Jeff encouraged us on Sunday to reach out to people we love and let them know we are grateful for them. With the Wednesday mens' group, we were actually given a sheet with which to list those people, and a blue ribbon to pin on them! I was grateful for this mid-week reminder to express how grateful I am.
Jess and I just returned from a trip to Dallas, TX for Thanksgiving. I saw my family - my father, mother, grandmother, uncle, brother, sister, and my sister's (surprise) new dog. Since we weren't there on a Sunday, I was glad to know that my family planned to go to a Thanksgiving morning worship service at my home church. Going to worship with my family was such a, well, familiar feeling. The same people were early and ready to go. The same people (including me!) were running a little late. When we walked into the narthex - the street entrance to the church - the space was cramped with robed choir members and pastors preparing to process, all beginning to sing the opening song. I found a few faces I hadn't seen in seven or eight years.
A minute later, the whole family was together, taking up an entire pew. We weren't the only ones, either. The family seated behind us had reunited from as far away as South Africa. How many other families were celebrating Thanksgiving this way? Meanwhile, as the choir proceeded down the center aisle, I recognized person after person from my time in the choir there. Then, I watched as the pastors followed them. Some I have known for years and two, a Kenyan and a Chinese pastor, reflect a changing community. As I thought about my time with the choir and the beautiful music we sang together, about the pastors who have been God's instruments for giving me faith in Christ, and about the new outreaches of my church to reach the world through the Dallas community, the entire church was singing "Now Thank We All Our God". I was way too choked up to sing at this point. And I love to sing! Ask anyone! I literally couldn't sing a word of the song because my soul was so flooded with the beauty of our faithful God.
A mountain top experience, for sure. Perhaps you had one this past week too! But what is God saying to me through that? What is God saying to you? For me, I think it is something like this: "Chris, you are so protective of the most valuable parts of your life. But I spoke all things into being. Your life, your faith, your church, your family - they are all words I spoke into being. I sustain everything, and I sustain you."
Perhaps you had a mountain top experience this past week as well. Perhaps you feel depleted and aren't sure how to give thanks. Either way, take this into a conversation with your heavenly Father. As you give your thoughts and words to him, he will show you who he is, and who you are.
Reflection Questions:
1) What surprised you this past Thanksgiving week? Did a particular moment catch you off guard, and become less or more than what you expected it to be?
2) Who is the hardest person for you to thank? What do you wish you could say to that person?
3) Read Psalm 33, and reflect particularly on verses, 8-9. What does it mean for your life that God spoke everything that exists into being? What are the implications for the things that are most under your control?
No comments:
Post a Comment