I remember my first Thanksgiving meal. It was November, 1994 in San Antonio, Texas. (We don't have such practice in Mexico). Wow, it was amazing! I had never seen such a spread on a table like this before! The turkey was so big! The side dishes so delicious! The after dinner nap was so good. But what I don't remember is learning to be thankful to God for the bountifulness. As we approach this long American tradition, it is good for us to pause and reflect on our own practice of showing gratitude to God first.
Recently, we taught through some parts of the book of Colossians at midweek services with a short series called, The Lost Art of Gratitude, where we looked at all of Paul's mentions of gratitude in his short letter. The amount of times he expresses gratitude in one letter is amazing! Can there be too much thankksgiving? At least once in every chapter he mentions thanksgiving, often connecting it to prayer.
1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you...
4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful...
Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand. I urge you, friends, to stop and pray and give thanks before you go about the Thanksgiving holiday and give little thought to the Lord. Some ideas for your and your loved ones....
1. Post It Thank Yous: Give everyone a post it note w/their name on it, and pass them around so that everyone writes one thing they are grateful for regarding that person, then post them someone for all to read.
2. Dinner Talk: After sitting down w/your meal and giving thanks, initiate a conversation; "Let's go around and share one thing you're thankful for in this season of life".
3. Give a Special Offering: Read Leviticus 7:12-15 for some context on this principle of thanksgiving offerings. Psalm 107 is understood as a Psalm that recounts reasons why someone might give a special thanksgiving offering.
Let us devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful...
-Pastor Joel
PASTORAL PRAYER REQUESTS
- Give thanks for the safe arrival of our pastors Sean and Larry from their Philippine mission and Pastor Juan Carlos and assistant, Nicolas for their safe arrival in Guatemala for their mission.
- Pray for our Advent Season, that the church would embrace this season of beholding Christ the King.
- Pray for our Christmas Offering: As we approach the close of a financial year, we trust God to richly provide for our church's need during the month of December. Pray that God would stir the hearts of our church, especially thore begining to grow in the generosity.