Since 2009, 12 million Christians have been displaced from their homes at which time the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram, started its reign of terror. Over that timeframe, approximately 125,000 Christians have been killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. In America, we too often take our religious freedoms for granted. When you offer a prayer of Thanksgiving to God, be glad that you can do so without the threat of being made a martyr.
No. 3: We should be thankful that God has blessed us with a democratic form of government that is worth fighting for. Last week, PBS televised a series on the American Revolution. Colonial farmers, shopkeepers, clerks, etc. were willing to die for their freedom. From 1775 to 1783, the Revolutionary War raged for eight long years as the blood of patriots was violently spilled. May we never become like Britain where a one-hundred-year-old World War II veteran named Alec Penstone recently expressed his sentiments regarding the decline of his nation. Penstone served in the British navy and participated in the D‑Day invasion. When recently appearing on the TV show, “Good Morning Britain,” Penstone was asked about his thoughts on the war. He responded: “My message is, I can see in my mind’s eye, rows and rows of white stones, of all the hundreds of my friends and everybody else, that gave their lives—for what? The country of today?… No, I'm sorry, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now… What we fought for was our freedom—we fought for it. Even now, it's a darn sight worse than when I fought for it.”[5]
Sadly, unless the American people start to recognize that our form of government, and the blessings of freedom and peace that accompany it, are gifts from God, then we too will end up like Britain. And so, this Thanksgiving, we’d do well to remember the words of one of the great patriots of the Revolution—John Hancock. It was 250 years ago that he asked the people of Massachusetts to assemble and offer thanks to God for all the blessings they enjoyed. In particular, Hancock asked them to thank the LORD for “the union [among the people] which so remarkably prevails, not only in this providence, but throughout the continent, at this [time of] alarming crisis.”[6] Today, we also live in a time of alarming crisis during which that “union” among our people seems strained by bitter divisiveness. May we come to realize that the solution to our divisions will not come by political solutions but through the words of Christ when He taught us: “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 (TEV) It is only by showing the love of Christ to each other that America can be made truly great again.
No. 4: Be thankful for family, friends and the members of this church community who encourage and lift you up when you feel down. I thought about this last week when hearing about a woman who apparently attempted suicide. She jumped off the Route 288 bridge and into the cold waters of the James River. If you have ever been on this bridge connecting Goochland and Powhatan counties, you know that it would be a miracle for anyone to jump from such a height and survive. And the chances of rescue workers being anywhere nearby to provide immediate assistance would be slim. And yet, when the woman jumped, the Chesterfield Dive and Rescue Teams “just happened to be” (NOT!) in the area performing their training exercises along the James River. They rescued her and she was med-flighted to a local hospital. Miraculously, her physical injuries were non-life threatening.[7]
You have to wonder whether an encouraging voice from a friend could have made a difference and this would have never happened. But, unfortunately, some people don’t have the support system of friends. We are so blessed that we do! Be sure to thank God for that this Thanksgiving.
No. 5: Be thankful to God for those people He has put in your path who brought you to Jesus Christ. And, make no mistake about it—God does this quite often. For example, the Holy Spirit compelled Philip to travel an old, abandoned road through the Judean desert where his path intersected with that of the Ethiopian eunuch. The result, of course, was that Philip told this man about Jesus Christ. Immediately, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized.[8] Not too long after this, the Holy Spirit did the same for Saul, whose name would soon be changed to “Paul.” Following Paul’s “Damascus Road” experience, when Paul needed it most, God sent Ananias to comfort him. Paul was so moved by Ananias’ comforting acts of kindness that he stopped persecuting Christians. Like the Ethiopian eunuch, Paul joined the early Church through baptism.[9] Things like this continue to happen today.
