Homily for Harvest Thanksgiving by Lokwing Wong

Delivered by Lokwing Wong at Ste. Anne’s Camp, West Dalhousie, NS on Sunday, October 12, 2025

I’ve been thinking a lot about the scripture sentence before the offertory process in the BCP: “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, for ever and ever. All that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” (1 Chron 29. 10, 11, 14). In 1 Chronicles 28 and 29, David contributes materially to the building of the temple, and his generosity inspires people to do the same. He then blesses God in front of a crowd while charging his son, Solomon, to lead the people of Israel and to build the temple. He asks, “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from thee, and of thy own have we given thee.” David sees that his and other people’s willingness to give comes from God. David Guzik, who writes Bible commentary for the website Enduring Word, explains further that David feels humility from having a heart to give.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis expresses a similar truth with the term, “sixpence none the richer”, when describing a simile to reveal what our service to God is to Him: “It is like a small child going to his father and saying, ‘Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present.’ Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child’s present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction.” Basically: everything is God’s already, including what is on our hearts.

So, why is our service, and in particular our thanksgiving, important to Him? I can’t pretend to know the character of God, but theological consensus discusses that He doesn’t feel emotions in the same way we do, and he doesn’t need us or our love. Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.”

My temptation, in the impossibility of pondering the vast character of God, is to go, “Well, if God doesn’t actually gain anything, why should we serve him or give thanks to him?” (I am in economics, after all. The field is all about allocating limited resources with maximum efficiency.)

I spoke to my dad about this: he explained that giving thanks is relational and turns our hearts towards God. In giving thanks, we express our humility, sins, and shortcomings, but see that God still provides for us. Giving thanks tames our hearts from greed and the act of asking for more and more. I have difficulty with this though; it feels like thanksgiving is a means to an end and not an integral part of our relationship to God.

As I was reading in preparation for this reflection, I came across a mention of the Israelites’ grumbling in the desert after their escape from enslavement in Egypt. While they rejoiced with song and dance after God parted the Red Sea through Moses, they spent much of their time in the wilderness complaining about being hungry, thirsty, the water being bitter, being sick of the food they were being provided. The Israelites’ time in the desert reveals a core truth about human nature: when our needs are met, we will always find something else lacking. Thus, perhaps thanksgiving is a tool God gives us and reminds us of not for His own good but for ours.

I myself am guilty of asking for more and more. I find that I am the most dedicated in prayer when I need something from God, and my prayers often go something like this: “God, I know I’m not supposed to ask you for things, but please, please, please give me what I want this time and I’ll never ask you for anything again.” In a similar way as I am with my parents, I feel the closest to God when I need something or when things aren’t perfect and I want someone to talk to. But God doesn’t just want a relationship with us when we aren’t doing well.  

Sometimes, when I think nihilistically about God’s character and who we are to Him, I ground myself by transposing my sentiments to relationships that feel closer to earth. For example, if my friend is going through a difficult situation, and I know I can’t provide a solution to the situation itself, it doesn’t mean I should abandon them and our relationship altogether. If I simply listen to them, or go on a walk with them, or watch a movie and eat a meal with them, I am not contributing anything toward solving the issue explicitly (other than moral support), but those actions still matter.

So, actions that don’t provide immediate relief or offer a solution are not useless (even if they are in an economic sense) and our service and thanksgiving to God is similarly perhaps unneeded but not useless.