A Word from Wendy: Thanksgiving
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6–7
Every once in a while I stumble upon an idea that opens a window to a horizon I wasn’t even sure was out there and, once the window is open, it cannot be closed.
While in seminary, in a course studying the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, there was a section on the various names we use for Communion. The Lord’s Supper, The Last Supper, Holy Communion, Mass, and The Eucharist are the most common. I learned that “Eucharist” was from the Greek eucharistos, meaning grateful, thankful, or well-favored. Just as the apostle Paul tells the Philippians to make their requests to God with eucharistia (thanksgiving), we offer a prayer known as The Great Thanksgiving as part of our liturgy during Communion. It was a day in class where I noticed a window in a wall and the window opened just a crack.
Then, about a decade ago, I picked up a book by Ann Voskamp titled “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are.” And the window was flung wide open!
267. Small bouquets of red maple leaves in a sea of green
268. Plaques proclaiming “hope,” “peace,” “love,” “joy”: the remnant of a long-ago Advent
269. The pumpkin spice creamer for my coffee
Voskamp invites her readers into her journey of studying and reflecting on Scripture and life, and her discovery that the “habit of discontentment can only be driven out by hammering in one iron sharper. The sleek pin of gratitude.” Not “a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life [which] leaves me thankful for very few thing” but one very specific “nail” of gratitude at a time. The act of naming moments of grace. A habit of listing God’s gifts. I decided to begin my own Gratitude Journal, creating and regularly adding to the list of the things for which I was thankful.
270. The many shades of blue-violet revealed by sun and shadow on my office walls
271. The quiet of an “empty” sanctuary permeated with prayer
272. The faithful witness of a Body & Soul guest
The practice of gratitude is a spiritual discipline that we return to each year as the fourth Thursday of November approaches. I’d like to be able to tell you that my list of thanksgivings reached one thousand, but the written list is still a work in progress. Some days I’m more attentive than others. I can tell you that daring to see and name and give thanks for God’s many gifts has been life changing. And I dare you to give it a try.
273. The snoring of the cat in a ray of autumn sunshine
Praying the blessings of thanksgiving for you and yours, this November and always.
Grace and peace, Pastor Wendy