Thanks Giving

The turkey, dressing and all guarantee that this could be a five pound holiday. It is worth it to be at the table with family and friends telling stories and passing rolls. In this setting of abundance, I am asked to reflect on my gifts and give thanks. 

This is an interesting year at Thanksgiving. People are losing jobs; businesses are losing customers; consumers are losing confidence; portfolios are losing value. The GNP is in ICU; interest rates are hardly interesting at all. As they used to sing on HeeHaw: "If it weren't for bad news, there'd be no news at all." And on these cheery notes, have a great Thankgiving.

But that is not really the point, is it? The point is not to be thankful only in abundance or only for abundance. Christians are called upon to be thankful in all situations. Read again Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The heart of the Christian can appreciate blessings when those folks who are filled with darkness would not see them. The eyes of a disciple are much more discerning. Christians in war-torn Sudan offer thanks. Christians in brutally mismanaged Zimbabwe offer thanks. Christians meeting in secret in China offer thanks. Christians on Wall Street offer thanks. Giving thanks is the product of focused, disciplined attentiveness to the work of God in the world. So let us give thanks — not just because of what we have, but because of the One who has us and is at work in everything around us.

God help us all.