Psalms
A PASTORAL LETTER
Dear family,
I trust that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and that there really was some thanksgiving, stuffing your heart! The sad fact is that we do not seem to be grateful or thankful by our nature. Every parent in the world loses count of the number of times that they have to ask the child to render thanks. It seems to be a trained attitude of mind! It would seem that there are many contrary manifestations of attitudes and inclinations that come very naturally and that oppose the nurture of gratitude. We seem easily discontented and dissatisfied, hard to please, unsubmissive, distrusting, picky, spoiled, opinionated, mean-spirited and hard-hearted, critical and judgmental, independent and self-made; proud with a sense of injured merit, a sense of rights; we seem more easily aware of what we do not have than what we do have. As Dostoyoevsky put it: “If he is not stupid he is monstrously ungrateful. In fact, I believe the best definition of man is ‘the ungrateful biped.’” In our home, every day as we leave and enter, we have to walk by a framed quotation that has hung on our wall for well over two decades, words from one of my very favorite poets, George Herbert. “Thou hast given so much to us. Give one thing more – a grateful heart.” That might be a good daily prayer for you, too!
You could argue that the opening volley of sin in the Garden of Eden, the root of the dynamics of the Fall, was simply ingratitude. God’s goodness is questioned amidst a feast of provision because there is nothing better to think about than what was not allowed. Paul seems to grasp this in Roms. 1 when he describes the root of evil and wickedness as the failure to “give thanks to Him.” (Roms. 1:21) It would seem then that thanksgiving is a significant spiritual power.
On Sunday we agreed that thanksgiving for so many things is big in the psalms, only because the praise of God the giver, happens to be huge. We noticed that thanksgiving is expressed in good times and bad, and the personal commitment of the psalmist to be thankful, becomes his exhortation to all to be thankful, which morphs yet again into the commanding language of Psalm 118 and Psalm 136: “Give thanks to the Lord!” Thanksgiving is not an elective, not an option, not a suggestion.
For the purposes of this letter let me give you the gist of what the Psalms present about thanksgiving and relay it in NT terms, in 5 short, no-nonsense points.
1. “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything…God created everything to be
received with thanksgiving” (Ephs. 1:20; 1 Tim. 4:2)
2. “Giving thanks in all circumstances…” (1 Thess. 5:18)
3. “thanksgivings be made for everyone…” (1 Tim. 2:1)
4. “whatever…in word or deed….giving thanks to God” (Cols. 3:17)
5. “continually offer to God the fruit of lips giving thanks…” (Hebr. 13:15)
Let me summarize the message on thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is:
• for everything
• for everyone
• in every circumstance
• in every word and deed
• at every moment
That sounds comprehensive and compelling! Any questions? So why are we so thankless? How are you doing? So what things, what people, what circumstances, what words and deeds, what opportunities are outside this call to this obedience? These may just add up to a lot of thanklessness, a lot of ingratitude, a lot of discontent, a lot of complaint, a lot of gossip, a lot of covetousness.
We did look at some other important relationships between thanksgiving and creation, calling, remembrance, prayer, and also healthy community. Did you realize that the health of a church community like ours is impacted, affected, by the thanksgiving quotient of its members? If everyone in the church was exactly like you in the thanksgiving stakes, would we be an encouraged and encouraging church? Let’s get thankfulness-for-one-another etched deep I our hearts and our prayers and our affirming and blessing conversations!
Thankfully yours,
Stuart
http://www.christourshepherd.org/pastlet.htm (and follow links to download MP3 audio of sermon)