September and October mark the Harvest Festival season for British churches. Churches use the harvest theme to craft worship and to give reason for eating together. Mmmmmm! :-) We have begun our ministry service in England just in time for Harvest, and so I share some reflections that I have offered in light of the season.
First, it is time for harvest festivals when we seek to be intentional about acknowledging God’s goodness and provision in our lives. Second, I have personally been more aware and sensitive to the presence and prompting of God while in the midst of transition. We may be reminded of this spirit of gratitude during the celebrations of harvest or any impacting life change, but really the practice of thanksgiving should be ongoing rather than intermittent for our lives of faith.
We may know well the voice of the Psalmists in offering thanksgiving to God. It is certainly evident in Psalm 136: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures for ever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever…O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures for ever.” (NRSV) This litany reminds us why we give thanks at all—God acts on our behalf and loves us always.
There is willingness by the Psalmist to pray and to share this spirit of gratitude in a way that bears witness to God and to a professing trust in God. And this willingness opens the door for all of God’s people to follow this example and claim the posture of humility and gratitude. Is your heart open to this longstanding spirit of gratitude? How might you express your thanksgiving for God and for life that abounds? Are you able to finds words that express your own litany of thanks for our God of love?
With this harvest season and with this new season of life into which I have come, I am thankful that God has called me into ministry with you in Thatcham! I am thankful that God set out a path for me to follow and has provided along the way! I am thankful that these provisions have come because of your willingness to respond and reach out to my family and me! I am thankful for your gracious hospitality! I am thankful that we are now traveling together, as we share ministry for the sake of the good news of Jesus Christ! This is my litany of thanksgiving for God, for you, and for the possibilities that await!
I most certainly am celebrating the spirit of gratitude, the practice of giving thanks, and the gift of humility that shapes the character of God’s people! And I pray that our practices and offerings of thanksgiving for this season will become the constant offerings of our lives!
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