It has been said that "Thanksgiving is ultimately a day for remembering our dependence upon God." (Copied) The danger for us, however, is the same as for God's Chosen People in Deuteronomy -- that we will begin to believe that we have earned what we have. In that lesson Moses describes the wonders of the Promised Land that God will give to the people. He contrasts that to the land they have left. He then warns them to thank God for all that has been given and not believe they have created it themselves.
This Thanksgiving Day in 2008 we are in the midst of perhaps the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. I suspect that most of us have begun to believe that what we have is the result of our work alone. We forget that God provides everything…including our intelligence, our education, our families and homes. We become like the ten lepers, diseased from the inside by an exaggerated sense of our self-worth. Charles Brown (source unknown) suggests a reason for only one cleansed leper to return and give thanks to Jesus:

"One waited to see if the cure was real
One waited to see if it would last.
One said he would see Jesus later.
One decided he had never had leprosy.
One said he would have gotten well anyway.
One gave the glory to the priests.
One said, 'O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything.'
One said, 'Any rabbi could have done it.'
One said, 'I was already much improved.'"
(Copied)

The test of true gratitude, dependence upon God, comes during the difficult times, not the times of plenty. During times such as these it is easy to become anxious and afraid – afraid to make decisions, afraid to be generous and afraid for our personal future. How ironic this is, for this is the time to reach out to others, to pare back some of our luxuries, and to thank God without ceasing. We are to remember that God's Kingdom is not characterized by wealth and plenty but by abundant love and self-giving.
The Pilgrims had a difficult time that first year. We often think of them as seeking religious freedom, and they were, for themselves only. They were fleeing the Anglican Church in Great Britain, certain that Puritanism was the only true way to worship God. They became what they fled. It took many years before true religious freedom was established, and one wonders if it has truly come in all its fullness in this rich land of ours.
Despite the uneasy economic climate I have seen new life and energy in this parish. It has been noted recently by a number of people who have encountered us for the first time. I suspect that we as a community have been jolted to realize how fortunate we are. As a result, perhaps our hearts and minds have unfolded a new level of gratitude to God. In a few moments we shall celebrate the Eucharist together, that great feast makes us one with all Christians today, all who have come before and all who will come after. The heart of the Eucharist is the hinge that unites the Liturgy of the Word and Holy Communion – The Great Thanksgiving. Let each of our hearts be suffused with gratitude this day for all we have been given…for life, for hope, for friends and family and for the unqualified love that surrounds us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us pray:

We come to this table today, O God, humble and thankful and glad.
We thank you first for the great miracle of life, for the exaltation of being human, for the capacity to love.
We thank you for joys both great and simple:
For wonder, dreams and hope;
For the newness of each day;
For laughter and song and a merry heart;
For compassion waiting within to be kindled;
For the forbearance of friends and the smile of a stranger;
For the arching of the earth and trees and heavens and the fruit of all three;
For the wisdom of the old;
For the courage of the young;
For the promise of the child;
For the strength that comes when needed;
For this family united here today.
Of those to whom much is given, much is required. May we and our children remember this.
Amen
(Copied)