pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: gratitude


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Noticing and Giving Thanks

Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:15 – “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!'”

As we begin this week, the Upper Room Disciplines devotional steps outside the lectionary readings today. The addition of today’s Luke 17 passage is in recognition of Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I am grateful because this passage also connects into Philippians 4’s call to always rejoice in the Lord, living as people of thanksgiving and praise.

Today’s story about the healing of the ten lepers is a familiar story. Traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus enters Samaria. Almost all Jews avoided this area. Not Jesus. Along the border, Jesus encounters ten men with leprosy. Their contagious diseases forced them to live outside of society. It also forced them into mixed groups. Only one of the ten is identified as a Samaritan. The other nine, because of the border location, must’ve been Jews.

The ten lepers cry out to Jesus, asking for mercy. He instructs them to go to the priests. As they go, they are healed. Nine continue on to the priests so that they can be declared “clean,” so that they can re-enter society. In verse 15 we read, “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!'” One of them, the one outside of Judaism, returns to thank Jesus. Jesus praises the man’s faith, questioning where the other nine are. We likely do too.

We do so because we are more like the nine than the one. We do not always give thanks for the things that God and others do for us. Maybe we usually intend to but get caught up in the busyness of life – nevermind in the joy of being reunited with family and friends that you’ve been isolated from forever. Reminder COVID? And remember the joy of finally being able to gather in community again? We can relate to the nine. And yet we are called by Jesus’ story to be like the one. We are invited to live with an attitude of gratitude, noticing and taking the time to give thanksgiving and praise for God’s presence and work in our lives. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us into a time of reflection right now. Bring to our minds the things that we should’ve been thankful and grateful for but somehow missed or didn’t make the time to offer our thanks. Draw out our praise and thanksgiving right now, in this moment…

Amen.


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Joy and Peace

Reading: Philippians 4:1-7

Philippians 4:6 – “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.”

Photo credit: Hannah Skelly

Turning to Paul’s letter to the Philippians today and tomorrow, we close out a week of hard passages with hopeful words about standing firm in the faith. Reminding us of how hard this can be, in verse 2 Paul calls for reconciliation between Euodia and Syntyche. Following Jesus’ conflict resolution guidance, Paul invites a mediator and other members of the church to get involved to heal this broken relationship.

In verses 4-7 Paul then encourages us to be glad or to rejoice in the Lord and he gives us guidance on how to always have joy in the Lord. In verse 6 Paul writes, “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.” There is much in this life and in our world that can make us anxious or afraid or angry or worried or… Paul invites us to hold onto joy even in the difficult times of life. Step 1 is prayer. Bring our petitions and our pleadings to God. Why? Because God is near and because God hears and responds. How do we know this? We turn to the next step.

We cannot miss step 2: “along with giving thanks.” Prayer cannot be just about asking God for this or that. Prayer must also include praising and giving thanks for God’s presence in our lives. This step is an act of gratitude that builds our humility and leads to a willingness to surrender our lives and all situations to the Lord. It is through these actions that we experience “the peace of God that exceeds all understanding.” It is a peace that allows us to rejoice in the Lord always. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, as we daily offer our thanksgiving and praise in our prayers, build up our memories of your presence. The times when you have been there, when you rescued or redeemed us, when you led or guided us through the valley – they build our trust and faith. From this firm foundation, walk daily with us in the good, in the bad, and in the in-between, filling us with your joy and your peace. Amen.


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God Is Always…

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6 and 23-26

Psalm 105:4-5 – “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always! Remember the wondrous works he has done.”

Psalm 105 celebrates God’s actions on behalf of Israel in the past. Looking back, it is good to recall all of the ways that God has led and provided, rescued and guided Israel. This is a good practice for us too. Remembering develops gratitude and humility and it strengthens our faith. And we must remain aware of this: we look back so that we can move forward with more trust and faith. We do not look back hoping to return to the past. It is dangerous getting stuck in the past. Once stuck we are unable to envision a new future with hope.

