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Thank God for His grace

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[Leviticus 23:42-43]

Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths

so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths

when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'"

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Today is a day of Thanksgiving in church once a year.

Thanksgiving comes from the Old Testament Bible Festival of Ingathering.

God told the people of Israel to observe the Festival of Ingathering.

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This celebration, called Festival of Ingathering, has a different names:

it is also called the Feast of Tabernacles.

This Festival of Ingathering was held for seven days from the 15th of Tishri

on Jewish calendar. At this time, our calendar is autumn from September to October.

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This is the time of harvesting and finishing all the farming of the year.

The harvested grains are stored.

And the Israelites thank God for the abundant harvest and keep this season.

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Traditionally, all Israelites built a tent when they were in this season.

The tabernacle was made of fixed branches,

which were made by cutting leafy palm branches and willow branches.

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When the tabernacle was built, all the family left the house and lived in the tent they built

and lived for seven days.

As they lived in the tabernacle, they remembered and thank God that God led Israel

into the promised land of Canaan. They also gave thanks to God for the seeds that were sown

on the earth to bear fruit and to harvest the abundant harvest.

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The Israelites lived a nomadic life for 40 years in the tents of the wilderness,

long before they came out of Egypt and entered the land of Canaan.

But God gave the Israelites daily manna for forty years, that their garments would not

become weary, and that their shoes would not wear out.

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God commanded all Israel seven days a year to remember and celebrate the time

when all Israel lived in the tent.

Parents taught their children how God had kept them for forty years while wandering

in the wilderness. And they celebrated that time together.

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The people sacrificed to God every day during the 8-day Festival of Ingathering.

They gave burnt offerings to God daily with gratitude for God's abundant harvest.

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By keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites remembered God's grace long ago

in the wilderness, and also glorified him in thanksgiving for the grace of God

that made the crops good in the year and the abundant harvest.

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Our Thanksgiving Sunday is derived from the United States.

Long ago, there were people called Puritan or Pilgrim

who went to America in search of freedom of faith.

In 1620, they left Europe on a boat named Mayflower

and began their journey to an unknown land.

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By the guidance of God, they crossed the great sea and arrived at ‘Plymouth’ of the Americas.

The year they arrived was late in the winter of 1620.

In the first year, they had to fight a severe cold and disease, and many died.

But they were not disappointed, and they did well with faith.

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In the following year, 1621, they succeeded in farming and harvesting the land.

They gave thanks to God.

And they invited the Indians who helped them to share the grace that God had given them,

and shared with them the crops and the harvests that year.

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In korea, the third week of November, when US missionaries set out for

the first evangelization in 1904, was chosen as the Thanksgiving Day.

And on this day, all the believers made a donation of thanks to collect the money and use it for evangelism.

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Today, let us give thanks to the grace of God who has kept us like the Israelites

who kept the Feast of Tabernacles in thanksgiving to God.

And thanks to the grace of the first harvest, let us give thanks to God like the Puritans

who worshiped God and shared his grace with our neighbors.

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Finally, let us thank the blessings that have been heard through the missionaries

and have been saved as children of God.

Let us also thank you that you have been blessed to serve God freely in this land

of freedom of faith.

On Thanksgiving Sunday, I want you to remember all the grace God has given you,

to thank God with all your heart and to be friends who will give him all the glory.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)