November 22, 2022
Scripture: Psalm 118.19, 27-29
Open the gates of righteousness for me,
So I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!
The Lord is God!
God has shined a light on us!
So lead the festival offering with ropes
All the way to the horns of the altar.
You are my God—I will give thanks to you!
You are my God—I will lift you up high!
Give thanks to the Lord because God is good,
Because the Lord’s faithful love lasts forever.
Devotion:
When we were growing up, there were days when we were just grumbly, as kiddos sometimes are. Mom, I don’t want to go to the bank or the mall or wherever the errand is today. Mom, why can’t I have the latest Beanie Baby? Why can’t we eat at McDonald’s for every meal? My mother would always reply to us, “Count your blessings.” No matter what the day was like, no matter what there was to complain about, my mother would tell us that there were always blessings to be grateful for, and we should be thankful for what we have rather than whining about what we did not.
When I read Psalm 118, it’s clear that there are many blessings to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is about thanking God for the good things in our lives, and there are always good things to be thankful for. But for us, it is about a little more than that. Psalm 118 doesn’t just say, I’m grateful for what I have; rather it gives credit to the One who gives blessings, who provides what we need. Thanksgiving is about thanking God for the blessings in our lives, about counting our blessings and making sure we know who provided them. But hear that correctly: when we don’t have something, when we lack something, when we are going through challenges in life, it’s certainly not because God has chosen not to bless us or that God is punishing us. Rather, like my mother would say when we were growing up, we have to look a little harder to count our blessings. On rainy days and Mondays, on grumbly days and cloudy days, God is still blessing us, and Thanksgiving teaches us to count our blessings…no matter what.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, family of God, and join me on Thanksgiving morning at 10am for worship at the Old Stone Church. Then, don’t forget to join us for Hanging of the Greens and the First Sunday of Advent on Sunday at 10am!
Open the gates of righteousness for me,
So I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!
The Lord is God!
God has shined a light on us!
So lead the festival offering with ropes
All the way to the horns of the altar.
You are my God—I will give thanks to you!
You are my God—I will lift you up high!
Give thanks to the Lord because God is good,
Because the Lord’s faithful love lasts forever.
Devotion:
When we were growing up, there were days when we were just grumbly, as kiddos sometimes are. Mom, I don’t want to go to the bank or the mall or wherever the errand is today. Mom, why can’t I have the latest Beanie Baby? Why can’t we eat at McDonald’s for every meal? My mother would always reply to us, “Count your blessings.” No matter what the day was like, no matter what there was to complain about, my mother would tell us that there were always blessings to be grateful for, and we should be thankful for what we have rather than whining about what we did not.
When I read Psalm 118, it’s clear that there are many blessings to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is about thanking God for the good things in our lives, and there are always good things to be thankful for. But for us, it is about a little more than that. Psalm 118 doesn’t just say, I’m grateful for what I have; rather it gives credit to the One who gives blessings, who provides what we need. Thanksgiving is about thanking God for the blessings in our lives, about counting our blessings and making sure we know who provided them. But hear that correctly: when we don’t have something, when we lack something, when we are going through challenges in life, it’s certainly not because God has chosen not to bless us or that God is punishing us. Rather, like my mother would say when we were growing up, we have to look a little harder to count our blessings. On rainy days and Mondays, on grumbly days and cloudy days, God is still blessing us, and Thanksgiving teaches us to count our blessings…no matter what.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, family of God, and join me on Thanksgiving morning at 10am for worship at the Old Stone Church. Then, don’t forget to join us for Hanging of the Greens and the First Sunday of Advent on Sunday at 10am!