grateful – Page 3 – Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever….”

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
    O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God,
    and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
    up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV)

Show me a spiritual sourpuss, and I’ll show you a person who lives without daily gratitude toward God and others. But show me a gracious person who liberally gives thanks, and I will show you a person profoundly in touch with God’s steadfast love.

The psalmist chose to give thanks for God’s goodness and faithful love. I wonder how much different each day would be if we began it with the psalmist’s great call to worship: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

There is a misguided notion that only certain people have the attitude of gratitude – that some folks are just naturally ornery, and some are just born happy. But the truth is that gratitude and giving thanks is a practice which needs to be carefully cultivated. As it grows and develops, gratitude bears the fruit of joy.

Thankfulness is a daily decision of faith to have the kind of attitude which pleases God and blesses others.

We now know so much more about the human brain. Research has discovered that the brain is made up of an estimated 100 billion neurons making a total of 100 trillion neural connections. That’s a lot of neural power! Most of those neural pathways are good and healthy. For example, I didn’t have to think about how to tie my shoes this morning because I have a well-developed neural pathway that automatically makes the connection to do it.

However, some of those neural pathways are not good, even unhealthy. There might be connections in our heads which lead to substance abuse when under stress, or to violently lash out when afraid or hurt, or things like plain old procrastination. If you have ever had the experience of telling yourself that you’re not going to respond a particular way, then end up doing it anyway, it is likely you have a well-worn neural pathway which connects certain events to a set of focused actions.

What this all means is that willpower won’t do the trick in changing behavior. That’s because our brains don’t work that way. The good news is that all those neural connections and pathways, like ruts in a gravel road, can fade away and new ones can be developed. Scientists call this “neural plasticity.”

There are practices which can help unhealthy neural connections go away and create new healthy pathways.

One of those practices is gratitude. Giving thanks changes our brain chemistry! Yet, it doesn’t happen overnight. But if we identify three persons or possessions which we are grateful for and say them out loud at least three times a day over the next three months, then we have developed a new neural pathway in our brain.

So, in the future, when we face a stressful event – whereas in the past we might deal with it in an unhealthy way – now our brains reflexively go to a different place and see the situation in a different way than before. And we choose different actions and behaviors.

Readers of this blog know that I continually encourage reading the psalms out loud as prayers to God. If we make this a practice, it will not only change our brains – it will create new spiritual pathways in our souls which fortify us for those times in life when things are tough and hard.

Spiritual practices have a purpose. And when we use those disciplines, we end up developing connections with the Lord which support us and sustain us for a lifetime – not to mention that we become a delight for others to be around instead of being a tedious fart.

Loving God, this is the day you have made; I rejoice in it and am glad that your steadfast love covers all things. Help me to connect every good thing with your gracious hand upon me so that I will not look and act like I was baptized in pickle juice. To the glory of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Food, football, and family have become the annual trifecta of the American Thanksgiving Day. I liberally indulge in all three, and look forward to doing so. I’m not here to bash on the fact that Thanksgiving has become almost a day of secular worship around an unholy trinity. And that’s because I really believe that underneath all the gravy, naps at halftime, and obnoxious relatives that we actually know why we are celebrating the day: to give thanks for our abundant blessings. And I think even those who do not readily acknowledge a God in the world intuitively know that there is a power and source of blessing well beyond themselves that makes all good things occur.

Celebrations are a spiritual activity. Parties were not invented by secularists. God created them. When Israel was preparing for a new national life in the Promised Land, God told them to celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the first-fruits of the crops (Exodus 23:16). The Levitical law prescribed how to go about giving thanksgiving offerings; they were commanded and expected. Gratitude was an important dimension of Old Testament worship. Even before America as we know it was in existence, the people of God were used to setting aside certain days as events of special thanksgiving to God. The church has always acknowledged that God as our Creator is also the Provider of all the bounty we receive.

Consider some biblical verses that encourage us toward giving thanks. “Come to worship the LORD with thankful hearts and songs of praise” (Psalm 95:2). “Be thankful and praise the LORD as you enter his temple. The LORD is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever” (Psalm 100:4-5). Our mouths need to speak our thanks out loud to God. “Tell the LORD how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful” (Psalm 118:1).

In the New Testament, Luke tells the story of ten men with leprosy who were miraculously healed by Jesus. A Samaritan, the lowliest of the low, was the lone person who came and fell at Christ’s feet with intense gratitude. While the other nine went about their lives free from disease and glad for it, only one guy took the time to thank Jesus (Luke 17:11-19). Indeed, sometimes we must be reminded to give thanks and to show gratitude for the ways in which God has provided for us. And it is often the homeless, the sick, the lowly, the marginal of society that are the ones who lead the way and teach us what genuine thanksgiving looks like.

The people of God are to never forget what they possess in Christ. Paul told the Colossian church, “You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful” (Colossians 2:6-7). Prayer and thanksgiving are to go together like mashed potatoes and gravy: “Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful”(Colossians 4:2). Since God created everything – each bite of juicy turkey, every homemade roll, and that piece of pumpkin pie – it is all good (maybe not good for you – but good!). Every meal is to be eaten with the cognizance that God is really behind it all (1 Timothy 4:4).

If church ministry is not perpetually punctuated with times of celebration, praise, giving thanks, and even blowout parties, then that particular local church will become dull, boring, lifeless, and will not have the lifeblood of Jesus coursing through their corporate veins. But a joyous church which takes advantage of giving thanks to God at every excuse to do so will be attractive, winsome, and peculiar (in the good way, and not in the weird way of your strange uncle). Christians really ought to be at the forefront of having maximum fun because they have been forgiven; know the presence of God; are provided for; are confident in the fact they are protected; and, know the power of the Spirit and the shepherding ministry of Jesus.

Yes, eat to your heart’s content and have a belly full of cornbread stuffing. But remember to give thanks – out loud and with others – for the God who stands behind every good gift of creation. Let thanksgiving and not constant complaint shape you and your church. Be that one person who comes back to Jesus and offers praise, worship, and gratitude – and see how God can change your life and your church.