For instance, the actor Elijah Alexander, who plays the role of “Atticus,” on the series, The Chosen, is a case on point. In the show, Atticus, comes across as a Gestapo-like, ruthless Roman officer who would let nothing threaten the power of the Roman Empire. But, off stage, Elijah Alexander has developed into someone completely different. Dallas Jenkins is the director of The Chosen and, in a recent interview, he said that he and his wife, Amanda, have a “first target of ministry.” This target is not the millions of world-wide viewers of The Chosen, but, instead, those people on the set with whom they interact on a daily basis. Jenkins explained that, although Elijah’s character opposes Jesus in the series, he has come to follow Christ in real life. Jenkins said: “Through the process of making this show, [Elijah] has come to understand Jesus more. And last year he texted me and he said, ‘Dallas, for the first time in my life, I fully believe and I am His now. And I have you to thank for making the introduction’” to Jesus Christ. Trying to hold back the tears, Jenkins said: “Is there anything better to hear in the world than ‘thank you’ for making the introduction to Jesus? I want that on my tombstone.”
Elijah Alexander didn’t have to take that part in this relatively new show. Considering the fact that The Chosen was just getting underway, he might have opted for a more well-established series with a more secure financial future. And yet, God put him right where he needed to be. So, how serious was Elijah about His new-found faith in Jesus? Apparently, he was very serious because he (again, like the Ethiopian eunuch and the Apostle Paul) insisted on being baptized. The interesting thing was that he wanted to be baptized on set. Jenkins tells us: “We actually have a lake that we use as the Sea of Galilee. And during a day of filming, Elijah got baptized in the Sea of Galilee set in Texas!”[10] I am sure Elijah Alexander will give thanks to God for putting Dallas Jenkins in his path.
In this regard, we as followers of Christ are urged by the writer of Hebrews as follows: “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of [Christ’s] coming back again is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 (TLB) To do this, we need to serve others, just like Philip and Ananias. We need to be there for those who do not yet know Jesus at those pivotal moments in their lives. And, you can be sure of this: These examples are not merely random encounters. Rather, they are arranged by God to encourage us and to use us in helping someone else’s faith to grow. Yes, God arranges things and connects the dots in amazing ways. All we have to do is to make ourselves available in the Spirit’s work of bringing the lost to Christ. So, this Thanksgiving, remember to thank God for making Christian brothers and sisters available to you at just the right time. And, pray that you will be attuned to His prompting when it comes time for you to do the same.
No. 6: Not only does God put people in the right place, at the right time, for them to receive rich blessings, He also does the inverse of that. In other words, we need to give thanks to God for keeping us away from the wrong places when it could have harmed us. No one knew this any better than 23-year old, Monica O’Leary. On a Monday afternoon about twenty-four years ago, Monica was laid off from her job as a software saleswoman. She really needed the income. Her rent was coming due. She had other bills to pay. As she gathered her belongings from her desk, she was thinking that the timing couldn’t have been worse. In recalling this, she said: “I worked with a lot of guys, so I kissed them on the cheek and said ‘goodbye.’ Little did I know that it was really goodbye.” Why did she say that? When Monica left the office for the final time on Monday, the following morning started out as a beautiful day. But, on the skyline of New York City, it would not remain beautiful for very long. For on that Tuesday morning, terrorists would fly a Boeing passenger jet loaded with fuel into the World Trade Center. Her office was on the 105th floor of that ill-fated building. Coincidence? I don’t think so. With God, there are no coincidences.[11]
I don’t know how many times I have thrown up my hands in disgust when a slow-moving vehicle pulled out in front of me on the highway. But, I have to wonder how many times God’s hand was at work for my benefit when that happened. Could it have been so arranged by the LORD so I wouldn’t be involved in an accident up the road if I hadn’t been slowed by that “pokey vehicle”? We need to thank God for His protection even when we are unaware of His faithfulness in doing so.
