The Shepherd's House

Thanksgiving 2012

by Pastor Mohan Unni |  November 15, 2012

“Rejoice in the Lord always and again I will say: REJOICE.” (Philippians 4:4)

     This Thanksgiving Season I am absolutely thrilled and thankful for all of you at TSH. When our Father spoke to me in June-06, right after my graduation from the King’s Seminary that he was giving me hidden treasures, little did I know that those treasures would come in earthen vessels such as you. When the Lord gives a gift, He always wraps it in a person – you are God’s gifts to Victoria, Caleb and me. We are so very grateful for all of you.

      In this season, I would like to pastorally exhort you with the words the Apostle Paul spoke to us (Phil 4:4): “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I will say: REJOICE.” The Apostle Paul used the word ‘rejoice’ in the imperative voice. It is a commandment from the Lord. The Lord commands you and me to rejoice because we are the tabernacle of the Holy Trinity – “Christ-indwelt” beings. In the divine flow, divine dance and divine communion between the Father, Son and the Spirit… you and I are active participants because of the Son. The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Joy is in you. A Christian life is impossible to be lived – only Christ can live it in and through you.

      SO, in this Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas Season, allow Him – the Christ – to rejoice through you – let the Lion of the Tribe of Judah ROAR!
Now you may be asking: “How do I allow Him to roar?”
Well…here’s how you do it…This season make a commitment to love and honor your immediate and extended families. …No matter how they have behaved or how you have behaved, you are related because God chose you to be RELATED to them!

     Remember the ALL encompassing commandment the Lord gave His children in the New Testament (John 13:34-35): “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” All other commandments in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is anchored to this one GREAT New Testament commandment in John 13:34-35.  In John 13 the Lord Jesus Christ shows us the proper mind set in approaching the Celebration Table with our family and friends with whom we may have some difficulties… Reflecting on this way of Christ, the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor.11:23-26 that “…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

      Notice the beginning of verse 23… the Lord Jesus on the night when he was BETRAYED. This was his most agonizing night for our Lord Jesus because his very best friends and family would eventually betray, abandon, and deny Him. At the celebration table He absolutely knew that this would happen. Yet in the middle of that crazy muddle, he gathered together with those very friends who would eventually betray Him, and He found time to have a THANKSGIVING! Christ has showed us the pathway forward for any healing and reconciliation for our lives.

     This season is a time to share and be thankful for one another. It is a time to set aside our religious, political, interpersonal and cultural differences. It is a time to be thankful for one another and our lives. The pathway toward health and wholeness always begins with being thankful. Just read the Psalms to see this reality. Christ knew that the Father was in charge of His life, and so He rejoiced in the Spirit. So, you and I need to remember that the same Father is in charge of our lives. His Spirit lives in you and me, and He wants to REJOICE through us.

     Allow Him to rejoice through you – let the Lion of the Tribe of Judah ROAR, and let every obstacle fall! DO NOT let the Grinch steal your Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas Season.
There are many benefits in rejoicing, laughing and celebrating…The following excerpt is from an article from www.truthorfiction.com:

      “Thankfulness is a powerful antidote for many of the emotional and physical problems we see in our society. Thankfulness is a mindset we can choose, and one that we experience emotionally throughout our entire body. One’s state of mind and his physical condition are inextricably linked, and how you feel emotionally affects how you feel physically.

      The medical community has scientifically documented the mind-body connection in regard to many diseases. Research indicates that “fear has been shown to trigger more than fourteen hundred known physical and chemical stress reactions, and activates more than thirty different hormones and neurotransmitters.” Uninterrupted long-term stress has been linked to problems in the heart and vascular systems such as hypertension (high blood pressure), palpitations, and arrhythmias. Most recognize the emotional connection to ulcers, gastritis, heartburn, indigestion, and bowel irregularities. The list continues, including skin disorders (psoriasis, eczema, hives, and acne), pain, inflammation, suppressed immune systems, etc.

     The “psycho-somatic” connection should not surprise us. God tells us in Proverbs 14:30, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” This passage no longer seems an abstract word of wisdom, but a saying of great impact. Consider also Proverbs 15:13, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit,” and Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries the bones.” The importance of God’s references to the bones is that bones contain the red and white marrow from which come the blood’s red and white cells. Red blood cells carry life-sustaining oxygen to the entire body and white blood cells are a primary defense in our immune system. God clearly directs us to the mind-body connection, establishing for us the deadly consequences of negative emotions in our hearts.

     The Bible is filled with records of many people who practiced “thanksgiving” and “thanks-living.” This attitude helped David endure a life on the run, sleeping in caves and the wilderness, with a death sentence from Saul on his head. Practicing “thanksgiving” and “thanks-living.” is not the same as practicing denial. It is not the same as denying the pain of a situation or pretending that everything is fine when it really is not. “Thanksgiving” and “thanks-living.” is being able to be thankful in spite of our circumstances because we choose to take a godly perspective.”

     Loved ones, how do we do this? Let me give you a pastoral suggestion from the Holy Scriptures. Think and write out a THANKFUL LIST as directed in Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true (in your family and friends), whatever is honorable (in your family and friends), whatever is just (in your family and friends), whatever is pure (in your family and friends), whatever is lovely (in your family and friends), whatever is commendable (in your family and friends), if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Let me close with a Psalm of Thanksgiving (Psalm 100):
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! Know that sthe LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his vpeople, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his ycourts with praise!
s 1 Kin. 18:39
v Ezek. 34:30

Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and his bfaithfulness to all generations.
Precious ones: please read Psalm 100 aloud at your Thanksgiving feasts.

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say REJOICE. Victoria, Caleb and I love you all VERY much….May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you! May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you Shalom.
Pastor(s) Mohanan & Victoria + Caleb