Gobble Gobble
Word From Wiese
November 26, 2025
Dear Fellow Turkeys,
Gobble Gobble. What if a turkey translator revealed “gobble gobble” meant “grateful, grateful”? Then turkeys would be some of the happiest creatures around. For in our gratitude, we experience peace, perspective, and positivity.
Scripture states, “from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3. Therefore, sharing “grateful, grateful” to God throughout the day as frequently as turkeys emit “gobble gobble” would produce a life pleasing both to God and ourselves as well.
As you prepare for tonight’s Chili Cook-Off & Hymn Sing at church or as you enjoy family and friends out of state, lean into Ephesians 5:20, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Or you might say, count your blessings, with a “thank you Lord” whispered after each one.
We remember it was President Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, for the health of our nation, to embrace this Thanksgiving tradition and rite. For Lincoln, this sacred pause was a call for our nation’s collective citizenry not to pat ourselves on the back for bounty enjoyed, but to worship with gratitude a Lord whose mercy and generosity trump the judgment Lincoln felt we often deserved, especially amid the atrocities of the Civil War:
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God . . .
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
I’m thankful to President Lincoln and others who requested our nation take time to thank the Lord Almighty for our nation’s many blessings. I’m also immensely thankful for each of you and your partnership in the Gospel!
If you’re looking for a tool to spur your reflection, check out the Gratitude Guide below.
Gobble Gobble,
Pastor Fritz
