November, 2010
Grace and Peace to You!
I have a friend, a pastor, who wrote in his November letter to his congregation a list of things for which he is thankful. I, too, penned a similar letter.
Being thankful seems to be a rare commodity to come by these days. There is almost a sense of being “beholding” to someone; and “beholding” smacks of being indebted. We are an independent people, we Americans. We like to be self-sufficient, and many of are reluctant to receive aid from anyone. We’re willing to give help, but embarrassed to receive. We don’t like being indebted to others.
But, being indebted, beholding, thankful is just what this season is about. I think of all the families that this church will feed during our annual Thanksgiving basket drive. Nearly 800 people will partake in an old-fashioned meal of turkey and stuffing. Some of the people receiving the baskets will be grateful, others…not so much. We have no control over how people will respond. So, why do we go to so much trouble? Because, we, ourselves, are thankful.
We know that our very being rests solely in the goodness of God. Our Baptismal sacrament reminds us that “we are born children of a fallen generation.” We live in a condition that is apart from the will and presence of God. The consequence of this reality is death. The Good News is that Christ, God’s only Son, has come to mend the breach between humankind and God. Jesus’s death on the cross has closed the grave and opened to us the reality of eternal life. We cannot fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s gift of salvation to us; but, we are grateful. We live as both saints (redeemed and acceptable to God) and sinners. We are not perfect, but Christ has claimed us as his own. We are grateful, beholden, indebted.
Remember to be thankful this month. Take time to tell your beloved that you are thankful for them. Give thanks to God for all the good things that you have. Be thankful that Christ gave up his life for you. Come to church, hear the Good News that God loves you.
In Peace,
Pastor Barb