St. John UMC Revelations
Volume XX Issue XI | November 2024
How often do we see people unashamedly say blessings in public before a meal? We should praise God every time we see that. Unfortunately, not everyone is thankful for God’s providence. Many take it for granted.
The story is told a farmer who publicly prayed before his meal.
“A farmer visited a large city. In a restaurant before eating, the man bowed his head in a prayer of thanksgiving. Seeing this, a young man sneeringly asked, “Say, old man where you come from does everyone pray before he eats?” The farmer replied. “The hogs don’t”. (Herschel H. Hobbs. My Favorite Illustrations. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1990, page 254). Ouch! What does that young man’s behavior say about his upbringing?
When we are children, our parents taught us to say “please”, “thank you”, “yes ma’am”, “yes sir”, “no ma’am”, and “no sir”. That might not be true for all children. However, it is likely a lot more the custom for those who were or are being raised in a Christian home.
How many times do we see “giving thanks” mentioned in harmony as a blessing that we say before a meal in the Gospels? We see this custom a lot in the New Testament Gospels. (Consider these examples Matthew 15:36; Matthew 26:27; Mark 8:6; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17; Luke 22:19; John 6:11; and John 6:23). Does that mean that we give thanks verbally only? No, of course not! Our thanksgiving should be a daily way of living.
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “…give us this day, our daily bread” because we are reminded that “every good and perfect gift comes from God” (James 1:17). Now, consider what the whole verse says, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 NRSV). That is why the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (UMH 140) reminds us in the first verse, “… thou changest not thy compassions, they fail not …[!]” because God’s love and compassion for us never fails!
Therefore, we should be thankful for all of our many blessings not just in words but also in deeds.
In the month of November, we have three things to remind us about being thankful. We have All Saints Day, Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving. On All Saints Day we celebrate the lives of Christian loved ones who have now joined the Church Triumphant because they have “finished their race” (Hebrews 12:1) among us in the Church Militant. On Veteran’s Day we celebrate and honor those who have served in the military to preserve our freedom. Last but certainly not least, we celebrate Thanksgiving as we look back at our Christian heritage as we also look at our present blessings for which we should give thanks as we remember “God is the giver of every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17)! May we never cease to daily say, “Thank You Lord” as we rejoice in each new day (Psalm 118:24) until at last we “finish our race”! Amen.
Rev. John M. Williams, III