Devotion and Activities for Thanksgiving Day
Bible Study Reflection on Being Grateful and God’s Bountiful Harvest
Sep 22, 2008
When family and friends come together on Thanksgiving to give thanks and celebrate the abundance of blessings, sharing Bible readings (NKJV) is one way to enrich the experience of expressing gratitude.
Bible Study Scripture Readings for Thanksgiving
Deuteronomy 8:1-10
- In this reading Moses is reminding the people before they enter the Promised Land to remember God and keep all of His commandments. He also reminds them of how God humbled them in the wilderness to teach them that they must rely only on God, His blessings and His word to live.
- Moses also describes the bounty of the land they are about to enter. He tells the people of all that God is providing for them. Then he tells them that when they have eaten and are full, they will bless the Lord for the good land that He has given them.
Psalm 65
This psalm of David has two points:
- God shows delight in his creation by His provision of good rain and good harvest.
- There will be a future time of tremendous harvest with the coming of God’s kingdom to earth.
Psalm 67
- This psalm speaks of God blessing His people so that the message of His truth would become known throughout the whole world. It refers again to the prophesy that there will be great harvest when God’s kingdom comes to the earth.
Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the bounty of God’s creation. Everything that people receive from the earth is a gift and blessing from God.
Thanksgiving Day Devotional Activities
There are several activities that can be shared around Thanksgiving Day to enrich the experience of sharing in God’s bountiful harvest.
Activities before Thanksgiving Day:
- If a family member or friend is absent on Thanksgiving Day, a package can be prepared to send to her beforehand. It could include personal notes telling her why she is a blessing in the family or as a friend.
- The house can be decorated with harvest colors, autumn leaves, and fruit and vegetable centerpieces.
- Children and/or adults can create banners or murals that depict Bible readings and good harvest. These could display a harvest from the fields or a harvest of people.
- The whole group can create a blessings meal to share with someone less fortunate or homebound. Donations from a local harvest could be purchased and carried to the local food bank.
- The family or group can visit a local farm to see how God’s blessings from creation are produced and harvested. This will encourage appreciation for the work that goes into food before it reaches the table.
Activities to do on Thanksgiving Day:
- The above scripture readings can be shared aloud and discussed in light of today’s culture.
- Any children and/or adults who are up for it can produce and perform a dramatic piece on harvesting God’s blessings.
- The group can hold hands and share a prayer circle, with individuals taking turns to be thankful for blessings in their lives.
- "Blessing charades" is always fun. Each person writes something to be thankful for on a piece of paper and they are all placed in a bag. Individuals take turn picking a blessing to act out for the others to guess.
- All members of the group can be given tasks or responsibilities to help with preparing the Thanksgiving Day meal.
For other devotions appropriate to the family see Devotion and Activities on Changing Seasons, Family Morning Devotion, and Devotion on Negative Peer Pressure.
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