give thanks!

Greetings and blessings to you and yours at this glorious time of the year.  I have the opportunity to come to you each week via social media to share some thoughts about our relationships with God and each   other.  If you like what you see and hear, then I invite you to stop by the Red Roof Church, St. Paul Lutheran, located near the 1863 and 281 exit this Sunday.  We celebrate Christ in our lives at worship at 8:30 and 10:45am every week.  We also live stream our services on our web page at redroofchurch.org.  We’d love for you to join us.

This week is Thanksgiving when as a nation we have set aside a time for us to be thankful for all God has   given us.  Hopefully, we are thankful to our Creator on more than just this one day.  Although, this election year, I’ll be glad if we can just be grateful.  Maybe our elected leaders could make the effort (as an example to us), for one day (we wouldn’t have too high an expectation) and stop threatening what they are going to do against who or what or where and pause to thank God for this democracy that makes it possible for them to act selfishly and belligerently.  Maybe, we as a people, could stop protesting and demanding and forcing our  opinion on others to think in lock-step and just be appreciative that we are free and while we can behave    foolishly, we can also pause from being such for a day and, with some effort, maybe longer.

As divided as we think we are, Lincoln was facing a nation, a young nation, that was in civil war with itself.  Families were tearing each other apart and killing each other, father against son, brother against brother, as a result.  He wanted us to remember our God, give Him thanks for our blessings, and once again remember who we are as a people who care for and cherish one another.  He set aside a national day of thanksgiving which we still honor today.

We have so much to be thankful for, I pray you make thanksgiving to God a perfect beginning and a great  conclusion to each and every day.  And if you think that this day or that day doesn’t have much to be thankful for, then  consider this.  Imagine that everything you neglect to thank God for just disappears forever.  You’ll never need to remember to thankful for them again because they will be gone.

Personally, I am thankful God doesn’t work that way.  Somedays, to my regret and shame, I do forget to say “Thank you, Lord!”  But I’m learning.  Thank God for His patience and guidance with me so I can grow in my  attitude of gratitude.

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving and no matter how you celebrate, remember to give thanks to the Author of all our blessings.
And those are my thoughts.
Pastor Lee