The Lutheran Hour

"First and Foremost"

#78-11
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on November 21, 2010
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! If we had no cause for thanksgiving other than these words, it would be enough. But we do have these words, and even if our lives were lived in the most poverty stricken conditions, we would still be able to give thanks. May the Holy Spirit convict our hearts and our homes. May we see and believe in the greatness of our God’s grace. God grant such belief to us all. Amen.

It has been a good many years since I visited a city in South Dakota for the first time. At that point in my ministry I was an impatient preacher and not the laid back fellow I am today, In this small city I found myself frustrated to find our young family stranded at a corner while a seemingly endless caravan of cars passed by. Finally there was a small gap in the traffic, I told Pammie, “Hang on” and I floored the Oldsmobile. There was a short screech of my tires, a little careening around, and then tranquility as I settled into my new, well-earned spot in traffic. It was only when we passed an intersection with a stop light and a policeman directed us to go through, that I began to realize something was amiss.

Looking in my rearview mirror I could see the car behind me had its lights on, as did the car behind that one, and the car behind that, and the… You get the idea. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the funeral hearse make a right-hand turn about a block-and-a-half ahead of us. Embarrassed at having broken into the middle of a funeral procession, I desperately began to look for a way out. A few minutes later that opportunity presented itself in the form of a Burger King restaurant. I planned my move. All I had to do was wait until the last second and make a hard right-hand turn into the parking lot. I was confident the car behind me would continue on, following the vehicle ahead of me. The plan was flawless. I waited, I waited, I waited, for the second time in about as many minutes, I told Pammie, “Hang on!” I swung the wheel hard and pulled with relief into the fast food parking lot.

As for the car behind me, for an old man he had lightning reflexes. He followed me and the car behind followed him, and the next and the…. there was nothing left for me to do but to come clean. I pulled over to the side, hopped out of the car, told Pammie, “Keep the motor running, this may not be pretty. We may need a quick getaway.” I approached the nearest car whose driver quite cordially rolled down his window. Before I could speak, he asked, “Somebody need a rest stop?” Out of the corner of my eye I could see the front part of the procession was now about two blocks away. I could also hear the honking of Burger King customers who were being blocked from getting into the parking lot. “You don’t understand”, I said. “I’m not going to the cemetery. I don’t know where the cemetery is. If you don’t get going, you’re going to lose your leader. Slowly the man said, “If it were up to me, I’d join you at Burger King, but I think there are some people behind me who really want to see some old friends. I’d better get going…” and off he went. Thankfully, the observant Funeral Director had noticed the loss of 1/3 of his procession and he had slowed down to a crawl so everyone could catch up.

Now, with the United States Thanksgiving Day coming this week you may wonder what, if anything, that story has to do with giving thanks. That story is a snapshot of America on this Thanksgiving Day. The leaders who ought to be leading us in giving thanks aren’t entirely sure they know where they’re going and those of us who are following may be surprised at where we end up. Please consider. There was a time in our history, and by that I mean most of our history, when Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad instructed their little ones on how to give thanks to the Lord for earthly blessings as well as the salvation which Jesus won for them on Calvary’s cross and at the empty tomb.

Sadly, and for far too many, that is no longer the case. When a large percentage of children are growing up in broken homes, fatherless homes, same-sex-parent homes, nobody’s home homes, it’s incredibly difficult for the children to know anything for sure. It’s hard for them to make heads or tails out of their immediate family, let alone the Lord Who gives them all they need to support this body and life. It is no longer understood that children will be taught how to give thanks… not when Dad often puts them on the bottom of his priority totem pole and Mom sometimes shows that her little ones seem to be burdens who cramp her style.

Who is to lead us in giving thanks to the Lord Who sacrificed His Son to win our salvation; Who has blessed us so richly? This Thanksgiving Day it is a sad thing to note our nation’s schools can only do so with the greatest of difficulty. There was a time in our nation’s history, indeed for much of that history, our schools not only taught readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmatic, they also taught their pupils right from wrong; they taught responsibility, accountability, dependability, and gratitude. They imparted a gratitude to God Who had, in His wisdom, had directly been involved with the guiding and blessing of our country. But now the Lord is exiled from the classroom and teachers who still believe in their higher calling have their hearts, hands, and tongues constrained by the court’s new commandments.

