Turkey Rocket
On Thanksgiving Day, all of Terrene comes out to celebrate and be thankful, but Liz and the gang encounter some tough challenges and hard times. Can they be thankful regardless of their circumstances?
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Thanks-Living
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in all circumstances. What's something that you can be thankful for today? This week? This month? This year?
2. In the stories of Jesus, you’ll notice that he gives thanks over and over again in all that he does. Jesus gives thanks for fish and bread before feeding thousands of of people (Matthew 14:13-21; Matthew 15:32-38). Before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he publically thanks God. John 11:41-42 says, “Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, ‘Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me.’”. Another time, Jesus again gives thanks for basic food—this time at a Passover dinner (Mark 14:22-23). He gives thanks even though he knows that he will soon die on the cross. Jesus gives thanks because he know that all that is good comes from God. As you listen to this episode, think about how you can be thankful in all things!
After you listen
Memory Verse
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus”
Quiz
A: So he and Liz can sit at home and watch football games.
A: Billy, Iggy and Ricky (And their cousin Mumbly Pete).
Reflect
People may find it easy to be thankful for a delicious meal or a good day. But it can be hard to give thanks all the time, especially in the hard times. In this episode, the KC gang had a very rough day. However, when they gathered together, they discovered that God had blessed each one of them even through their hard times. How can you be thankful when you are having a bad day? A starting point is understanding that Jesus continually thanked his —father throughout his ministry, even in tough times.
Want to dig deeper? Check out these Bible passages about giving thanks during hard times: Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:13.
Challenge
At your family mealtime, go around the table and ask each person to share one good thing about their day. What you share doesn’t have to be your favorite thing or even a very special thing. But you can give thanks for it because it is one way that God has blessed you that day. You may find that this exercise will cause family members to share even more stories about their day. You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to give thanks!
