Always Give Thanks
Kingdomtide
Rev. Dr. David M. Oliver
First United Methodist Church
Massillon, Ohio
October 18, 2026
Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Opening Prayer: Almighty God, out of all the words that will now be spoken and heard, may it be your living word that stays with us and is embraced by us. May all the other words be cast into the sea of forgetfulness. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
If you wish to complete the sermon listening guide, please take it out of your bulletin at this time.
It is good to be back with you. Jane and I spent most of our time away with my parents in New Hampshire. The leaves were turning and it was wonderfully colorful.
Many of you know something about my parents. They still live independently in New Hampshire. Dad is 98. Mom is 96. They have slowed down considerably but are pretty amazing for their ages. For the most part they face day to day challenges with deep faith and great grace.
Last week as I listened to my parents talk about their life, I was struck once again by the amount of thanksgiving that enters into their conversations and their prayers. They are always giving thanks for something. It may be for the productivity of their vegetable gardens, the beauty of the flower gardens, the delightful food that they are about to eat, the joy they have in a good marriage lasting over 75 years, the beauty of the fall foliage, the sun-dappled leaves on the trees that surround their home, or the mountain range they view from their living room and study with the ever-changing character of each season. For them, thanksgiving is a lifestyle. Thanksgiving is a hallmark of their life and faith. Thanksgiving is a choice, a decision, an act of the will. This is to be true for every believer in Christ.
This spirit of thanksgiving is what St. Paul proclaims and commands in today’s Scripture. In writing to the church at Thessalonica, Greece, he opens with a blessing. “Grace to you and peace. We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:1-3).
Did you catch the astonishing thing he wrote? We always give thanks to God for all of you.
This is an amazing statement and a powerful affirmation. Was Paul writing to a church of super Christians? Were these people who had arrived at Christian perfection; people who had no sin in their lives? The answer is clearly, “No.”
Paul recognized and honored the genuineness of the Thessalonians’ faith their love for Scripture, and their high regard for the good news of what God had done for them in Christ Jesus. However, they still needed to be taught, to be guided, mentored, and encouraged. This is where Paul was at his best. He was deeply invested in the spiritual life, health, and well-being of those in his care.
Paul brings out the best in these believers by affirming them and their fidelity to the Gospel. As Liz Myers pointed out in her wonderful sermon last week, Paul does the same thing with those who are in the church at Philippi. For example, he writes in Philippians 4:4-9,
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.
Paul calls for, even commands the church to rejoice in the Lord always. Let’s stop there and take note. Paul is telling us to rejoice in the Lord always. He is not being naïve. He is not suggested that everything in your life or mine will be pleasant or agreeable. He is not asking us to ignore difficulties or hardship. He is not making light of trials or suffering. He is not suggesting that we go through life with a faith that requires that we make-believe or deny reality. After all, he was writing from prison. He was facing the judgment of the Roman empire. He was not only facing the end of his freedom but also the end of his life and ministry.
Paul is telling us to be intentional about giving thanks and rejoicing in the Lord. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way to putting into perspective our challenges and difficulties.
Let’s explore five dimensions of what St. Paul means by thanksgiving and how to live it out on a daily basis.
1. Thanksgiving begins by remembering God’s grace is at work in people.
I’ve touched on this already but it merits of closer look. Paul writes, “We always give thanks to God for all of you” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). He does not begin with the Thessalonians’ weaknesses, although they certainly had weaknesses. He begins by remembering what God is doing in them: faith that works, love that labors, and hope that endures. To give thanks always is to train our attention. It is to look at another person long enough to see evidence of grace before cataloging faults. Gratitude does not deny that people need correction; Paul offer correction to all the churches and people he loves and serves.
Gratitude declares that no believer is merely a problem to be solved. Each person is someone in whom God is already at work. A thankful church therefore learns to name grace out loud: “I thank God for your faithfulness. I see your love. I am encouraged by your hope.” Such words strengthen the good that God is growing within us and among us.
Here is an illustration. Imagine a teacher standing before a difficult class. She could begin every day by seeing only interruptions, unfinished work, and restless students. Instead, she keeps a small notebook and records one sign of growth in each child. One student helped a classmate. Another asked a thoughtful question. Another tried again after failing. The students have not suddenly become perfect, but the teacher’s disciplined attention changes their attitudes and the atmosphere of the room. Her encouragement calls forth courage. In the same way, Paul’s thanksgiving is not flattery; it is pastoral vision. When we thank God for the grace we see in people, we help them recognize who they are becoming in Christ.
2. Thanksgiving is possible in every circumstance, not because of every circumstance.
In 1Thessalonians 6:16-18 Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” Notice that he does not command us to give thanks for every circumstance. Some circumstances are painful, unjust, or tragic, and Christian faith does not require us to call evil good.
Paul calls us to give thanks in every circumstance because no circumstance can remove us from the presence and promises of God. Thanksgiving is not denial; it is defiance. It refuses to let suffering have the final word. We may grieve and still give thanks. We may be uncertain and still pray. We may carry questions and still rejoice that Christ carries us. Continual thanksgiving rests not on the pleasantness of the day and the agreeableness of our circumstances but on the faithfulness of God.
