Indestructible Socks (A Thanksgiving Sermon)

2018-11-20 – Thanksgiving – The Rev. Christopher M. Klukas
Deuteronomy 8; Psalm 65:1-8; Matthew 6:25-33

• I have been noticing something recently when I pull socks out of my sock drawer. Holes!
• I also recently noticed that I can feel rocks through the soles of my beloved crocs!
• Perhaps you have noticed this about your own clothing from time to time, clothes have a way of wearing out, and the more we wear them, the faster they wear out.

Abundant Provision in the Wilderness

• Deuteronomy 8:4 – The clothing and shoes of the Israelites did not wear out for 40 years.
  • God also provided them with food and water for their journey, even though they were never settled long enough to grow crops.
  • God also brought them in the the good and abundant land that he had promised to Abraham nearly 500 years earlier.
• You with think that with indestructible clothing and limitless food the Israelites would be thankful to the Lord their God.
  • Moses warns them as they are about to enter the promised land.
    Deuteronomy 8:12-13, 17.
  • Why does he warn them in this way? You would think that the blessings of God were undeniable?
  • He warns them because we all have a tendency deep within us to look to ourselves when things are going well and to blame God when things go bad.

The Danger of Misplaced Credit

• There is a distinct danger in not giving credit where credit is due. Pride and Anxiety.
• When we give credit to ourselves, it puffs us up, and this is the sin of pride.
  • This is the same sin that led to the fall of Satan, and it is a temptation that he loves to use against us.
  • When we are prideful, we are essentially putting ourselves in God’s place.
  • This is a foolish thing to do!
  • Sailing with a strong wind at your back is easy. It is fun too! It might lead you to believe that you are an excellent sailor.
    • Remember that the one who makes the wind can just as easily take it away.
  • Deuteronomy 8:18-19
• Pride can very easily lead to Anxiety
  • When we give ourselves the credit for the provisions in our lives, it means that we also take on the responsibility for future provision.
  • Then we begin to ask questions like: What if I can’t make another sale? What if I run out of ideas? What if my strength gives out? What if people realize that I am a phony?

Another Way

• The good news is that there is another way.
• Matthew 6:31-33 – Do not be anxious.
  • We don’t need to be anxious because the Lord has promised to provide.
  • We can remove the burden of provision by putting the credit back where the credit belongs.
• This is not to say that we should sit on our couches eating potato chips all day!
  • We still need to be diligent to do the things that the Lord places before us.
  • “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (v. 33).
  • In 1926, Henry Ford was the first to institute the 40 hour work week, and before that he raise the minimum pay for his workers to twice what other manufacturing companies were offering.
    • His reasons were only partially altruistic, he knew that if his workers had time to rest, they would be more productive in the hours that they were working.
    • If he provided for their physical needs, they could more fully give themselves to accomplishing the mission of the company.
• The way we put the burden back on God’s shoulders, where it rightly belongs, is through giving thanks.
  • When we say “thank you” to God, we remember that he is the source of all that we have.
  • In doing so, we can build up our trust that the good, good, father who loves us and had always provided for us in the past will continue to do so into the future.
• So let us give thanks!