Thanksgiving is never out of place for the Christian.
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
(Psalm 111:1-10)
The Psalmist speaks, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.”
I hope to do the same this week as I gather with my church family, extended family, and immediate family; each of which is a fitting group to “Praise the Lord!” And I also hope for a quiet Friday morning, a cup of coffee, and a conversation with my bride, as we bask in a few hours where “all our kids are home again.”
Giving thanks is an ancient practice for the Christian. Today I am thinking of an Old Testament singer of Psalm 111, and the works he might recall:
- The promise that was first spoken in the garden. (Genesis 3)
- The mighty deliverance through the flood. (Genesis 6-9)
- The blood of the Passover lamb and freedom from Egypt. (Exodus 12-14)
- Manna and quail, sent from heaven. (Exodus 16)
- The LORD, slow to anger and abounding in love. (Exodus 34)
- Indeed, “He has sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!” (Psalm 111:9)
Can you tell that story – the story of redemption? How might you tell it this week as you remember and give thanks for how the Lord has brought redemption to the one you love? To your house? And to you?
I think of Zacchaeus (Luke 19), and the day that Jesus spent having a little turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and Detroit Lions football with Zacchaeus and his family (I will admit that’s a bit of a stretch, but we Lions fans are long-suffering). The religious elite despised that marvelous meal, muttering, “He has gone in to be a guest of a man who is a sinner” (vs. 7) And yet Jesus declared: “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (vs. 8-9).
I think of those I love. I think of those undeserving. I think of those crowded around Thanksgiving tables and those who, for various reasons, are not. I think of Christ’s redemption story which unfolds with you and me as its target end.
Throughout the history of God’s Old and New Testament people, and in churches and homes and over quiet morning cups of coffee, thanksgiving still flows for the reasons outlined in Psalm 111:
- Great are the Works of the LORD.
- His righteousness endures forever.
- The LORD is gracious and merciful.
- He provides food for those who fear him.
- The works of his hands are faithful and just.
- He sent redemption to his people…holy and awesome is his name.
This past week I found this prayer, tucked away in an old prayer book, handed down from one generation to the next: “I look at Jesus dying for me, and I know what my life is: from you, for you, to you, my dear God.” Or as author Brennan Manning puts it: “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it” (The Ragamuffin Gospel).
Whether from an Old Psalmist, a short little man named Zacchaeus, or out of your own lips, thanksgiving is never out of place for the Christian.
This is a gift from the Spirit, that “with my whole heart” and tired lips, the child of God never stops praising: “Great, are the works of the Lord!”
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