Gratitude is Evidence of Salvation.
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalm 100)
Every day I drive Miles and Linus to school, and we're always listening to the radio: The Ticket, the March of the Day on WRR, or The 7:20 Game on 100.3. But this week was different: it's been wall-to-wall Christmas music. After a couple of days of this, Linus asks: "Isn't it too early for this?" "Yes," I said, and continued humming along to Hark the Herald Angels Sing, or Silver Bells, or even that sort of creepy Baby It's Cold Outside.
Now all of this is highly unusual for me.
As a liturgical person, I am well aware that Advent doesn't begin this year until December 1, and that technically Christmas doesn't begin until Christmas Eve. I have been a stickler for keeping the so-called "Christmas spirit" at bay throughout my ministry, so that we could properly prepare ourselves for Christ's birth by waiting. I mean, how many social media posts did you see this year of people complaining about Christmas decorations up in the stores before Halloween?? Black Friday is no longer a day of shopping but a month! I've seen "Black Friday" advertisements promising great deals now through December 14! That's like four Fridays??
So why have I been so welcoming of holiday music on the radio? Part of it was the weather; I love the cold, and waking up to temperatures in the 20s twice this week fills me with joy! Growing up in the humid subtropical weather of the coast of Texas, it wasn't unusual for us to have Thanksgiving in the 70s and 80s, which even as a kid I thought was wrong. But this week it hasn't been difficult to imagine chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose!
Another reason has to be nostalgia. Yall are well aware by now that both of my grandparents died this year, so the holidays will have a different feeling this year. I'm not longing for the past in spite of the present; just feeling a special sense of gratitude for my life, my family, my ministry, and all that I have. This started last Sunday when I was handed a pile of notes many of you wrote to me. I went straight home and read every one before we went to lunch. They all went into a giant file folder in which I have kept every note, even some pretty ugly ones, that I have received during my ministry.
Last night I was at a Walk to Emmaus event, and every time I go to one of those things I am filled with gratitude. My Walk was twenty five years ago. I will never forget the feeling of love and appreciation I experienced there; not just love for me, but love I felt for the community of the church. And it almost didn't happen. I was working as a part-time youth director in September 1994, as well as one month in to my first year of teaching eighth graders US History. I was struggling with teaching. I had heard of Emmaus throughout the years, mostly related to the food, and expressed interest in going to the associate pastor at my church. He sponsored me. On the day of the Walk, I was supposed to drive to a Catholic retreat center somewhere near the Astrodome, but I got lost, and returned home. My friend called me: "Where are you??" and gave me directions. When I arrived, everyone on the Walk was completely silent, and it was that way until the next morning. I had no idea what I had volunteered for, but I was correct; the food was awesome. I received my call to ordained ministry over that weekend. A few months later I quit teaching and moved to Dallas to attend Perkins School of Theology. I met Christy at SMU, we eventually married, and began this amazing journey of ministry that's taken us to such far and wide places as England and Sherman, TX.
It is always an appropriate time to express thanksgiving; there is no need to wait until the weather (hopefully) turns cool. In fact, just this week I found a random post on psychologytoday.com that said people who express thankfulness are happier. Dr Chris Peterson is a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. He regularly assigns to his students the task a "gratitude letter," a thank you note to someone in their lives. He does this because studies show saying thank you makes us feel better. The students are encouraged not to just write the letter and send it, but to go to the person and read the letter in their presence. Studies show after these "gratitude visits" students feel better, and are less bored and restless, for a month!
The article suggests starting with list making. List the things for which you are grateful: life, health, good food, supportive family, friends who share in your life. You actually feel better when you realize others have done good things for you. Just this morning I read a post that said spending a few moments at the beginning of the day practicing mindfulness, in this case gratitude, can have positive impacts on our health.
So let's practice this right now. Last Monday was Veteran's Day. We'll formally recognize our veterans at the Thanksgiving luncheon after 11:00 worship, but there's no reason we can't pause and say thanks now. Or what about our school teachers and administrators? We can thank them for caring for our kids. Or the volunteers who teach and nurture kids here at the church in the nursery or Sunday school or Wednesday nights. Opportunities to say thank you are everywhere. Take a couple of moments to write three names in your bulletin to whom you can express thanks this week. Be specific in your thankfulness. What comment, action, or attitude touched you?
Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
This is a communal expression of gratitude to God. God made us us, we belong to God. God shepherds us. We are God's sheep. God's steadfast love is forever; God's faithfulness and commitment to us is without end. All of the expressions of gratitude we share eventually lead back to God. Living out thanksgiving to others is a way of pointing others to God's saving grace at work in each of us.
So yeah, I am feeling extra thankful this year. I am not ready to decorate our home just yet, but I'll be rocking the Christmas tunes again this week, even as sunny 70 degree days return to us. Praise be to God, from whom all blessings flow!
Here's a prayer litany of thanksgiving:
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the hands who sew our clothes so that we do not have to go naked; sacred be the hands that build our homes so that we do not have to be cold; blessed be the hands that work the land so that we do not have to go hungry.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the feet of all who labor so that we might have rest; sacred be the feet of all who run swiftly to stand with the oppressed; blessed be the feet of all whose bodies are too broken or weary to stand.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the sound of children laughing to take away our sorrow; sacred be the sound of water falling to take away our thirst; blessed be the sound of your people singing to heal our troubled hearts.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the bodies of those who know hunger; sacred be the bodies of those who are broken; blessed be the bodies of those who suffer. In your mercy and grace, soften our callous hearts and fill us with gratitude for all that you have given to us. In your love, break down the walls that separate us and guide us along your path of peace, that we might worship you in spirit and truth. Amen.
- Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
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