Giving Thanks: Part 1

November is traditionally the month we focus on giving thanks to God, the giver of all life. Originally Thanksgiving Day was a day set aside for us to pause & celebrate our gratitude to God our Creator, for all that He is to us & for all the rich beauty & bounty of the earth He has blessed us with. However, as time has gone by it would seem as though to some extent the awareness & expression of the goodness of God has faded to the point that Thanksgiving Day has become primarily a day of partying & feasting absent of gratitude & grace for our Living Lord. The imperative to rejoice & give thanks in an attitude of thanksgiving are the two most frequently stated imperatives in the Bible. Included in this November writing are some verses from the Bible to help us all lift up a renewed sense of gratitude & praise to God the giver of all life.

“O give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us, & we are His. We are His people & the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, & His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is God’s will for you.”

 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” ~ Colossians 3:17

“When we recognize God and the goodness and beauty of all that He has created, and all that He gives to us, it will turn our hearts from the suffering, indifference, hopelessness, and despair of life, into praiseful, prayerful, hopeful, rejoicing, which will naturally fill our hearts with the peace that surpasses all earthly understanding.“

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy