Turkeys are on sale at the grocery store, Stove Top Stuffing is conveniently stacked prominently at the end of an aisle, Cream of Mushroom soup is available right inside the main door, and pumpkin pie shells and pie filling are nicely displayed side by side in a very visible location. It seems that a certain holiday, Thanksgiving, will soon be here, and the grocery stores are doing their part to make sure all our favorite foods will be conveniently available for us to purchase.
Of course, Nancy has put out some fall / Thanksgiving type decorations. I’m even cleaning up my home office, with Nancy’s help, because we’ve got company coming (our children – and families). So, we need extra space for people to sleep. Yes, Thanksgiving is coming, and the preparations are in process for a wonderful holiday.
So, the food preparations are likely well in hand for all of us and our homes are likely in pretty good order, what else needs to be done? Well, what about ourselves – you know, each of us? Are you…am I, emotionally or spiritually prepared for Thanksgiving? That’s a great question. Now just in case you’re wondering what there is to get ready for, I feel that Thanksgiving is more than just a national holiday. It’s also an opportunity for us to reflect on how the attitude of gratitude is developing and growing in each of our lives.
Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians) is known as a Letter of Joy. In that short letter Paul repeatedly, five times, speaks of the Joy that is his, in spite of the fact that he is in prison when he writes the letter. Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae (Colossians) should be referred to as Paul’s Letter of Thanksgiving because six times in the four short chapters, Paul speaks of giving thanks to God or being thankful and encourages Jesus followers to do the same.
You might wonder, how is that possible?? You might be thinking that Paul doesn’t live in our world. Paul doesn’t know about the economic conditions of our day; he doesn’t know about all the struggles in our nation and in our world. He doesn’t know about the troubles of cancer or covid, or mental illness, etc. Paul doesn’t know about the troubles of living in the 21st century.
What we all need to keep in mind is that Paul, likely born into a family of means, spent most of his adult years experiencing many trials and challenges as he faithfully followed Jesus. In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he writes about all the struggles he’s endured; whipped, beaten with rods, stoned, three times shipwrecked, in danger from bandits, gentiles, and even Jewish authorities, etc. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. Despite all this, Paul is able to be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving and encourages each of us to do the same.
You see, the truth that Paul knew in life that he wants to pass on to each of us is this, thankfulness in not so much about one’s circumstances, it’s about one’s disposition and character. Even in the Old Testament, the Psalmist writes about giving thanks and praise to God and entering God’s presence with thanksgiving. It wasn’t about just feeling it in one’s heart…it was about having an attitude, having the disposition that no matter what, no matter one’s circumstances, there is still much to be grateful for.
Yes, the last couple years have been difficult in so many ways. There have been struggles in each of our lives, many that I’m not aware of. Yet, despite all of that, there is still so much that we can be thankful for. There is still so much goodness in this world and in our lives…because, no matter what, God is with us.
So, as we make our way to the Thanksgiving Holiday, now just a few days away, we all know we can’t go to Coborns or County Fair and pick up a one-pack or a family-pack of Thankfulness. However, we can develop the type of thankfulness within us that Paul and many of the Psalmists speak of, by simply looking beyond our circumstances, to see the larger presence of blessings in our lives…as well as seeing and knowing, that no matter what…God is with us! May we all continue to grow deeper in our attitude of gratitude!!
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith