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Thanksgiving and Gratitude for Creation: Deut. 8, Luke 17

Thanksgiving and Gratitude for Creation: Deut. 8, Luke 17

Last updated on: November 11, 2026 at 1:48 pm by Leah D. Schade

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Thanksgiving and Gratitude for Creation: Deut. 8, Luke 17 2026-11-11T13:48:27-04:00 Leah D. Schade

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The Thanksgiving holiday is an ideal time to express gratitude for God’s Creation and reorient our hearts toward service and sustainability.

Child holding hands with family at Thanksgiving table

Thanksgiving is an ideal time to express gratitude for God’s Creation. Photo by RDNE Stock Project on Pexels

Here are ideas for reading and preaching about Deuteronomy 8:7-18 and Luke 17:11-19. The Revised Common Lectionary assigns these texts for Thanksgiving Eve in Year A. This installment of the EcoPreacher 1-2-3 series equips preachers and congregations to engage these passages through an ecological lens.

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Eco-Exegesis

Eco-exegesis is a method of interpreting the biblical text through a green lens using the principles of ecological theology.

Deuteronomy 8:10-11: You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today.

Luke 17:18-19: [Jesus said to the man who was healed of leprosy]: “Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Preparing for the Thanksgiving Eve Service

In many communities across the United States, houses of worship join in ecumenical or interfaith Thanksgiving Eve services. Nearly all religious traditions include a spiritual practice of giving thanks. Thanksgiving offers an ideal opportunity to bridge theological and religious divides by standing on the common ground of gratitude.

For churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary, this year’s Thanksgiving readings emphasize not only the need to give thanks but also the humility that makes gratitude possible. Such humility requires a reorientation of priorities, especially for those who enjoy wealth and comfort. Giving thanks for the Earth is central to that reorientation. As these two passages show, gratitude is more than just a feeling. It calls us to act in ways that protect the health of the planet for all living beings.

Remembering Our Connection to God and Creation

In Deuteronomy 8:7-18, Moses speaks to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. According to Rabbis Yonatan Neril and Leo Dee, “God is warning the Israelites not to forget the lessons that they learned when they were desperate and dependent in the desert. They, too, must remember it once they…become wealthier and feel independent” (Eco Bible, Vol. 2, 147).

The rabbis further reflect, “When the people were tangibly dependent on God in the desert for their food (the manna) and shelter (clouds of glory), they had no problem seeing the role of God in their lives.” That perspective changed once they came into the land promised to them. When they amassed enough flocks and herds to generate substantial income, the memory of dependence faded.

“Once they built houses that could be passed down to future generations, and had excess income to spend on luxuries, it became easy to forget their connection to God’s gift of rain and soil and His protection and continued, yet invisible, influence in their lives” (Eco Bible, Vol. 2, 147-8). The Thanksgiving holiday is an ideal time to remember our connection to God and Creation and express both gratitude and humility.

Let gratitude be like the sun to your flowers. Keep your face always turned toward its light. - Leah D. Schade

Remembering to be Grateful

Luke 17:11-19 tells a parallel story about forgetting to be grateful. After Jesus heals a group of men afflicted with leprosy, they leave without acknowledging what he has done for them. Only one—an outsider—returns. We don’t know what compels him to come back, but perhaps he had already made gratitude a spiritual discipline. Whatever his reason, he returns to express sincere appreciation for the healing Jesus has given him.

For people who enjoy wealth and comfort today, these passages call for gratitude, humility, and renewed attention to the Earth. Gratitude carries with it a moral imperative: we must act in ways that ensure the health of this planet for all living beings. As the Rabbis remind us, “Material blessing should not be an end in itself. Using abundance for the common good is key to a sustainable society. Spirituality in the service of sustainability will help the next generation inherit a livable and thriving planet” (Eco Bible, Vol. 2, 148).

Practicing Gratitude Together

Importantly, gratitude cannot remain an individual endeavor; congregations must practice it together. They can express their gratitude and care for the Earth by joining climate marches, meeting with elected officials, or writing letters to support climate policies and legislation. Engaging in local environmental advocacy such as protesting a toxic landfill or industry can galvanize a church to protect the community. Churches can also create rituals that orient believers toward Creation: worshiping outdoors, lamenting threatened natural lands and extinct species, and blessing community gardens.

1 Eco-Idea

The Eco-Idea is one succinct statement that tells us who God is and/or what God does in relation to Creation and how we should respond as people of faith.

Thanksgiving turns us toward God’s Creation and calls us to express our gratitude through service and sustainability.

2 Eco-Questions

Eco-Questions are what we can ask to help a congregation draw out the implications of the Eco-Exegesis and Eco-Idea.

How might our Thanksgiving meals change if we paused not only to give thanks but also to eat consciously and reflect on the blessings of the Earth? What might we notice when we focus on the taste, smell, and texture of each bite? How could this practice of mindful eating improve our physical and spiritual health on this day and throughout the rest of the year?
Instead of rushing to shop for deals after the Thanksgiving meal or the day after, what might happen if you and your loved ones took a walk in a local park, botanical garden, or nature preserve? How might extending your gratitude, humility, and commitment to sustainability for one more day change the holiday?

3 Eco-Actions

Eco-Actions are ways that a congregation might respond to the Eco-Idea and Eco-Questions. One of these possibilities may have salience for your ministry context.

Encourage your congregation to join Blessed Tomorrow’s One Home, One Future, a multi-faith climate action campaign to strengthen vitality, relevance, and community connection across generations in local congregations nationwide.
During the prayers of the people in your community Thanksgiving worship service—or on the Sunday following Thanksgiving—pray for God’s Creation and for unity in caring for our common home.
Call your denominational head office and ask if they have divested from fossil fuels. If the answer is yes, thank them. If the answer is no, ask why. Tell them why this is important to you as a member of the church.

Gratitude is More than Skin Deep: Thanksgiving Sermon

Thanksgiving Readings: Interfaith & Secular Gratitude

EcoPreacher 1-2-3

EcoPreacher 1-2-3 is a partnership between the Rev. Dr. Leah Schade and the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, publishers of Eco Bible, a Jewish ecological commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures. We provide Creation-centered sermon preparation that is short, accessible, and based on a solid biblical foundation. To see other EcoPreacher ideas and to sign up to receive future EcoPreacher 1-2-3 installments, click here.

Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is a seminary professor, ordained minister, and grant director of Compelling Preaching in a Climate-Changed World, a partnership of Lexington Theological Seminary, Creation Justice Ministries, and The BTS Center. Her opinions are her own.

Leah is the author of Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her book, Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, was co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).

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Thanksgiving and Gratitude for Creation: Deut. 8, Luke 17

Eco-Exegesis

Preparing for the Thanksgiving Eve Service

Remembering Our Connection to God and Creation

Remembering to be Grateful

Practicing Gratitude Together

1 Eco-Idea

2 Eco-Questions

3 Eco-Actions

Read also:

EcoPreacher 1-2-3

Which prophet saw a vision of a flying scroll?