Psalm 105 reminded Israel and it reminds us that God is faithful and steadfast and true always, from generation to generation. As we remember God’s actions in the past, we can rely on more of the same in the future. This is the psalmist’s advice: “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always! Remember the wondrous works he has done.” Pursue – an active and engaged seeking, done with intent. Is that how you enter God’s presence with your prayers and in your worship? Is this the “face” you always seek in the good, bad, and in between?

We all wish our answers to these questions were both “YES!!!” But, alas, our answers are probably “Some of the time” or maybe “Most of the time.” No, we don’t always seek God. But even so, God always seeks us, pursues us, woos us. Why? Because God is always faithful, true, steadfast… God does not change. God’s love endures forever. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us to you again and again – both to the past and in the present. Infused with a trust and faith in you, guide us through our present moments assured of your love and care. From this place, empower us to face the future not only without fear, but also filled with hope. Thank you, O God. Amen.


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Thanksgiving and Praise

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6

Psalm 105:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!”

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

Psalm 105 is a call to worship. Yes, it was a call to worship long ago for the Israelites. And it is a call to us today to worship God in the ways that we live out our faith in the Lord our God. The Psalm begins with this invitation: “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!” There are three parts to this invitation. First, give thanks. Whether through prayer, a journal, or both, daily thank God for your blessings, large and small. This practice of gratitude is good for our soul. Second, call on God’s name. This could be calling on God’s name in prayers and petitions. And it could be seeking God’s guidance and direction in our lives. And third, witness to your faith. Share the story of what God has done and is doing so that others might be drawn to our Lord and Savior.

These basic invitations are echoed in verses two and three: Sing, give praise, rejoice in the Lord! In verse four we’re invited to pursue or seek God’s presence and strength. While God is ever present and ever willing to be a part of our lives, God will not barge in or force the issue. God waits for us to “open the door,” and then God enters in. Invite God in!

Verses five and six invite us into acts of remembering. These are both personal and corporate. Remember God’s wonderful and marvelous works in your life and in the world around you. Remember through thanksgiving and praise. Recall God’s acts of justice – in your life and in our world. Offer thanks and sing! And remember who and whose you are: “children of Jacob… chosen.” For our place in the family of God, may we lift a celebratory and joyous word of prayer or a song of praise to the Lord our God!

Prayer: Lord God, we pause and offer our thanks for all you do in our lives to lead and guide us, to strengthen and encourage us, to forgive and redeem us, to restore and save us. You are an amazing, awesome, wonderful God! Thank you for choosing us and for being our God. Amen.


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Pass Love On

Reading: Psalm 116:1-2 and 12-19

Psalm 116:12 – “What can I give back to the Lord for all the good things he has done for me?”

Psalm 116 begins with a declaration of thanksgiving for God’s mercy. This gift of God is something freely given. It is something we cannot earn or buy. God’s mercy is rooted deeply in God’s love. To receive mercy and the grace and forgiveness that follows simply by asking God for it, this is truly worthy of our praise and thanksgiving!

Jumping to verse 12, we see the natural response to this gift of mercy. This is not something required by God. Instead, it is our natural response to God’s love. The psalmist asks, “What can I give back to the Lord for all the good things he has done for me?” He or she has been moved to respond out of a place of deep gratitude in his or her heart. This response reminds me of the words found in the chorus of the song “Pass It On.” We’re reminded that once we have experienced God’s love ourselves, we want to “spread his love to everyone, we want to pass it on.”

The psalmist lifts up the “cup of salvation” and calls on God’s name. These acts of worship are a means of sharing God’s love with others. The author also commits to keeping the promises he or she made to God. At a minimum, this would be to keep the two great commands to love God and neighbor. Years later Jesus also lifted up these commands as essential to living faithfully in this world. When love becomes the core of who we are and it leads and guides all that we say, do, and think, then our very lives reveal the love of God to the world. Living and loving faithfully, we pass on God’s love to all people.

