Thanks-Living
“O give thanks unto the Lord…”
This is the time of the year our nation pauses and reflects on the blessings we have been given this past year. Thanksgiving Day will see families gathered around the dinner table – celebrating their heritage – indulging in their family favorite foods – laughing and making memories. Thanksgiving Day – the day of families and traditions, the day of feasting and football, the day of sharing and compassion.
For my house, Thanksgiving traditions start with family worship. I cherish the memories of looking down the pew and seeing my wife, my children, and my parents all praising God in prayer and song – word and sacrament shared as a family. After church the family would fly into action – kitchen helpers roasting, baking, basting until the smells filled the house with a very pleasing aroma. Those not relegated to kitchen duty had their own tasks to perform – the adult table set with the good china – the card table for the children, carving turkey and making sure all was in readiness for the parade of food to enter the dining room. Children had a very important job – to monitor the big parade on TV to see which floats were winners and announce when Santa was coming into view – for Santa’s appearing usually signaled one of the most sacred of all Thanksgiving Day traditions – watching the football game. Yes, it was tough duty, but someone had to do it – usually Grandpas and Dads had the honor.
I still carry on many of my boyhood traditions on Thanksgiving Day – attending church services, helping prepare the turkey dinner, watching the parade and checking out the football scores. One tradition that has been handed down over the years is every family member reciting an inventory of the blessings received over the past year. Each year we would pause and reflect on God’s blessings to us.
This year is no exception. I share with you some of my blessings from this past year – becoming principal at Our Savior, buying a beautiful house and having lots of help moving, an awesome faulty and staff, inspirational pastors, a loving wife, and a supportive family. I especially thank God this year for an opportunity to experience His healing given through doctors. What an awesome God we have!
But – for me – Thanksgiving is nothing without Thanks-Living. I live each day as another gift from God. Every opportunity – every challenge – every soul touched in my life is an opportunity to live out my thanks to God for His gifts to me. Every day I can awake to share Jesus with all those whom I meet. To live my life of thanks is to give thanks to the one who has given me every good and perfect gift – God. I thank God for all that He has given me and especially for another day to live in Thanks to Him. Won’t you join me in Thanks-Living?
Prayer – Thank You Jesus for – everything!
“O give thanks unto the Lord…”
This is the time of the year our nation pauses and reflects on the blessings we have been given this past year. Thanksgiving Day will see families gathered around the dinner table – celebrating their heritage – indulging in their family favorite foods – laughing and making memories. Thanksgiving Day – the day of families and traditions, the day of feasting and football, the day of sharing and compassion.
For my house, Thanksgiving traditions start with family worship. I cherish the memories of looking down the pew and seeing my wife, my children, and my parents all praising God in prayer and song – word and sacrament shared as a family. After church the family would fly into action – kitchen helpers roasting, baking, basting until the smells filled the house with a very pleasing aroma. Those not relegated to kitchen duty had their own tasks to perform – the adult table set with the good china – the card table for the children, carving turkey and making sure all was in readiness for the parade of food to enter the dining room. Children had a very important job – to monitor the big parade on TV to see which floats were winners and announce when Santa was coming into view – for Santa’s appearing usually signaled one of the most sacred of all Thanksgiving Day traditions – watching the football game. Yes, it was tough duty, but someone had to do it – usually Grandpas and Dads had the honor.
I still carry on many of my boyhood traditions on Thanksgiving Day – attending church services, helping prepare the turkey dinner, watching the parade and checking out the football scores. One tradition that has been handed down over the years is every family member reciting an inventory of the blessings received over the past year. Each year we would pause and reflect on God’s blessings to us.
This year is no exception. I share with you some of my blessings from this past year – becoming principal at Our Savior, buying a beautiful house and having lots of help moving, an awesome faulty and staff, inspirational pastors, a loving wife, and a supportive family. I especially thank God this year for an opportunity to experience His healing given through doctors. What an awesome God we have!
But – for me – Thanksgiving is nothing without Thanks-Living. I live each day as another gift from God. Every opportunity – every challenge – every soul touched in my life is an opportunity to live out my thanks to God for His gifts to me. Every day I can awake to share Jesus with all those whom I meet. To live my life of thanks is to give thanks to the one who has given me every good and perfect gift – God. I thank God for all that He has given me and especially for another day to live in Thanks to Him. Won’t you join me in Thanks-Living?
Prayer – Thank You Jesus for – everything!