Thanks Giving 2011

For Thanksgiving Sunday 11/20/2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Thinking back on this year what are you thankful as we approach Thanksgiving Day? Take some time to make a list.
• What are some ways in which you/we acknowledge blessings and those who played a role in bringing them about?
• The following came from a meditation by Wilfred A. Peterson and speaks to giving thanks:

“The art of Thanksgiving is Thanksliving. It is gratitude in action. It is applying Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy: ‘In gratitude for your own good fortune, you must render in return some sacrifice of your life for other life.’
It is thanking God for the gift of life, by living it triumphantly.
It is thanking God for your talents and abilities, by accepting them as obligations to be invested for the common good.
It is thanking God for all that men and women have done for you, by doing things for others.
It is thanking God for opportunities, by accepting them as a challenge to achievement.
It is thanking God for happiness, by striving to make others happy.
It is thanking God for beauty, by helping to make the world more beautiful.
It is thanking God for inspiration by trying to be an inspiration for others.
It is thanking God for health and strength, by the care and reverence you show your body.
It is thanking God for the creative ideas that enrich life, by adding your own creative contributions to human progress.
It is thanking God for each new day, by living it to the fullest.
It is thanking God by giving hands, arms, legs and voice to your thankful spirit.
It is adding to your prayers of thanksgiving, acts of thanksliving.”

• What resonates with you in this meditation? Do you think that being blessed puts an obligation on the recipient? Might this fit as a focus for a congregation's stewardship campaign that looks of all forms of our response to God’s blessings?
• What examples have you seen of this philosophy/understanding during the past year? Do you think that it is  reflected in congregational life?
• Should we regularly reflect on our blessings and how we have been God’s agent in responding to them? Look at the bottom of this page for some ideas.

Psalm 103 gives us an important reminder about where our giving of thanks should be directed:

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God,
don't forget a single blessing!
He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.
God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet…

• What gets your attention in this section of the psalm? Have you found these types of blessings during your faith journey? What would you add to the list of blessings of a relationship with God based on your own experience?
• Are these blessings we have a “thanksliving” obligation to tell others about?
• Do you plan to incorporate any form of giving thanks into your Thanksgiving week?

Closing Prayer (From Psalm 138)

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!"

Angels listen as I sing my thanks.

I kneel in worship facing your holy temple

and say it again: "Thank you!"

Thank you for your love,

thank you for your faithfulness;

Thank you for blessing me with ____________________________________

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!"

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37

 

Cultivating Gratitude: (Two Queens, One Castle online)

As thanksgiving approaches, try to carve out a few extra minutes in your day, perhaps upon waking, or before hopping into bed at night, for this short exercise. Sit or lay in a comfortable position, and tune into your breath. Try to identify 6 things (person, place, or thing) that you are grateful for in this moment. We all have those wonderful “go-to” things we are constantly aware that we are thankful for… But in this instance, try to narrow down your thoughts to those special and unique things you are thankful for in this one specific day. (perhaps it is as simple as the sunlight on your face, a breeze through the trees, or a delicious bite of fruit you ate today) If it has been a good day, this might feel very easy to do. If it has been a difficult day, this will serve to bring you into a better place by focusing on your blessings. Once you have the list made, repeat a silent mantra as you breathe in: “I am grateful for ______,” and the number “1” as you breathe out. Repeat this for each of the things on your list, followed by their number (Do not worry about the order; this does not indicate that any one is any more important than the others, it is simply an exercise.) Then, if you have time to remain for a few more minutes, return to the first item on your list. Hold it in your mind, be with it, and simply observe. You might notice if your breath, body, or heart respond in any particular way. After you have taken several breaths with your first item, move to the next one, and so on for all items on your list.

A Gratitude Journal (Neil F. Neimark, M.D. online) is one of my favorite ways of praying. At the end of the day, I list some of the things that I am most grateful for that day. It can be anything: a friend, a good day at work, a cheerful email, a sunny day, or a kind word from someone. Then I give thanks to God for all he has given me.
After doing this for a long time, I began to notice that I had more of an “attitude of gratitude.” I began to see more of the good things in my life. I saw the cup as half full rather than half empty. And I became more aware of God’s presence in my life.
This kind of journal is another way to give thanks and grow closer to God. It is such a good habit to get into and can help us feel more grateful.
I have often thought that everyday should really be Thanksgiving Day. A journal can help us with our thanksgiving prayers!
Here are some questions to help you focus on what you have to be grateful for.

♦ How can I grow from this?

♦ What is the blessing in this?

♦ What can I take from this that empowers me?

♦ What is the opportunity for me in this?

♦ What possibilities does this open up for me?

♦ What is the most loving thing to do in this situation?

♦ What am I grateful for?

Gratitude transforms the simple into the sacred. Gratitude gives us more even when we have less than we want. Multiply your spiritual and emotional wealth now by starting your gratitude journal.
If you Google Gratitude Journal there are lots of resources for starting and using this idea.

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