God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work…
You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.
-(2 Corinthians 9:8, 10-12 emphasis added)
Many of us will share meaningful meals with relatives and friends in a few days. With Turkey or without it, Thanksgiving is an excellent occasion for Christians to remember three very foundational realities:
- All that we are, and everything we have is due to God’ grace,
- Gratitude is the fitting response to that grace and shapes the way we live,
- Both grace and gratitude are to be expressed in our life together.
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to remember that regardless of economic forecasts, the God that sustained both the ministry of Paul and the followers of Jesus in first century Corinth is the same that still is “able to provide”.
Without wanting to sound too institutional, there are two brief sections of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section of our Book of Order that come to mind:
“Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is necessary for its mission in the world, for its sanctification, and for its service to God” (F-1.0202)
“Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body” (F-1.0301)
It is Christ’s giving that:
- Motivated previous generations to generously contribute towards worldwide mission and building facilities that we now use for worship and ministry in our communities.
- Moved our Presbytery to dedicate significant parts of its reserves to partner in the kind of outreach and evangelism efforts that have resulted in our new church’s chartering.
- Prompts the Property and Finance Committee to offer grants of to support the mission of our congregations.
- Informs all the good work being put into the crafting of the Presbytery’s 2023 budget.
- Inspires those that worship in our congregations to pledge a portion of their income to support God’s work.
As the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving used in our more liturgically inclined churches in preparation for the Lord’s Supper says: “It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, eternal God, our creator… Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as a living and holy offering of ourselves, that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen“. I have personally had the immense privilege to see how the impact of the church more directly tied to sacrificial generosity than to the performance of investment portfolios.
Whether our tables are simple or sumptuous, whether we include collard greens, tamales, or pumpkin sticky rice in our celebrations, whether we are hosts or guests, let us remember to live as a people of gratitude.