Thanksgiving

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95:1-2

The other evening, I had the opportunity to introduce a small group of foreign students to the American tradition of Thanksgiving. In doing so I did a little research about the holiday.  It is a carryover from English Puritan tradition of declaring days of thanksgiving and fasting.  No one is completely sure how such a holiday became a day of turkey, football and over eating; but I had to sheepishly admit to the students that that is what it has become for far too many people.

After the initial Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621 (when they did eat venison and ‘foul’ with Native Americans), it became a fairly routine practice of colonial leaders and later state governors to declare days of thanksgiving.  It wasn’t until the nation was in the throes of a horrible civil war that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in 1863 that the fourth Thursday of November shall be observed nationally as “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”  Thanksgiving and praise to whom? Lincoln wrote, “to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

The Psalmist, likely David, long ago declared the need for thanksgiving and praise. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.”  What he did not do was set a certain date on it.  This is to be the daily attitude of God’s people.  Daily.

So as you start this morning, what are you thankful to God for?  What are you and I praising him about? Let’s not wait till thanksgiving, not wait until we are in our tryptophan stupors.  Today.  This moment.  What do you give thanks about; what do you praise God for right at this moment.

Let me encourage you to open each day this week, the rest of the month, the rest of the year with this challenge.  Let’s not wait for Thanksgiving. 

The time is now. What are you thankful for?

Battle Lines

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”  - 1 John 2:15-16

I found it more than a bit ironic that this passage came to me in an email on Veteran’s Day.  A day in which we recognize and honor those who have served in the armed forces; in particular those who have served in combat situations.  I wrote on Facebook yesterday that I’m for all those who have served this nation in a way I never have; grateful for our son Drew (Army - served in Afghanistan); I also was remembering my father (Army - WWII in Germany) and my father-in-law (Navy – Japan just after the Korean War). 

The passage was ironic because it is about battle lines.  Some may read that it depicts a battle between believers (those whom the Father is in) and non-believers (who are not from the Father but from the world).

The reality is that this passage is all about battle lines that are in each of our hearts. The battle between the love of God and “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life.”  Those are fertile battle grounds.  I’d be lying if I said that those battle grounds don’t exist within me.  For there are a lot of things in this world that I catch myself loving and desiring. For instance, I’m finishing up the first week of actually owning a smart phone.  I had no idea how really cool they were and what all I can access easily through them.  Very worldly, honestly.

I guess the good news for people like me is this: I may have my battles, but more and more the thing I desire most often goes this way:  I love Jesus.  I desire more and more to know him better.  I desire to live in his grace and walk in his ways more and more.  I want to increase my passion for sharing Jesus with people that don’t know him. More and more I want him to take over my life.

Slowly but surely he is winning the battle lines.  I am surrendering, even if it goes against my basic nature. 

OK. I downloaded a Bible reading app on phone.  Can I keep it? 

And…where are your battle lines this morning?

Life!

“who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6

This short snippet of Scripture really spoke to me today.  It is a reminder.  Being a follower and truster of Jesus is all about life! Life abundant in this existence (visit John 10:10) and life eternal in the next (visit John 3:16).

Life!

This passage spoke to me because I did have a funeral to officiate on Monday.  In Presbyterian terms, we (and I for sure) don’t call a funeral a funeral; we call it a Service of Witness to the Resurrection, being reminded that our ultimate hope comes from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Still, services like these can be difficult; the pastor is almost always working with people in initial stages of grief.  The wounds are garden fresh.  Life seems very difficult during this time. Yet, even at such a service, we don’t dwell on death, save for acknowledging the reality of it, but we dwell on life.

Life!

Sometimes I think we do dwell too much on the negative, and as I see it, the negative has a way of just sucking the life out of everything. It so easy to get caught up in that.  The passage above is a reminder (as I mentioned before) that the letter (the law) kills.  It does.  It rightfully condemns us before a holy and just God.  But. We are people of the new covenant.  Graced and blessed.  Created by God to live.

Friends, live life!  Live it loud! Live it abundant and eternally.

For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Live!