Nov 24, 2011
A Sacramental View of Thanksgiving
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Gospel Identity - Worship | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that so far has not been corrupted by excessive materialism. Often, the traditions are simply focused around a meal. Some may have a tradition of going around a table and voicing gratitude for various things in our lives. By Thanksgiving, many of us are already becoming preoccupied with the upcoming stress of Christmas. Because of that, often times the opportunity of Thanksgiving can often be missed.
The fact that we as Americans actually have a major holiday set aside to practicing some gratitude is an amazing thing to think about. At no point in history has a people group experienced more abundance and power. According to a recent study, even the poorest Americans have a wealth with a purchasing power similar to that of the richest of India. Relatively speaking, we have experienced significant national peace, and most have excess access to food, transportation, education, housing and opportunity.
As Christians sojourning within this great country, we have even more to be thankful for. We experience religious freedom and toleration that is unheard of. Not only are we allowed religious assembly, but we are additionally given tax breaks for our houses of worship. Imagine what a First, Second or early Third century Christian would think of that?
In addition to all of the "out-there" gratitude that we share with citizens of earth and this country, each of us has our unique life situation. Based on who we are, who we have around us, where we are, and what we do, our life is uniquely mapped out by the providence of God to promote a very specific response of gratitude and worship back to him.
If we are to be honest though, most of us don't get this. How quickly we move from showing a tiny bit of gratitude for a new situation or an answered prayer to complaining about the very gifts God gave us. How quickly we lose faith in the one who cares about us so well, that not a hair can fall from our heads apart from his will. I'm sure you don't any examples for areas in your life where you have been ungrateful, I know I didn't. What about some practical examples for fostering gratitude?
Gratitude starts with an understanding of what is owed to us versus what is an undeserved gift. Christian doctrine sets our expectations fairly low on the “owed” category. What is owed to us pretty much consists of God’s punishment, and anything outside of that is a gift. That literally means everything both eternal and temporal. A healthy practice is to regularly make a mental note of all of the good things in your life that you can think of, quietly thanking God for them. Whether it is family (even the ones who annoy you), a job (even the one you complain about), where you live (even though the neighbors frustrate you, skills (even though you wish you had that person’s), your bodily health (even if there is more of you to be thankful for than last year). The point is, focus on what you have and not on what you don’t.
An “ungrateful Christian” should be an oxymoron. Our identity is a mosiac built from all of the roles and relationships we have. Our deepest, most true identity is that of Christ’s bride who was purchased by his own blood and body. Historically speaking, one of the most central practices that marks someone as a Christian is the Lord’s Supper, where we come together for a meal of grateful remembrance of his sacrifice and hopeful anticipation to our future inheritance. What is interesting about this practice is that the early Christians labeled it the “Eucharist” from the greek “Eucharisto” or to give thanks. It was literally a meal of thanks giving.
Think about that for a minute: The primary way in which an apostolic Christian worships God is with a shared celebration meal of gratefulness. Thankfulness and appreciation is key to living life to it’s fullest. A life of abundance without gratitude is a life wasted, while a life with precious little, but enjoyed with thankfulness is a life lived to the fullest. Instead of always living in the hypothetical future of when we might have more to be thankful for, we should all attempt to squeeze every last drop of life out of the present.
Do you struggle with covetousness? bitterness? jealousy? fear and anxiety? depression? lust? These are all killed with a healthy dose of gratitude. These weeds cannot grow in the soil of gratefulness. A grateful heart is too full of enjoying the current blessings of God to worry about potential others.
The founder and basis of our entire religion, Jesus Christ, was homeless, jobless, had family condescend him, religious leaders publicly slander his image, a close friend betray him to death, and suffered the most shameful and painful torture at the ripe age of 33. He did not pass on his family name, left no inheritance, didn’t write a single book, and ultimately was considered a failure by many after his death. And he lived his life with joy and gratitude toward his Father at all points. He loved God and loved others, the only two things that matter in life.
So why not use this opportunity of it not being socially awkward for us to express verbal gratitude for the things in our lives that we have been given? Maybe we can even grow it into a posture of living that quietly receives whatever God's good pleasure hands out to us with a trusting gratefulness, knowing that he is good. Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Joe Paravisini in Gospel Identity - Worship
