God’s Grace and Peace to you!
“O give thanks to the Lord for He is good His steadfast love endures forever!” These words from the book of Psalms are very similar to the words that I have repeated many times around mealtimes. I’m embarrassed to say that those words have at times become somewhat routine. Sometimes in the rush of life, I have treated them as some sort of ritual incantation that I must recite as a required offering to God.
As we read the writings of the Apostle Paul and his views on giving our God thanks and praise, we begin to understand that thankfulness does not consist in words that we might repeat on command or without thought. Our words of thanks are to spring forth from our heart and flow out from our lips.
As we read in Paul’s letter to the people of Christ’s Church at Philippi, he urges all Christians to give thanks to the Lord always – because our God gives us every reason to give thanks and we are given endless opportunities to give our thanks.
As Paul writes to the Philippians, he does not limit our thanks to being thankful for things like a special meal, or a family gathering, or a bank account balance. Paul instructs us to give thanks to the Lord always – because God is always near. Though nearly 2000 years have passed since Paul first wrote this letter, we, like the Philippian Christians, watch with eagerness, anticipating that our Lord could return to take us to be with him at any moment. In this matter of waiting, we refer to the Psalms: “For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).
If Paul would be writing to us as Lutheran Christians today, I think that he would remind us that the peace that God has produced for us was won by Jesus on the cross and that peace of and from God is ours through faith. This peace is more powerful, more stable, and more lasting than any peace that the human mind could imagine. The peace that God gives us through the cross of Christ is that we are freed from sin as we are washed clean in the waters of our baptism – waters that we return to in those times in which we sin again. God Almighty, the creator of the universe, comes to us through his Gospel in Word and Sacrament and stands guard over our hearts and minds keeping our whole being safe.
Because we know that our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is always with us, we know that the peace of God is guarding us. Just as we can be certain that nothing can tear us away from our God’s hands.
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, let us continue to bring all of ourselves diligently to the foot of the cross. It is there that our Savior willingly took upon himself our guilt and shame. It is there where he suffered for our sins. But, just as he didn’t remain there, we know that because he lives, we too shall live.
There is no doubt that our God pours out on us blessing after blessing after blessing. We are then charged to always give him thanks. So, continue to bring your prayers, your petitions, and your requests before him with thanksgiving in your hearts. It is always the right time to respond to his blessings with praise in our hearts, joy on our lips, and thankfulness in our actions. Always give God praise and thanks because his steadfast love does endure forever!
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NRSVUE)