Who is to lead us in Thanksgiving? Who will remind us that the same Lord Who sent His Son to live, suffer, die, and rise so our sins might be forgiven and our eternity be blessed is the same God Who has called this land to a purpose, His purpose? The reality of trade deficits, unemployment, foreclosures, the tarnishing of the American dream, the corruption of business leaders, and the subsequent collapse of their companies has caused many to question what we have been taught. No longer can a worker take a job with the idea that he might have that position for the rest of his working career. No longer do many companies feel a responsibility to a faithful employee who has committed himself to a trusted corporation.

Many have concluded it’s a dog-eat-dog world; survival of the fittest, do unto others before they do unto you; it’s a world where nice guys finish last, if they finish at all. In this new world where the Savior’s sacrifices go unnoticed, If a person succeeds, it is not by God’s hand, it is because he has shown himself to be more ruthless, more merciless, more heartless, more callous and cruel than his competition. As for giving thanks… those who have clawed their way to the top are trying to stay there. They have no time to devote to thanksgiving; no desire to thank the Lord for the successes which they believe are theirs alone. Those who stand looking up from the bottom of society’s social ladder, they feel frustrated at the unfairnesses, injustices, and inequities of life. They do not thank the Lord Who, they believe, is responsible for keeping them in a position far below their abilities.

Who knows how to lead us on this Thanksgiving Day? Who will lead us to recognize that the Lord Who sent His Son to save us is the Lord Who still preserves us? Shall we turn to our elected officials? That many of them are men and women of principle, special individuals who have dedicated their lives to the common good cannot be denied. Even so, their personal faith, which may indeed be strong, must now play second-fiddle to the new god of America, the divinity known as ‘political correctness.’ At the altar of political correctness the knee of every official must bow, at least if that politician is going to survive. It makes no difference if that public servant is a county official elected by a 1-vote majority cast at the last second by his mother or if he is the latest resident of the White House, swept into his new quarters by an overwhelming mandate of the voters, all must acknowledge their master is political correctness.

Every official must say something good, something nice about a nondescript god. They must hold forth that a generic supreme force has somehow been involved in our country’s history; but they dare not say which particular god this may be or what his hand has done. They must express gratitude to the deity for his benevolence, but they cannot identify exactly who that deity is or who has been so kind. The end result of such silly, sad shenanigans is the conscientious political leader must feel he has been forced to sell out and compromise his beliefs, while his people are convinced the government’s Thanksgiving commitment revolves around nothing more important than the President awarding a pardon to the White House Turkey.

Whom are we to follow? Who is to lead the nation on this day of Thanksgiving? The question is more than rhetorical. It is not a question which is thrown out and demands no answer. With great sadness I must confess there is no individual in America who has the ability, the authority, the commitment and charisma to reverse this belief that we, as a nation, are masters of our fate and captains of our souls. There is no attorney who has words profound enough, powerful enough to sway the courts to reverse the judicial trends which have demoted and devalued the Triune God. There is no political party which would consider taking up the cause of Christ or acknowledging the Creator’s ongoing blessings.

Whom are we to follow? Who is to lead us in thanksgiving? The answer is provided by the Triune God Himself, it is found in the 7th chapter of the Old Testament’s book of 2nd Chronicles. The opening verses of the chapter speak of how King Solomon had dedicated the Lord’s temple in the city of Jerusalem. After the sacrifices had been made, the music had been sung, the celebrations had been completed, when Solomon was alone, the Lord came to Him at night. In part, this is what He said to the King: “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” While we certainly do not live in a Theocracy where God speaks directly to His hand-picked leaders, God’s words and His covenant promise are still true.

