Saturday, December 17, 2016

SMR 176 Thankfulness

Smoky Mountain Reflections #176

            Thankfulness, as we approach the 500th anniversary year of the reformation I would like to ponder the question of gratitude as we wind up the calendar year this Advent season.

            So, what does it mean to be thankful? I think it is to acknowledge, a gift of God and to express gratitude for it. What does that look like? Here is a short list.

-       You live and breathe and are a being
o   Thank your creator by loving Him and your neighbor in accord with His word.
-       You have stuff.
o   Thank God by being a good steward of it.
-       You have technology.
o   Thank God by respecting the generations that did the work to provide it.
-       You have family & loved ones.
o   Thank God by caring for and cherishing all God given relationships.
-       You have creativity.
o   Thank God by using it.
-       You have freedom and peace
o   Thank God by expressing you gratitude to those who work to provide it.
-       You have a faith
o   Thank God by nurturing it with word and sacrament.
-       You have strife, struggle and suffering
o   Thank God by learning growing through it and trusting Him in it.

As I said this is a short list and as you can see all our thanks goes to the provider of everything but we express our gratitude not by feeling warm and fuzzy, but by saying thank you to God in prayer and deed to and through others.

Have a Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
  
In Christ Pastor Portier