Prayer: Lord God, your love and mercies never end. They are poured out over our lives again and again. Our hearts are warmed as we receive these abundant gifts. Set us afire, Lord. Make your love blaze in our hearts so that all we encounter can feel and experience your love moving in and through us and out into the world, out into their lives. Amen.


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Good for Our Hearts

Reading: Jeremiah 31:10-14

Jeremiah 31:12 – “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

As we come to the end of the year, many will pause to look back over 2025, both for good and for bad. This review or assessment process prepares us for 2026. Some people will make resolutions, some will set goals, others will just ponder and reflect. This process often causes emotions to well up in our hearts. While some things are sorrowful, many others cause gratitude to rise up in our hearts for that special time with family, for that promotion, for that trip, for… It is good for our hearts to look back and to give thanks to God.

In today’s passage Jeremiah is giving thanks for something that God will do. The return from exile has not happened yet. In fact, Jeremiah will die in exile. Yet he praises God for what he trusts God will do. The prophet is sure that God will bring Israel home. He believes that God will deliver them. Jeremiah knows in his heart that “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.” Because Jeremiah knows that God is trustworthy and good and loving, he praises God for what he believes God will do.

Because God is good and trustworthy and loving, we too can pray for what we know God will do. A community of faith can pray for that just-right next leader. A church can pray for a family to become a part of their group so that there are young voices in church again. Another congregation can pray for affordable senior housing to become a part of their ministry. We can pray these things and others like them, trusting in our good and loving God, believing in where God is calling and/or leading us. And we give thanks for what God will do in and through our prayers. It is good for our hearts to look forward and to give thanks to God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in your goodness and in your steadfast love for us. Your word tells us that you have good plans for those who love you. It is with this promise in our hearts that we rejoice in all that you will do in us, in our faith communities, and in our world. Thank you God for your faithful love. Amen.


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A Profound Sense of Gratitude

Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:10a – “I am bringing the early produce of the fertile ground that you, Lord, have given me.”

Our first readings this week focus in on giving thanks to God. In our Deuteronomy reading, the Israelites have just come out of many years of bondage and oppression in Egypt. They’ve most recently spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, testing God and learning from their sinful mistakes. The Israelites have now been prepared to enter the Promised Land. As God has done for the years in Egypt and in the wilderness, God will continue to provide for God’s people as they enter into their inheritance.

As an expression of gratitude and dependence, each Israelite is to take some of the “first fruit” of the land and to bring it as a sacrifice to God. “First” implies not only earliest but also best or chief. God is calling for all of this from the people, giving to God before anything else. The solemn statement in verses 5 through 10a is a reminder of all that God has done since the time of Jacob. This reflection would raise up in Israel a profound sense of gratitude and an awareness that all that they have comes from God.

The reflection ends with these words: “I am bringing the early produce of the fertile ground that you, Lord, have given me.” For the Israelites this was their actual first fruits. What could we substitute into “I am bringing ____ that you, Lord, have given me.” What “crop” or talent or wealth or time could give to God with a profound sense of gratitude? How would being aware of this offering as a returning of something that really already belongs to God increase our thanksgiving? Take a few moments to ponder what you could give and then commit to offering these things with thanksgiving in your heart.

Prayer: Lord God, you are the giver of all things – material, spiritual, physical, relational, communal. Shape our hearts to be grateful for all that we have. Form us into people who generously return some of these blessings to you, O God, for the building of your kingdom in this time and place. Amen.


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A Deeper Faith

Reading: Psalm 66:1-4

Psalm 66:1-2 – “Shout joyfully to God, all the earth! Sing praises to the glory of God’s name!”

Psalm 66 is a celebration of God’s mighty acts amongst the people of Israel. In the opening verses the psalmist invites us to “shout joyfully” and to “sing praises” so that God is glorified. In our walks of faith, gratitude and praise are two essential practices. Often in our life of faith, it is gratitude that leads to praise. In the first verses of Psalm 66 the gratitude comes from seeing God’s strength rescue Israel from “your enemies.” Being saved leads Israel to praise and glorify God. While it is a good habit to praise God, our relationship with God is about more than God thanking God for saving us. We’ll explore some other practices a bit today and throughout this week that can deepen our walk of faith.

