“Stuffed!” “Full!” “I’m done!”

Thanksgiving dinners have a tendency to do that. Gone are the cravings for mashed potatoes and the longings for cranberries and turkey. Gone is the anticipation for the great feast. You’ve eaten. You’re full. The hunger is forgotten. It is time for a nap!

We experience being full in different ways. From your stomach to your gas tank; from your piggy bank to your house—when life is full, it’s easy to forget what it was like to be empty. In fact, when you’re “full,” you often revel in the good life. You loosen the belt, set the cruise control, splurge at the mall, and party all night. But being full can also make you forgetful. God had a word of warning about this for the Israelites: Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 8:11-14.  

Whether the turkey is cooking, or the car is taken; whether the bank is busted, or the house has happiness, God’s commandments are to lead us through life. His commands are not to be forgotten for the Israelites nor for us. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are given pause to consider what fills not just our stomachs, but our lives, and then to see if that fullness has caused us to forget any of God’s commands.

Forgetfulness is not usually a good thing. Forget where you put your car keys and you scour the house until you find them (inexplicably in the refrigerator next to the jug of milk). Forgetfulness can be heartbreaking. Forget your daughter’s recital and watch her tears well up. Forget your son’s birthday and hear the sadness in his voice. Forgetfulness can be painful. Forget to move your thumb and the hammer will hurt. Forget your deadline at work and people will doubt your ability. Yes, forgetfulness can even be dangerous. Forget the road is icy and watch your car spin out of control. Forget the Lord your God and you will die an eternal death. That’s what God told the Israelites: “If you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish” Deuteronomy 8:19. It’s what he tells us still today.

The sins we commit, and the sins committed against us are signs of human forgetfulness. It makes life a mess, and it’s more than a “cranberries fell in the gravy” or “the pie crust isn’t flaky” type of mess. It’s more like gossiping over the gravy followed by a slice of prideful pie type of mess. These behaviors ruin more than just the meal. Words that wound, attitudes that offend, and actions that are idolatrous ruin relationships, destroy discipleship, and angers the Almighty. But then comes our table prayer: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever” Psalm 118:1. The words the Psalmist prayed long ago are now prayed by you. They are a reminder of what God has done for sinners.

God has mercy upon sinners. Where we often forget about God, He sends Jesus to shed his blood so He can forget about our sins. You might call it an arrangement of divine forgetfulness. Thanks be to God for it! With Jesus, there is healing for those broken by sin—for you, for your family, for your friends. Through Jesus, there is wholeness given to those hurt by sin—for you, for your family, for your friends. With Jesus, there is a Thanksgiving meal (after all, Eucharist means to give thanks) that fills you full of forgiveness, life, and salvation. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever.”

In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford
President, MN South District
LCMS