In one, short sentence, the Lord asks three things of His grateful people and He promises to bless them with three things. First, the things which He asks. He asks that His people humble themselves. It is proper that America would acknowledge that our heavenly Father, and not we ourselves, is responsible for the blessings and bounty which we have enjoyed. To pretend otherwise is to ignore the history books. Many who can remember World War II can also recall General George Patton. The Chief Chaplain for the 3rd Army recalls Patton’s words to him. The great leader said, “God has His part, or margin in everything, That’s where prayer comes in. Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us. We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too.” Patton understood it is God Who gives the blessing. (http://www.pattonhq.com/prayer.html)

Read our history and you will see just how often a seeming accident, an unexpected bit of information enabled us to achieve a battlefield victory. Luck, happenstance, fate? Yes, events can be explained that way, or they can be explained by acknowledging God has blessed us. The second thing the Lord asks is that we begin to pray and seek His face. Television has always loved to show Norman Rockwell-type families coming together at Thanksgiving. But now they prefer to show families digging into a Thanksgiving banquet without offering any thanksgiving to the One Who has provided it.

May the Lord forbid that from happening in your home. Far better for the spiritual heads of the households to lead their families in a prayer which gives thanks to the Lord Who hE)s provided eternal salvation through His Son, Who has bestowed blessings, large and small, to your household; far better for each individual at that table to give personal thanks which flows from a grateful heart. What, you say this year you have absolutely nothing for which to be thankful? Look again. That you may have problems and reversed circumstances, that may be denied, but how many other blessings other than financial has the Lord not continued to shower upon you? And if you truly can find nothing else, I know you have a Savior. His life, offered as a ransom for your eternal destiny is a gracious Gift worth more than all other gifts combined.

But there is one more thing the Lord asks of His people who are called by His Name. He tells us that they should be turned from their wicked ways. It is impossible, improper to come to the Lord and ask for His favor when, at the same time, the rest of your life shows your disregard for Him. Such hypocrisy is distasteful to anyone, but it is a special affront to the Lord Who comes to us sincerely and offers His Son as our Redeemer sacrificially.

You will note the Lord does not ask the leaders of the nation to legislate these things; He does not expect the great industrialists to formulate the plans to accomplish these things; He does not expect our nation’s classrooms to teach these things. No, in this passage God is speaking to us as individuals. He is talking to the golden-agers whose days are spent trying to get by on a small and fixed income; He is speaking to you young families who would be willing to sacrifice anything, everything for the welfare and the best interests of the little ones who have been entrusted to you. He is speaking to the empty nesters who still dream of a world that could be, a world so much better than the one we hear being reported in the evening news. He speaks to you young, you teens, you who have been given so much stuff but may never have met Jesus, the One Thing, the One Person Who can truly transform your lives.

Today the Lord speaks to each of us. In our homes He comes to us, because it is in our homes that change will take place. In our hearts the Lord has placed His covenant, for it is in individual hearts that God’s offer will be rejected or received. It is in each life, in every person’s day-to-day living that a change, a blessed and wonderful change can begin and be accomplished. Those who embrace God’s covenant will find themselves rewarded by God’s covenant promise. And what are those promises? First, the Lord says if we come to Him in prayer, He will listen. The door of every other rich and powerful person in this world may be shut tight to you; but what does that matter if God inclines His ear to listen to your humble and heartfelt petitions. Second, God promises if we repent of the wrongdoing that has upset our lives and the lives of those around us, the Lord promises to forgive our sin. Completely, totally, absolutely. The Lord will take care of that sin so it can never hurt us, can never accuse us, should never bother us. What is the sin which so plagues and besets you? God promises your repentance will be followed by forgiveness.

And there is yet one more thing the Lord offers to His people. While His other promises are given to each of us as individuals, this one speaks to a thankful nation. The Lord gives His word that He will heal our land. He will do what no elected official can do: He will restore harmony and peace. Can you imagine what that might mean to you; to your children, your family, your friends? The same Lord of life Who granted healing to the lepers, the blind, the halt, the possessed; the same Father Who gave His Son as the only ransom possible to pay for our salvation, has now promised to bless the repentant land with a healing transformation.

I am no prophet so I cannot say what greatness the Lord has in store for us. I do know, for our nation to fully enjoy those blessings it will have to embrace God’s covenant with a spirit of thankfulness. If He is to use us, we need to humble ourselves, we need to pray and seek His face, we need to be turned from our wicked ways. If we do what God asks; He will do as He promised. He will heal our land and He will bless you. If these gifts are what you wish for this Thanksgiving, I extend the invitation, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
November 21, 2010
Topic: Financial Needs

Announcer: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.

Klaus: Hi, Mark.

