Thanksgiving at the Altar

"Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High."—Psalm 50:14

Picture it: an Israelite stands before the temple, holding the fruits of his labor—a basket of grain, olives, or grapes. Perhaps his hands tremble as he remembers how close the harvest came to failing, how the rains came just in time, or how he was spared from disaster along the way. As he approaches that holy altar, he lifts his voice in a psalm of thanksgiving: “The LORD is my strength and my song; He is become my salvation” (Exodus 15:2). The basket is placed before the priest as an overflow of a heart full of gratitude. This is called todah in the Hebrew—a thanks that gives from the heart —a thanksgiving.

The Hebrew word todah captures something we often lose in our modern understanding of gratitude. It is a feeling, but a feeling rooted in action—a giving back to God in response to His overwhelming goodness. It is a holy exchange: the recognition of His gifts and the surrender of our hearts. When William Tyndale crafted the word “thanksgiving,” he interwove these two threads into a new English word that both thanks, and gives, from the heart.

The Roots of Our Thanksgiving

Our American Thanksgiving tenders this same spirit. Our Pilgrim Fathers, wounded by hardship and loss, looked to the God of the Bible who had sustained them. Their first harvest, though humble, was a visible token of His faithfulness to an unworthy people. As they gathered with feasting and prayer, they were responding to grace. If you’ve ever researched the first Thanksgiving, their Thanksgiving was not about abundance at their table, but the abundance of God's mercies.

Yet, how often do we forget this? How often do our tables groan under the weight of food while our hearts remain light with gratitude? The Hebrew idea of todah calls us to go deeper. Biblical Thanksgiving is not a holy day (holiday) but a holy act. It calls us to praise the Giver with more than words—it calls us to bring Him an offering of the heart.

Transforming Our Tables into Altars

As you gather with your family this Thanksgiving, may your table become an altar. Picture the food before you as a visible sign of God's unseen hand. Let the laughter of loved ones remind you that His grace flows not just in the spiritual but in our daily bread. Pause, look around, and let the moment become something more than the run-up to Black Friday, where we often worship at a different altar.

What would it look like to bring the spirit of todah into your home? Perhaps it is in the words spoken—simple yet heartfelt testimonies of God's goodness. Perhaps it is in the hands extended to serve one another, or in the prayers lifted up for those who are not at the table. True thanksgiving does not stop at acknowledging God's gifts; it gifts back, seeking to pour out of our fullness into the lives of others.

Christ, Our Thanksgiving

In all of this, remember that true thanksgiving rests on the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate thank offering, isn’t He? At the cross, He poured Himself out completely, the perfect sacrifice of love and gratitude to the Father. And now, through Him, even the smallest whisper of true thanks from our lips is made acceptable to God. What mercy! What grace! Every blessing in our lives, from the food we eat to the breath we draw, flows from Him.

Will we enter this season empty-handed? Doubtful. But will we be empty-hearted? Bring your heart, your praise, your love—offer it all back to the One who has given everything for sinners like us. Let our thanksgiving rise to Him, not just on the last Thursday of November, but in every moment, as an offering of our lives.

A Heartfelt Call

So as we sit at our table this Thanksgiving, may it be more than a meal. May it be a todah, a moment of holy remembrance and joyful giving. Speak of God’s goodness with your children. Give thanks for the trials He has brought you through. Offer your heart anew to Him who is worthy of all praise. And as you share the feast with those you love, let your thanksgiving spill over into acts of love and service, reflecting the heart of the Giver.

True thanksgiving is not just what we are thankful for—it is what we give. And in the giving, we taste the joy of the One who has given us all things.¹

1. A TBS meeting turned my thoughts to William Tyldale and how the Spirit used him to craft new words from Hebrew idioms from the Old Testament for our benefit in the English language. Thanksgiving is one such word.