A family once lost electrical power during a winter storm. The house grew cold, plans were canceled, and anxiety began to rise. They could not honestly give thanks for the storm or the danger it brought. Yet as neighbors checked on one another, shared blankets, and carried warm food to an older resident, they found reasons to give thanks within the storm. They gave thanks for shelter, for friendship, for courage, and for the chance to serve and support one another. The adversity was significant but something greater than this adversity was also at work. A deeper sense of unity and community was forged through brokenness, pain, fear, and disappointment. The storm remained real, but it was no longer the only reality or even the central reality. Gratitude opened their eyes to grace already present in the darkness. So it is with us: thanksgiving does not erase hardship; it reveals that hardship is not all there is.
3. Thanksgiving grows through the habits of rejoicing and prayer.
Paul joins three practices together: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in every circumstance. These are not three unrelated commands. Rejoicing remembers who God is. Prayer keeps the heart turned toward God. Thanksgiving recognizes God’s gifts. Together they form a holy rhythm for the Christian life. Praying ‘without ceasing’ does not mean that every moment must contain spoken words; it means that our lives remain open to and turned toward God, mindful of God in everything. A brief prayer before a conversation, a whispered “Help me” in difficulty, or a quiet “Thank you” when beauty catches our attention can all become acts of communion with God.
With the mindset of always giving thanks, we do not wait until gratitude appears or spontaneously rises within us. We practice our way into it, and over time thanksgiving becomes not merely an occasional response but the settled direction of the heart.
Consider two people walking the same familiar route. One hurries along while rehearsing complaints. The other has adopted a simple practice: They notice three gifts in every activity. The second person begins to see in new and deeper ways what was always there—the song of a bird, a neighbor’s wave, the strength to take another step. The route has not changed, but the walker has because she takes note of three gifts in each activity.
Daily prayer works that way. It slows us enough to receive ordinary life as gift. I encourage you to try something this week: During the course of each day, or at least at the end of the day, look back and ask three questions: Where did I see grace? Whom can I thank? What can I entrust to God? These small practices prepare us to always give thanks
4. Thanksgiving becomes a witness others can see. The Thessalonians received the gospel in the midst of their afflictions. They did so with joy and their faith became known far beyond their own city. Their gratitude had movement in it. They turned from idols, served the living God, and waited with hope for Christ.
This reminds us that thanksgiving is more than saying the right words before a meal. Gratitude redirects loyalty and releases service. When we know that life is gift, we no longer need to cling so tightly to possessions, status, or control. We become freer to share, to welcome, and to serve.
A thankful church becomes a visible testimony to the gospel because its joy is not based on having everything go its way. The church’s life together communicates, “God has been faithful, and therefore we can love generously and hope steadfastly.”
Picture a stone dropped into a still pond. The stone disappears beneath the surface, but the circles continue outward. A word of thanks can move in the same way. A church member thanks a volunteer whose quiet service has gone unnoticed. Encouraged, that volunteer notices someone else and offers help. The recipient carries that kindness into a workplace or home. We may never see the final circle, but gratitude has moved outward and impacted others.
The Thessalonians’ faith “showed forth or sounded forth” because transformed lives create ripples. When thanksgiving becomes service, generosity, patience, and hope, the good news is heard even before a sermon is preached.
This is what I see in the people of First Church. You are a warm-hearted, kind, and generous people. You are caring for one another and this community. You are hopeful. You are faithful. You are encouraging. It’s beautiful to behold what God is doing in each of you and through this congregation. You are making a difference. You matter here and you matter to the people whose lives you touch through each of our missions.
Amy Dornack spoke with us earlier about the mission of the Family Living Center. Amy, you are making a difference. You are having a significant impact on our community and county as people face the trauma of homelessness. We thank God for you and we are honored to partner with you and your organization serving those who are vulnerable. Thank you!
5. Thanksgiving rests on God’s faithfulness, not our strength. Paul’s final word is one of promise: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
The command to give thanks always could sound like one more burden if it depended entirely on our emotional strength. However, Christian thanksgiving begins and ends with God’s action. God calls, God matures, God sanctifies, God makes us more and more like Jesus. That is the goal. Thanksgiving motivates and moves us toward this goal.
Our gratitude is a response to grace, not a performance that earns it. There will be days when we cannot summon cheerful feelings. On those days we may simply pray, “Faithful God, hold me until I can sing and praise again.” Even that prayer is an act of trust. We give thanks because the future of our lives and of the church rests in hands more faithful than our own...in God’s hands.
This brings to mind watching my grandchildren learn to ride their bicycles. A child learning to ride a bicycle may believe that balance depends entirely on gripping the handlebars more tightly. Yet the reassuring hand of a parent running beside the bicycle makes that first uncertain journey possible. The child pedals, but the parent’s encouragement and faithfulness gives courage. So it is with the life of faith. We practice gratitude, prayer, discernment, and service, but we do so because God is beside us and at work within us and we support one another as a church. Our confidence is not that we will never wobble. Our confidence is in the fact and the lived reality the God who calls us will not abandon us and neither will our sisters and brothers in Christ. Therefore, in joy and in sorrow, in abundance and in need, we can always give thanks. May it be so.
Let us pray. Gracious, loving, and mighty God. You are so faithful. You have been with us for generations. You gave birth to this church with the faith of our foremothers and forefathers in 1810. You have seen us through our past struggles with a devastating fire, with difficulties, and divisions. You have been faithful and you have enabled us to not just survive but thrive. Thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you for the life, faith, and joy you have birthed in us. Thank you for the hope you have instilled in us. Continue to go before us, today, this week, and in the years to come. Help us to learn with deep faith the privilege and power of always giving thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray. Hallelujah and amen!
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