Thanksgiving divine service, celebrated each year on the first Sunday of the month of October, gives the faithful of the Church the opportunity to express their gratitude to God especially and in various ways.
In many congregations in Nigeria, it is the sisters who are responsible for decorating the altar. Fruits and different kind of items dominated in the decorations as a demonstration of gratitude to God for His creation.
Psalms 145: 2-3 “Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable”, was mostly read in many congregations with the main message: "Recognizing the greatness of God."
Gratitude was at the heart of the day's teaching, and most of the ministers who served, introduced the divine service with the message of the day:
Recognizing the greatness of God:
The divine creation is so admirable that it never ceases to fascinate the scientific world with its complexity and perfection. God created man in his image and endowed him with various faculties. He entrusted to man the duty of caring for and preserving the earth. He offers us salvation, he protects us in a miraculous way, he takes care, in the smallest details, of our life.
God is greater than we can imagine:
God sees much further than us, God is not limited by the physical laws that govern human life, he is on the other hand master of times and circumstances. He comes to our aid in a completely unexpected way. He comes to our aid by giving us a task to accomplish. In our life, we have often thought that we have done some works for God, and we end up understanding that it is the opposite, it is God who accomplishes many things for us. Serving God has allowed us to be blessed and grow in Christ. The salvation he offers us is beyond our understanding.
The implication of knowing that God is great:
We will always have a reason to thank God - we trust in his will, his word and his love.