Happy Thanksgiving! Giving thanks is not an uniquely Christian thing to do. People of all faiths, and even of no faith, can be thankful, for a myriad of reasons. Possibly, many Thanksgiving celebrations this weekend willl proceed with little thought of a Divine One.
Yet our readings from Scripture for this coming Sunday invite us to remember or to make that connection. For example, the writer of I Timothy (4:4-9) sees giving thanks as a continuing prayerful response to God’s promises. Through it, the Creator draws us into relationship. We begin to see the bigger picture of life, God’s vision of it. We learn that we can have joy, thankgiving, even in the midst of troubles, struggles, and disbelief, because God in Christ revealed to us love, forgiveness, grace, and caring.
“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 anythng, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpases all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