No. 7: We must give God thanks for the special talents He gives us. This year, the New England Patriots football team is back to its former winning ways. In their last game they beat the New York Jets, giving the Patriots eight wins in a row. The star of the Patriot win was running back, TreVeyon Henderson, who scored three touchdowns. As soon as the game was over, a reporter thrust a microphone in his face and asked, “How does it feel to have this impact [on the game]?” Henderson responded: “It feels great. I’ve just been staying patient, trusting the Lord's plan–just continue to do my part, and the rest I just leave up to Him. And so I’m THANKFUL that I was able to come out here, and He allowed me to have this success. But I'm so weak without Him. And you know – I really mean this from my heart – I can't do it without Jesus.” Well, needless to say, the reporter didn’t follow up with any questions about his faith, but quickly changed the subject. But, it was too late, right there on national TV, TreVeyon had already given credit to where credit is due by thanking God for his abilities to play with such success. Shouldn’t we do the same?
And, without exception, everyone is given some unique gift from God that can be used to His glory. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this when He wrote: “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.” 1st Peter 4:10 (TLB) Paul concurs, saying: “In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.”[12] “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT2) Whatever your talent may be, great or small, it comes from our Creator who sustains us in every way. Give God thanks and praise for that.
No. 8: I have left the most important thing to be thankful for until last. The greatest thing for which we must be thankful is GOD’S LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE IN SENDING HIS SON TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR SINNERS LIKE US! The Apostle John tells us: 9 “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1st John 4:9-10 (NLT2)
The country singer, Larry Fleet, put out a song a while back and one of the lyrics mentions offering thanksgiving to God. In the song, he sings: “I ain’t too good at praying, but THANKS FOR EVERYTHING.” There’s nothing wrong with a prayer that offers such a blanket praise to God. But, when we actually take the time to reflect on all that God does in our lives (both great and small), we should acknowledge to Him the specifics of our thanksgiving. The eight things I have mentioned this morning are only a few of them. As I noted earlier, on November 5, 1963, President Kennedy took the time to publicly proclaim thanks to God. But, the nation’s gladness soon turned to mourning when, only 18 days later, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. There is a lesson in that. You can’t afford to wait before acknowledging Christ as your Savior who provides for your every need. When you list His blessings separately, your gratitude will grow even more. So, thank God, not only on Thanksgiving Day, but on every day for all the many, many things He does for you!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
November 23, 2025
©2025 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
Visit us on our Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/4409sspotswoodrdgordonsvilleva.
[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Berkeley Plantation," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Berkeley_Plantation&oldid=1311602571 (accessed November 19, 2025).
[2] H. Graham Woodlief, “History of the First Thanksgiving,” Berkeleyplantation.com https://berkeleyplantation.com/first-thanksgiving/ (accessed November 19, 2025).
[3] Billy Graham, “Wealth,” Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 645.
[4] Benjamin Franklin, “Wealth,” Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 645.
[5] Alexander Hall, “WWII veteran says Britain today 'wasn’t worth' his friends' sacrifice, less free than in his youth,” Fox News, https://www.foxnews.com/media/wwii-veteran-says-britain-today-wasnt-worth-his-friends-sacrifice-less-free-than-his-youth?msockid=3ecdc0f336ae648127c9d57837036572, (November 7, 2025).
[6] Cook, Jane Hampton. Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War: Battlefields & Blessings. God and Country Press: Chattanooga (2007), p.138
[7] “Person rescued after jumping from Route 288 bridge in Goochland,” WTVR 6, https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/288-bridge-rescue-nov-14-2025 (November 14, 2025).
[8] Acts 8:38 “He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” (NLT2)
[9] Acts 9:17-18 17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. (NLT2)
[10] Michael Foust, “Dallas Jenkins Shares How God’s Word Is Changing Lives On the Set of ‘The Chosen,’” Crosswalk.com, https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/michael-foust/dallas-jenkins-shares-how-gods-word-is-changing-lives-on-the-set-of-the-chosen.html (November 14, 2025).
[11] “Twists of fate saved lives of many on 9/11,” Deseret.com, https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/22/19617950/twists-of-fate-saved-lives-of-many-on-9-11/, (November 22, 2001).
[12] Romans 12:6 (NLT2)
