Thanksgiving Every Day

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 136:1-4)

I want to use the phrase, “Disciples are thanksgivers,” but there is really no personal noun form of “thanksgiving.” But that does not make it any less true. Disciples of Christ are thanksgiving people.

At the beginning of this season of Fall, even with our disconnection from the land, we celebrate the abundant blessings of God in the harvest. The life that emerged from the frozen ground has become the food of our feasts. And so, as we enter into the darkness and cold of winter, we live in confidence of what is to come.

But isn’t that how disciples live their entire lives. We have seen what God has done for God’s people throughout history, for Moses and the Hebrews, for Abraham and Israel. We have seen God at work in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have seen God’s continued work in the Church, from Peter and Paul to today. And we have heard God’s promise to us. We live our own seasons of life, and we all come to the darkness and cold through which we enter everlasting life, confident because of what God has previously done.

Now, today, and every day, we celebrate all that God has given us, “Our daily bread” as Martin Luther reminds us. We give thanks for family and friends and communities. We give thanks for the Law and Gospel, for God’s guidance and God’s promise. Disciples can “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes. 5:18), even if the circumstances are bad, because we know that God is on our side, God is with us.

So, disciples of Christ are thanksgiving people, not just one day a year, but every day. We give thanks to God for all the blessings of this life and for the life to come. We give thanks for those with whom we share the journey, and for those who have gone before us. And we give thanks for the faith, hope, and love that guides us on.

Be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:18b-20)