In this week’s Disciplines, Rev. Dr. Mark Wethington shares insights into an ancient spiritual discipline established by Ignatius of Loyola called the Examen. This regular practice looks back and reflects on a period of time, usually a day. A modern take on this 16th century practice offers us the five R’s as a means to remember the steps: request, relish, review, repent, resolve. The practice begins with requesting God’s presence during this time of reflection and introspection. One then relishes God’s presence and blessings in the day. This is followed by a review of one’s day – what sins and failures were there? The movement turns next to repenting of the ways that one fell short and, lastly, one resolves that through God’s grace one will strive to live more like Christ in the next day.

As we work through this week’s lectionary readings we will do so with the five R’s in mind. There is not always a linear pattern in the scriptures. For example, Psalm 66 begins with “relish,” but will turn to “request” as we read the next verses later this week. As we close today, please take a moment to work through the five R’s. Each day this week, following the example given in the Disciplines, we will add depth to our practice of this ancient spiritual discipline.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us this week as we practice this ancient way of drawing closer to you day by day. Work within our hearts to form us more into the image of Christ. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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An Unshakable Kingdom

Reading: Hebrews 12:25-28

Hebrews 12:28 – “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s continue to express our gratitude.”

The writer of Hebrews begins our passage for today with “See to it that you don’t resist the one who is speaking.” These words are in reference to what was previously written in this chapter. The “one” is the risen one, Jesus, “the mediator of the new covenant.” Jesus “speaks” to all believers, to us, his followers, then and now, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

During Jesus’ time on earth many “refused to listen.” They will not escape the judgment to come. The author ponders how believers will escape if they too reject the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded that just as God’s voice has “shaken the earth” before, the power of the divine voice will shake the earth once more. All that is of this world will be “shaken” and will be removed. What can’t be shaken is what will remain.

The writer of Hebrews speaks of this in verse 28, writing, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s continue to express our gratitude.” The eternal kingdom promised to the faithful will be realized with the return of Jesus. This promise and the new heaven and earth are what cannot be shaken. The promise is solid and true. The promise is ours. So, yes, let us express our gratitude to the Lord our God. Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!

Prayer: Lord God, as we live day by day, life often feels “shaky.” There is so much division and unrest, so much poverty and suffering. In this world it can be hard to hold fast to this vision of a coming, unshakable kingdom. And yet you are present to us, available whenever and wherever we are willing to have ears to listen and eyes to see. Open our spirits to your Spirit. Empower and equip us to be people who build up and live out your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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Raining Down Love

Reading: Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:14 – “And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

Credit: Rebecca Gelaney

Today’s reading is a call to authentic holy living. Paul begins by inviting the Colossians to being “clothed” in the practices and attitudes of Jesus. The Colossians are encouraged to put on “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” These five characteristics, when lived out fully each day, would reflect Christ to each other and to the world.

The focus then shifts to the other side of the equation: how to act and be with one another when the other isn’t practicing these Christlike traits. Paul exhorts the believers to be “tolerant with each other” and to regularly practice forgiveness. They are to do these things because God regularly does this with them.

Paul then turns to what John Wesley said “contains the whole of Christian holiness.” This one characteristic connects and undergirds all the others. In verse 14 Paul writes, “And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” In all you do and say and think, lead with love. Doing so we will find that the peace of Christ does control our hearts. Leading in love we will express gratitude to God and for one another. Because of our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will teach and warn each other, helping all to walk in faith.

In all things, in all ways, in all places and times, may we “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This witness of love holds the power to transform hearts, systems, cultures, and nations. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you call us to be love in the world, to bring light into the darkness. Use us as a witness that stands out from the ways of the world. Use us to rain down love into all of our relationships, into all of the brokenness, into the lives of all that we interact with. Fill us to overflowing with the spirit and heart of Christ, pouring these things back out into the world all around us. Amen.