Today's sermon begins with a proclamation by Governor Bradford, three years after the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth.  The proclamation begins like this.

To all ye Pilgrims,

Inasmuch as the great father has given us this year an abundant harvest...has made the forests abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the raids of the savages...and has granted us freedom to worship...; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims...gather...between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

In Congregational forum carried to our church by nine pioneer families from Attleboro, Massachusetts, one of those families being my own so that yes, the pastor ye listening to is a descendant from New England, it is time to gather and, as Governor Bradford shared, be thankful to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

For both nation and nostalgia, aren't the words of the governor as beautiful as a gold-trimmed Thanksgiving greeting card? And most of us, at one time or another, have either sent or received a card which weighs about as much as a serving dish of a favorite vegetable on a Thanksgiving dinner table. Perhaps on the gold-trimmed cover of this impressive card with its loop-de-do lettering is a bushy-tailed squirrel. (Why it's a squirrel and not our own Suzie is something you'll have to take up with a greeting card company. To register a trademark for our iconic mouse could someday bring a little gold, and since a Trustee is most likely to deal with rodents as witnessed by the unfortunate skunk incident of 2008, we'll give the job of marketing Susie to that committee.)

Moving from bushy-tailed squirrels back to big birds and another big meal and eating too much and family and friends and football and, as good and as wonderful as this all sounds, maybe, if only at a glance, it can seem routine. For some of us today, this time of the year may come over as, well, just like any other Thanksgiving.  I mean, you're probably not anti-Thanksgiving, not in the least; the giving thanks concept is good, thank you Governor Bradford; but isn't it the same tablecloth every year? And someone always pulls out that silly Pilgrim's hat, and Cousin Ronnie tells the same hunting story year after year after year? And it's too hot and too crowded and then, of course, there are some of your in-laws, or maybe your Thanksgiving this year is going to be a little too quiet without family. And for the kids here this morning, yeah, right, it's just a table with a lot of food on it, some of which you may not even like, so what's the big deal, anyway?

Like Thanksgiving Day itself, consider this. Maybe you have been praying to and responding to God in the same tried and true way, rather than looking for God's message in the unexpected, or unusual.

Tell me the truth. We do seem to get awfully comfortable with certain things. Perhaps that's been your recent relationship with God. Here's a story to illustrate my point.

The story is told of two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"

The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."

"That's a lot of money."

"But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."

"Sounds like you've been blessed."

"You don't understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."

Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?"

"This week... nothing!"

That's the trouble with receiving something on a regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it. This is the "entitlement mindset" that has permeated American society at almost every level. We have been blessed by God to live in a land of plenty and, as a result, we become complacent. Many times we do not give thanks for our blessings.

The problem is, and this goes with us as individuals and collectively here in church, we tend to get used to things. And then we start to take them for granted. That's the first point here in our sermon notes. Even with God in our lives, we tend to get used to things, including how we see, worship and even thank God. And then, if we are honest, we start to take them for granted, including things like the aforementioned, not so appreciated squirrel Thanksgiving card. We're showered with so many blessings that we are used to getting wet.

What I'm talking about can be described in the first few years of marriage. During the honeymoon year, the husband sees the wife has a cold. He says, "Love, you don't look good. You should go to the hospital. I have already arranged it. I know the food is bad there, but I've arranged to have meals catered in." The second year he says, "Love, you don't look so good. I have called the doctor. Go and lay down. I will take care of the kids and your mom, whom I've also called, will take you to the doctor within the hour." The third year he says, "You know, dear, you are not looking so hot. When you are done feeding the kids and cleaning up the kitchen, you ought to go lay down." The fourth year he says, "Would you quit walking around here barking like a seal, you're going to give me your cold!"

The longer we become familiar with something, the less thankful we are for it. The less thankful we are for what we have.

But we have to ask ourselves, is that true with us and our relationship with God? Are we, as individuals and as a church, taking God for granted? Consider this second point in our sermon notes this morning. We hear and understand that God's power and presence are beyond comprehension, but ask yourself this: do you listen and respond enough to God, or is our time with God too scheduled?

Here's another example of what I mean. You have a prayer. You're centered in it, aware of God's presence while praying it, and then, when it's over, what is life like after the 'amen'? God is still there with you, but are you with God, or have you moved on, or away?

We learn in scripture this morning that God is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. Maybe we're the middle. Maybe we are the agents to carry God through all of our lives, from one generation to the next, never once taking anything given to us from God for granted.

As we move closer to Thanksgiving day, think about this. How is God 'God'? What does God do or what does God use to be God? Let me move this to nature for one moment. Essentially, the elements God uses to make a tree grow are sun, warmth, soil and water. In a similar way, the elements God uses us to spread peace and love is through each of us. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last. We are in the middle.  Like sunshine, temperature, soil and water are necessary for a tree, we are necessary elements to God to have His Kingdom grow.

To be in the middle of the Alpha and Omega—to be these necessary agents to God—it can seem like a daunting task. Some may not feel like agents of God because we don't feel our lives have been spectacular enough. But you qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him.

And that's our third and final point here this morning. You qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him.

If we are really honest with ourselves, we admit that our lives are fairly routine. There are exceptions now and again, but basically, over the long haul, or lives are pretty well in place, so it might be hard for us to share just how extraordinary God is in our ordinary lives. We think we should have something to tell someone. Something big. Something powerful. But that's not it. Christ demonstrated his great love by setting us free from our sins through his death on the cross. Christ guarantees us a place in his kingdom and enables us the choice to be agents to administer God's love to others. The fact that the all-powerful God has offered eternal life to you is nothing short of spectacular.

Be it the upcoming gobble-til-you-wobble day where you could receive a card with a squirrel on its front, we tend to get used to things. Recognize that, and, as we talked about last week, you'll remove yet another block you unintentionally build between yourself and God.

It is true. The longer we become familiar with something, the less thankful we are for it. Our time with God can be too scheduled. Rather than the times when we can become, ye pilgrims of today, feeling a little like a butterball turkey that's been baked too long, remember you qualify as a witness for Jesus because of what he has done for you, not because of what you have done for him.

That said, on this Thanksgiving, there is no other reason why not to be so thankful.