1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I was in Branson, Missouri, last week, of all places, to watch one of my sons play college basketball. Now if you’ve ever been to Branson, you know it’s a pretty unique place! The town seems to be comprised entirely of hotels, country music venues, shops, restaurants and tourists; lots and lots of retirement-aged tourists!
But what I noticed in the few hours I had to wander around town was that the streets were already decorated for Christmas and Christmas music was blaring all over town.
I don’t know about you, but I think there ought to be a federal law prohibiting Christmas decorations and music before Thanksgiving!
I think that way because as much as I love Christmas, I have come to believe that Thanksgiving might be the most uncorrupted and incorruptible holiday in our culture.
Christmas has become a commercial and marketing frenzy that, in fact, has already begun. Even Easter is becoming increasingly commercialized. And while the commercialization of Christmas and Easter certainly doesn’t rob them of their spiritual meaning, it does make it a bit more difficult for us to dig through the marketing avalanche to find it. But, somehow, Thanksgiving is different! I mean, you don’t see big inflatable turkeys or giant plastic Mayflower replicas in people’s yards during Thanksgiving week!
I think this is because the giving of thanks is fundamentally a spiritual activity that is very difficult to commercialize.
And that’s good because the Bible says that giving thanks is God’s will for all of us.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
What does it mean to “give thanks in all circumstances”? I heard a good example just today on the radio. I was listening to a report on the recent tornadoes in down-state Illinois and the reporter said that “despite the destruction all around them, many people seemed to be quite thankful that all they lost was material things,” or something very close to that. In other words, they recognized that while the loss of a home or school is traumatic and costly, they could still be grateful that they did not lose loved ones.
But what about communities that did suffer the loss of family members or friends due to the havoc wreaked by the storms? While I certainly can’t speak for those going through such painful loss, I can say that I have heard beautiful expressions of thanksgiving from those who have suffered tremendous pain and loss. I have heard grieving parents express their gratitude for having known the blessing of a child’s life and love even if that life was cut short. I have heard grieving friends thank God for the great hope of a glad reunion in heaven someday.
Why does God want us to give thanks? I think it is God’s will for all of us to give thanks because gratitude puts us in a spiritual posture before God that allows us to worship him and receive his grace and blessing. And when we find a way to give thanks in all the circumstances of our lives, as difficult as that might be, we also find that, through our thanksgiving, God grants his grace and peace.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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