Announcer: With economic times being what they are, it’s not hard to find someone who wants us to talk about God’s blessing as it relates to one’s finances.

Klaus: I agree.

Announcer: Our listener begins this way. He writes, “1 have been a loyal listener to ‘The Lutheran Hour’ for a little over a year now …”

Klaus: Well, things can’t be too bad if he’s listening to us.

Announcer: You would think so. Anyway, he continues, ” .. .when I ask Jesus for His grace and mercy, I feel that He allows me to make it through another day …”

Klaus: That’s also good, but I’m sort of sitting here waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Announcer: Here it is. He writes, “When I ask God for abundance, in order to work my
way finally out of a spiritual and economic hole, I feel like I am under attack and things
only get worse.” Klaus: We have here someone who’s having a hard time climbing out of a tough financial situation, to the point that it is affecting him spiritually.

Announcer: That’s it. The Lord is taking care of his daily needs, but, in the long term, things don’t seem to look so good to him. So, is God letting this person down? Or are we misunderstanding what’s going on here?

Klaus: You know, Mark, actually there are a number of good things happening here.

Announcer: How so? Klaus: Good, in so far as here we have a person who–from what I am gathering–is
walking a path he’s never walked before. This whole thing is new to him and it doesn’t always make sense to him.

Announcer: And what part, do you suppose, doesn’t make sense? Klaus: Well, maybe like this part: God is good. He wants what is best for His people. Now, this person is walking with God in faith, he wonders if God is really going to be taking care of him. He’s thinking God OUGHT to be helping him out.

Announcer: Or helping him out in a different way. What can you say about that? Klaus: There are a number of things we can say. First, we can remind him of what he
has. The Lord IS providing for him. Mark, do you remember the story of the Israelites in the wilderness? Announcer: Right. They wandered for many years in the desert. Klaus: Is there a lot of food in the wilderness? Announcer: Not enough for a crowd like that. Klaus: So I guess that means they starved to death? Announcer: No. God miraculously fed them each day with manna and quail. Klaus: Yes, manna-a mysterious food that appeared every morning on the ground, like
frost or dew. What happened during the week if they gathered up extra manna, more than they needed for that day? How did it taste the next day?

Announcer: The Bible tells us that it spoiled and got wormy. Klaus: So the Lord made them go out every day and collect only what they needed for that day. (Unless they were preparing for the Sabbath. Then the extra portion was miraculously kept from spoiling.) Through all of this, God was teaching them to trust Him and to rely on Him each day.

Announcer: Sort of like our listener. The Lord is teaching him to rely upon Him. Klaus: Yeah. It really would seem that way. Announcer: And can you think of any other examples? Klaus: Oh yes. Every week now for 80 years, it’s something we say here on the program.
Our Savior taught us to pray: “Give us this day our … Announcer: DAILY bread. Klaus: Right. Not our weekly bread, or monthly bread, our yearly bread, “I want to be rich
as Croesus” bread. As far as the Lord is concerned, it seems to be it is best to take one day at a time. In Matthew 6, the Savior said: ‘Do not be anxious about tomorrow, tomorrow’s going to be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’

Announcer: I always wondered what that last part means? Sufficient for the day … Klaus: Well, it pretty much means that every day all on its own has enough problems to take care of things … and you really don’t have to get out your crystal ball and try to look
down the pathway to see what is going to happen. Each day is going to have its own strength, it’s going to have its own disadvantages.

Announcer: In other words, don’t double your trouble. Klaus: Yeah that’s it. Our Father in heaven knows what we need and He supplies it in abundance.

Announcer: But what about those who don’t have all that they need?

Klaus: Well, they have us. The Lord told us to help those in need-and He gives us that opportunity and the resources to share to be instruments of God’s good will. Announcer: Is there ever a time God won’t give us what we want? Klaus: He knows what is best for us and what we really need. He might also withhold His
blessings from a nation that doesn’t want Him. That happens more than once in the
Bible. Announcer: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music selection for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“Come, Ye Thankful People Come” From Hymns for All Saints (© 2004 Concordia
Publishing House) Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“Sing to the Lord of Harvest” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)

“Now Thank We All Our God” arr. Walter Pelz. From Heirs of the Reformation (© 2008
Concordia Publishing House)