1 Timothy 2:1–4

November 28 2013 Sermon Thanksgiving

¹First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

²for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

³This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

⁴who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving, as we gather in God's house to give thanks to him for all that he has done for us. This day has many traditions—travel being one of the traditions. As people drive, fly, take the train or the bus, their purpose is to come together. They desire to be with family and friends and celebrate this national holiday. And, most important, people desire to give thanks.

Today we will be very specific about giving thanks. Our theme is based on Luther's explanation of the Second Commandment. After pointing out the improper and sinful way to use God's name, Luther provides the proper use of the holy name of God, namely, to

Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks.

I.

The apostle Paul, in writing his First Letter to Timothy, strongly urges prayer. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people" (1 Tim 2:1). Yes, the apostle strongly urges prayer in the lives and worship of first-century Christians, and also in the lives and worship of people today. Pray for the needs of yourself and others. Offer intercessions, that is, pray for others who need help from God. And give thanks!

This is our purpose today—to pray, praise, and give thanks. The foundation of our prayer life is Jesus Christ. This means that our giving of thanks goes far beyond Thanksgiving Day. The news media will often feature both children and adults naming that for which they give thanks during the days before Thanksgiving Day. But because Christ is our life and the source of all our blessings, we can give thanks in a very distinctive and specific way. We could say that we are compelled to give thanks because of the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Without our Lord Jesus Christ, this would be a very dreary day. Oh, there might be family gatherings, good food, exciting football. And that night, many people would moan because they ate too much turkey. There could even be a smattering of general and generic thanks. However, Jesus Christ changes all this. He was willing to give himself into death for us, so that we would have cause to give thanks. By nature, we are separated from God and without hope. By nature, we had nowhere to go, because we were lost and destined for an eternity apart from God. What could be worse?

Jesus came into our sin-burdened world as the true light. John the evangelist describes our Lord's coming in this way: "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (Jn 1:9). By his redeeming work of suffering and death on the cross, we receive forgiveness. His resurrection is the guarantee of our everlasting life. We became God's own child in Holy Baptism, where we were marked with the sign of the cross, and through water and the Word, we were joined to God's kingdom. We now live in Christ. We have a deep love in our hearts for him. And he is the foundation of our life and our giving thanks.

Because we have been set free from the powers of sin, Satan, and death, we have a new and better way of life. We joyfully thank God for what he has done for us. All our goods and possessions are gifts of God. Our very life is God's gift. We are now free to pray for the needs of others. This is what St. Paul urges us to do in our text. He tells us to pray for all people.

Then the apostle goes on to say, "[Pray] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Tim 2:2). Sometimes out of obedience to this command we begrudgingly pray a less than whole-hearted prayer for our leaders and politicians. Praying for them may seem more of a chore than a God-given privilege, especially those we don't like. But consider this, at the time Paul gave this command the emperor was the notorious Nero. He was a terrible man and a horrible ruler. He was known for his murderous ways and his strong persecutions of Christians, because the Christians would not engage in emperor worship. Yet St. Paul realizes the need for God's people to pray for Nero as well as other kings and those in high authority, that they may lead well. This will mean that our lives will be blessed and the work of the Church will go forward, without hindrance.

This is good in the eyes of God. He wants the truth of the Gospel to be confessed by all people. Thus during this year, we have prayed for our nation and others. We pray for God's wisdom to guide all those who are in higher authority, that our leaders and our people would all join together in giving thanks to God for the freedom that we enjoy.

Freedom is more than a word or a concept. Freedom means that we are able to gather for worship and for giving thanks to God, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Recently, in many states, there has been a controversy about the daily opening prayer of the state legislatures. There is strong opposition to "sectarian prayer," which means that the name of Jesus should not be used in prayer. Thus the opening prayer of the assembly is general and so generic it could just as easily be the prayer of an unbeliever as a believer.

This emphasizes the need for our prayers for our nation and "for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Tim 2:2). Prayer for our nation and her leaders has an important purpose: that we might freely confess Christ as Savior. Rather than becoming a part of today's culture, we are set apart by God as the "communion of saints." Therefore, we pray for those in authority "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life" (1 Tim 2:2). The Church can then freely carry out the Lord's work and nourish her people by Word and Sacraments.

Thanksgiving Day has a higher and greater meaning for us as Christians. The word thanksgiving as used in this text means "grateful acknowledgment for the past mercies of God." This leads to our humble and truthful requests. We have so much for which to thank God. He gives us his Word, which is the living voice of our Lord. Through water and the Word of God, we are brought into his kingdom in Holy Baptism. The spiritual nourishment that gives us renewed strength for the daily tasks of this life comes in the Sacrament of the Altar, where we receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God cares for our earthly needs as well. He provides us, as Luther says, "with all that I need to support this body and life" (Luther's Small Catechism, p. 15). In so many ways our Lord makes sure that we have what we need for body and soul. Prayers of thanksgiving include our personal prayer life, where we remember what God has done for us individually, beginning with Baptism and continuing with all else since we became his children. This prayer is always connected to the Word of God, by which we are enriched and strengthened. As we gather for worship each Lord's Day, our congregation joins together in prayer. We ask God to continue to bestow his grace on us, as we pray for our church, other people, and our nation. We hold before God's throne of grace the needs of the people of God. This is what is meant by the invitation to pray: "Let us pray for the whole people of God and for all people according to their needs."

Hearing the truth of God's Word, we are confident in prayer. We know that God promises to hear and answer our prayers. Think of all the prayers that have gone forth from this sanctuary. Clearly the sanctuary is much more than beautiful and far greater than a treasure. It is God's house, from which the prayers of his people go forth. This truly is a house of prayer. This is a holy place, set apart for worship and prayer, so that we are able to pray, praise, and give thanks. We are strengthened in our faith as we pray for and receive the gifts of God.

Today we gather in this house of God for a distinct purpose. This day is a national holiday. As Christians, we carry our thanksgiving even further, as we confess Jesus Christ as Savior and giver of all good gifts. We give thanks in our worship, in our prayers, and in the renewed lives we have in Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, praise, and give thanks. Amen.