Isaiah 12:4-6 — And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Tonight we have a special service of and for Thanksgiving.
I am full of gratitude this year. I don’t know that I really have much more to be thankful for, but I seem to have a more grateful heart. That’s motivated me to write a series of “Thanksgiving” pieces, leading up to the day itself.
Today I’m writing about the single biggest reason I, or anybody else has for gratitude — the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Several times I have heard people, even excellent preachers, say things like “if He never gave us anything else, at least Jesus died for us.” At least? With all respect to those people, that hardly places sufficient value on the priceless gift.
Of course Jesus died on a cross for us. The crucifixion and other physical abuse was horrific. But if there is a place for “least” in all of this, perhaps here is where it can be used. The cross was the least of the gift.
Jesus “… made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8). The Son of God, God Himself, left heaven. He left the unimaginable joys of life with the Father and the Spirit to start life in a manger, grow up in a poor village to become a carpenter, become a wandering Rabbi without a home, and die a horrible death. All that, so that He could save me.
Jesus “became sin for me”. As Karl Barth put it “… to assert but also to sacrifice Himself, to be wholly exalted but also completely humble, not only almighty but also almighty mercy, not only Lord but also servant, not only judge but also Himself the judged, not only man’s eternal king but also his brother in time.” Jesus didn’t just die for me on earth … He stood, and will stand, as my substitute in the High Court of God.
Jesus subjected Himself to death, joining with all of us mortals to whom it is given “to die once”. In doing that, He defeated death, granting eternal life to all who will take it. Such a gift, to so many people!
Let there be no more talk of “If Jesus did nothing else …”. It is rank ingratitude. Let there be more singing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things!