Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Two Ways to Give Thanks

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My inbox greeted me with two messages on this Thanksgiving morning.

I signed up for the NYT emails so I can play Wordle.
I get SpurgeonBooks emails so I can pray the Word.

Feast your eyes on two ways to give thanks today.

“Everything will be OK. Try to enjoy the day. You can do it.”
vs.
“Always thankful to our merciful God”

Take your pick.

“Give thanks as you move through the day.
And hug your people tight.” (NYT)
vs.
“We all have some cause for thankfulness,
therefore will we praise the Lord from the rising of the sun
unto the going down of the same.” (Spurg)

It helps to know Who to thank.

Also, you didn’t think we would finish the year without a plan, did you?

The 2025 Bible Reading Plan was left wide open for December. But never fear, we will finish strong in 2025 with an Advent Reading Plan. Also, fear not—most days are only a few verses. Grab yourself a cup of coffee in the wee hours of dark December mornings, light a candle, and join me for a moment of stillness and study of His Word. The same Word that became Flesh.

Thanksgiving 1948

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Thanksgiving 1948

Grandpa and Grandma
Uncle Franklin and Aunt Ardith
Uncle Morris and Aunt Phyllis
Cousins Candy, Jerry, Jim and Joe

That’s my mother on the far right,
holding my brother.
Dad must have taken the picture.

The men were in suits and ties.
The women sported hair rolls and pin curls.
The children gathered around Grandma.
The turkey was ready to be carved.

Thanksgiving 2024 will look a little different.

I have no lace curtains or flowery wallpaper.
There will be no linen tablecloth.
I will not wear bright red lipstick.

But, hopefully, the children will gather around Nonnie.
And, hopefully, the 18 pound turkey will feed us all.
And, hopefully, we will give thanks for another year
with everyone around the table.

Some things never change.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
Psalm 92:1

Thankful

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One of my favorite authors is Wendell Berry. Our neighborhood book club just finished Hannah Coulter so I am enchanted all over again with Port William and all my dear fictional friends. They remind me of the good salt-of-the-earth people I grew up around—people who loved the land and who knew how to be neighborly. I’m thankful for Berry’s words in this season, and I’m basking in their beauty.

“You mustn’t wish for another life.
You mustn’t want to be somebody else.
What you must do is this:
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.*
I am not all the way capable of so much,
but those are the right instructions.”

Hannah Coulter

“I tremble with gratitude
for my children and their children
who take pleasure in one another.

At our dinners together, the dead
enter and pass among us
in living love and in memory.

And so the young are taught.”

Leavings: Poems

* 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Note of Thanks

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I used to make my kids write thank you notes. I was a firm believer that birthday money from Grandma or a Christmas present from Auntie deserved acknowledgement and gratitude. The notes were written in very large letters and usually ran along these lines:

Dear Grandma,
Thank you for the birthday money.
Thanks again!
Love,
Your favorite grandchild

The kids didn’t put a lot of thought or creativity into their sentiments. I didn’t care. I just wanted them to develop the habit of saying “thank you.” It was important to put the simple, terse words down on paper in actual handwriting. Emails, texts, and phone calls would not suffice. That would be too easy. Instead, the scritch-scratch of pencil on cardstock, the crooked address on the envelope and the licked stamp says, “I took the time to do this because I am serious about being grateful.”

Call me old-fashioned.

This year, I’m proposing a new, old-fashioned tradition.
Write a thank you note to God.

Put the pen to paper and jot down a few sincere words of appreciation. Instead of extemporaneous spoken prayers or recited doxologies, give it some thought and maybe a little creativity. A yearly record of gratitude at Thanksgiving could stand as a witness to generations yet unborn.

If you need some inspiration, open to Psalm 106, 107, 118, 0r 136. They all begin with the same line: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.” That’s an excellent place to start.

No Thanks

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Thanksgiving is two weeks away! It’s time to buy a turkey, dig out my gravy-splattered recipe cards, and one other thing….oh yeah! Give thanks.

Being thankful and saying “thank you” are two different things. I am struck by how genuinely grateful people seem to be this time of year, yet not many know whom to thank. It’s like appreciating the feast laid out on the table without saying “thank you” to the cook. Knowing Whom to thank makes all the difference.

In November, my Bible automatically opens to Luke 17 where the healing of ten men leaves Jesus asking questions. I make note of all questions when they appear in the Bible, but when the Son of God puts forth a query, I sit up and pay attention.

“Were not all ten cleansed?
Where are the other nine?”
Luke 17:17

The account begins with Jesus going into a village and being met by ten men who had leprosy. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

This poor, pathetic group of outcasts must have recognized Jesus from afar. They seemed to know He had healing power, although all they asked for was pity. No one in the group of ten dared to draw near to the Master, but kept their distance and yelled out at Him. Jesus yelled back and they were cleansed as they walked away.

Nine men kept walking. One man turned around.
Nine men were cleansed. One man was healed.
Nine men were grateful. One man said, “Thank You.”

Hear the difference:

Ten men
stood at a distance
and called out in a loud voice.
They went and were cleansed.

One man
fell at Jesus’ feet
and praised God in a loud voice.
He came back and was healed.

All ten had faith—only one had gratitude.

Dear Jesus,
may my call for help from a distance
draw me to Your feet with praise.

Oh Lord God,
may the intensity of my thanks
match the fervency of my requests.

Thank God for God

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It’s not November, but I’m going to ask you to think about thanksgiving.
T is our next stop on the ACTS acronym, which is a helpful prayer method. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)

Growing up, my siblings and I each had our own special prayer to recite at mealtime. I don’t remember who chose those little sing-songy verses or they how they got assigned to us. Meals didn’t start until dad called on someone to say grace and we all bowed our heads. When it was my turn to offer the blessing, I always prayed this little ditty:

Thank You for the world so sweet,
Thank You for the food we eat,
Thank You for the birds that sing,
Thank You God, for everything.
Amen.

On Sundays, my brother would usually get the nod because his prayer was short enough to get in between plays of the Packer game: “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Hut. I mean, Amen.”

I still often find myself rattling off a few generalized “thank yous” that sound like my elementary table prayer.

Thank You for my family,
for my food, clothes and shelter,
and for this good day.
Thank You God, well, You know, for everything.

There’s room for improvement here, but the idea of making a list of everything I’m grateful for is overwhelming. Do I actually put everything on the list? Do I go over the whole list every day? How specific does the list need to be? What if I miss something?

Lately, I’ve been approaching this part of my prayer time a little differently. Instead of thanking God for stuff I have, I’ve been focusing on things He’s done.

God, I thank You for…

  • making me in Your image, capable of knowing, loving, serving and enjoying You.
  • preserving my life thus far, bringing me through injuries, sickness or troubles.
  • Your Son, Jesus, who emptied Himself of His glory for me.
  • Jesus’ death on the cross, paying for my sins.
  • the Holy Spirit, who helps me to understand Your truth, know Your love, be conformed to Christ’s character, and serve others with Your gifts.
  • the Word of God and its wisdom, truth and power.
  • the church, especially my congregation and its leaders who help me grow in faith.
  • the assurance of salvation, that I can rest in the hope of a future eternity with You.
  • the mercies You bestow on me.
  • giving and sustaining my life.
  • ways You’ve helped me change and break bad habits.

Although this list can also go on and on, I feel like these are the kinds of things for which God most appreciates my thanks. I still wrap it up with the same catch-all phrase: Thank You God, for everything.

In other words —
Thank You God, well, You know, for You.

Let your lives overflow
with joy and thanksgiving
for all He has done.
Col. 2:7