Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-11-22
THANKSGIVING THE
TRUEsT THANKSGIVING.
Theme of Sermon Preached by Rev.
DR.. Kaufman at Methodist Church.

Sunday morning at Trinity Metho-
dist Episcopal church, Rev. DIR. Kauf-
man took as his text Ephesians v:20.
Give thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the name
of our lord Jesus Christ" His theme
was THANKSGIVING the Truest
Thanksgiving, and he said
The sweetest, richest music that
swells and sweeps through Gods word
and Gods world is the music of thank
EtIlness- Bible writer's summon US
much more frequently to praise than
to prayer. Make a joyful noise I'M
to the Lord, all We lands" Praise We
the Lord; for it is good to sing prais-
es unto our God; for it is pleasant and
praise is comely." Praise and thank
fulness will be the very atmosphere
of heaven. How becoming is the
thankful spirit in child Of God! 1t
is charming quality. 1t is a win
some grace. Not to be thankful is
most unfilial. 1t is unseemly and I'M
divine. Gratitude is found at it's best
in the Christian heart. Thankful and
thoughtful come from the same Anglo
Saxon root. Hence to be thankful is
to be thoughtful, to think deeply con-
corning Him who is the full fountain
of all our blessings.
Our first care should be to culti-
vate the inner spirit of thankfulness,
until it becomes living, mighty, NOV
ing impulse.
Second, it is well to see that our
thankfulness has fitting expression in
words. The voice of hymn and social
song is pleasing because it gives graf
flying utterance to the hearts jubil-
ant thanks. When souls are filed with
a thankful spirit they love to sound
forth the gratitude they feel. But
this is not all. 1t is good as far as it
goes, yet it stops short of that which
is the most essential.
Third. the thanksgiving which is
most pleasing to our Heavenly Father
is thanks living, the kind of living
which manifests itself in obediently
and cheerfully doing Gods whole will.
How neatly and comprehensively is
the entire Christian life stated in the
opening sentence of the Christian En-
deavor pledgei 1t is this: Trusting
in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength,
l promise Him that / will strive to do
whatsoever He would like to have me
do" This is a rational promise. No
one can keep it without becoming a
Christian. This is thanks Living in its
purest simplicity. To do something,
to please Christ, aye, to live all the
life with special reference to Him, for
thankfulness can be best evinced.
FOURTH such a life rejoices and rev.
els in the privilege of being a cola
borer with Christ in concentrating
Gods eternal purposes for mans SAL
walton and our earth's ultimate reno
walton. Is. there anything else for
which we should feel so grateful in
this present Thanksgiving season as
that we have the ability and the in
~lir frra~ to In af 49,
fellow beings? What a blessed privi-
lege it is to live so that we may make
1t a little safer and easier for some
others to live true lives,
Fifth, thanks living is living the
Christ-life, a life that daily and hour
ly practices the love so highly COM
mended in Christ's whole career, by
precept and example and spirit A
deeper and stronger love, a steadier
and more practical love, a diviner and
richer love for the unlovely as well as
for the lovable. is the greatest need
of our SHINING, suffering humanity.
Christians must become truer, purer,
more sincere lovers of their fellow
men who are unsaved. This is the
only hope for our sin burdened race.
Such love viii lead to personal evan
gelism on the part of a larger. pro-
portion of professed Christians. We
must learn how to go after people who
are in sin and with sweet reason
ableness born Of the Holy Spirit,
compel them to accept Christ as both
Saviour and Lord.
Sixth. Finally, II the world needs
warm, sympathetic, Christ like love
more than anything else, how can it
get into the world, save as it flows
down from God through Christian
hearts? Whether we shall become the
channel for the inflowing of Gods love
or barriers against it. will be deter
mined by each person. THANKSGIVING
will always find noblest expression in
thanks flowing. 1t never leads to
death, but always to more life and
larger.