Charlie Kirk’s final Thanksgiving message inspires gratitude after death

Nearly three months after his assassination, Charlie Kirk’s legacy inspires many to live their lives with gratitude, prayer and truth. In 2024, just weeks after the presidential election, Kirk delivered a Thanksgiving statement about the importance of being grateful. Communio president JP De Gance says this is a message that is still relevant in 2025.

“I think Charlie’s message repeats those messages of Thanksgiving from a long time ago, when we were in different times, we had setbacks as a country, we had suffering as a country, we had losses as a country and the message of Thanksgiving is that we can be grateful in all things,” De Gance told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We can look up to God from above and thank Him both for all of our many blessings and then even, you know, it’s through our suffering that we so often grow into better men and women.”

Kirk said he loved Thanksgiving, which he called “a uniquely American tradition,” because it was a time when people of all faiths could come together to recognize the importance of gratitude.

“I think it speaks very well to our nation that there is a day when we stop and say thank you,” Kirk said in 2024. He believed that “the ungrateful make the world worse” and “the grateful make the world better.”

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Candles and flowers are placed near an image of Charlie Kirk, during a vigil at Orem’s downtown park, after American right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, September 11, 2025. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

“Gratitude is the fruit that makes everything else taste sweet. But then to whom should you be grateful? To the Almighty God,” he added.

De Gance also spoke about the importance of gratitude in the Christian faith, emphasizing that humility allows Christians to recognize the good things in their lives that emanate from God. He added that although Thanksgiving occurs once a year for the nation, it is something that “should be part of the daily Christian walk.”

In his Thanksgiving 2024 message, Kirk encouraged his listeners to disconnect from technology this Thanksgiving and instead connect with their families.

A family gathers to cook and eat a Thanksgiving meal. (iStock)

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De Gance agrees, saying it’s important for Americans to take the time to focus less on the “noise” of the modern world and more on those around them.

“There’s so much noise coming from our technology and the world around us, and I think it’s a great reminder, a great message and an exhortation to disconnect from devices and take a step back from the daily noise,” De Gance said.

In keeping with Communio’s mission, De Gance advised that this Thanksgiving holiday, people look for ways to invite those who may not have a community to join them. He spoke about the importance of seeking out those who may not have people to enjoy Thanksgiving with and extending an invitation to them.

A group joins hands in prayer during a Bible study. (iStock)

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“It can give us a chance and an opportunity to invite other people into our home, to invite them in and experience that gratitude,” De Gance said. “We have an epidemic of loneliness that is ravaging our country. . . . So we can ask ourselves: What are we doing to invite people who may not have someone to enjoy Thanksgiving with this season, or someone who might be away from family and unable to travel, someone who might be a first responder and might not be able to return to their family.”

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For those looking to honor Kirk’s legacy this Thanksgiving, De Gance suggests drawing inspiration from the late activist’s key messages. He also advised young people to attend church on Thanksgiving weekend and everyone to invite family and loved ones to join in prayers of gratitude.

In his final Thanksgiving message, Kirk said “the fundamental story of Thanksgiving is understanding that there is a God and you are not above Him.”

“We must have the humility to know that God is sovereign,” Kirk said.