Giving Thanks
For one who grew up on a farm in the Midwest, Thanksgiving Day meant more than church and cooking, turkey and the trimmings, football and family. The hymn that conveys the origin of the day is in the “Harvest and Thanksgiving” section (that title alone says much) of The Lutheran Hymnal, #574.
Come, ye thankful people, come;
Raise the song of Harvest-home.
All be safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come;
Raise the song of Harvest-home.
My parents breathed a sigh of relief when the harvest was “safely gathered in” before Thanksgiving Day and we could give thanks to God for that blessing. Some years, however, when the weather was less than ideal, we still attended church and had a festive meal with extended family, but the harvest continued. I remember one very difficult year, full of rain and multiple breakdowns of machinery, when we gave thanks that my father finished the harvest just before Christmas.
This year seems a bit like that difficult harvest time from my childhood. Everything seems to be going awry—wars in Ukraine, in Israel and Gaza; thousands of economic migrants risking their lives to seek a better future for their children; “hidden hunger” affecting 30% of the world’s population;[1] political discord in our country that seems unbridgeable; a mental health epidemic among adolescents and young adults; the list is endless. But into this world of darkness, Paul’s words to the church at Phillipi remind that “the Lord is near,” and so we are called to rejoice … not worry … and pray with thanks.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Paul, writing from prison and speaking from his experience of personal suffering and an uncertain future, can say with confidence, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Blessed thanksgiving to our readers.
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In next week’s blog, Kent will resume his series on the characteristics of missional churches.
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Photo: Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota
John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive (1972-2008), Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corn_Palace,_Mitchell,_South_Dakota_LCCN2017709022.tif
