One of the great things about gathering for Thanksgiving church is witness, witness that is gentle—not hard-hitting Jesus talk, not I’m going to wrestle you to believe apologetics—just quiet witness about the hope that is in us.
Christians aren’t the only ones who are thankful. You can find addicts, abusers, agnostics, and atheists who are thankful. Thanksgiving church gives worshippers, ala Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.” That’s God who is actually “the whole of the story.” “We praise You, O God, our Redeemer, Creator; In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.” We physically bring our offering of thanks to a sacred place, to church. “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17). “Oh, they’re relaxing at home. The Macy’s Parade. Football. Family.” “Was no one found to return and give praise to God?” (Luke 17:18). That one, fully thankful man took time to put himself before Jesus, the face of God to you and me. Spirituality, a popular word with Americans who don’t go to church, is in fact also physical. “We lay it before You, we kneel and adore You; We bless Your holy name, glad praises we sing” (Lutheran Service Book, 785:1). In gathering, we witness to one another.
Thanksgiving worship is a witness to our children and grandchildren. Many decades later, I still remember our pastor, Rev. Arthur Brauer, telling us in Thanksgiving church that thanksgiving should be thanks living. That stuck. We have a duty to help form the next generations in Christian thankfulness. “These words I command you this day shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). “Why do we have to go to church? It’s not Sunday!” “Because…” and you give them a Gospel answer, not a Law answer—because we have to—but we’re going to give thanks to God for all He has done for us.
More witness: Picture the person driving by a church later this Wednesday or Thursday morning. The driver notices the church’s parking lot is full. “I wonder why. It’s not Sunday. Oh, I know. It’s Thanksgiving.” Doesn’t that give the driver a clue that there is something different about how we Christians give thanks? “With voices united our praises we offer And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise” (LSB 785:3).