The Book of Psalms has many places where it says ‘O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.’
In the service of Holy Communion we focus on the words of Jesus when we hear:
‘For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.’
Jesus didn’t dream up that thank you bit just so that it would look good in the Bible. The ‘attitude of gratitude’ was a part of his being – his essence if you like. He would have learnt this fact from the very beginning. He wouldn’t have remembered, but would have been shown the family photographs, about the day his mum and dad took him to the temple and offered him to God. It was a sacrament of thanksgiving.
Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ is not simply about teaching good manners; but it is acknowledging that we are not on this journey alone and that we are communal people who need each other. A person with a thankful spirit is a gift to their community. Thankfulness is a sacrament!
Each week I do battle with a generation that has been given so much that it seems to me that they have convinced themselves that everything they have and get is a birthright. Yes, I am referring to so many of our children today. When we lose a spirit of thankfulness, we lose contact with our own identity. It is music to my ears when I hear – unprompted – ‘Thank you Pastor John’. The music becomes a symphony when they look you in the eye and you know that they mean it.
Sadly, a common response is a snatch for a biscuit and when rebuked a grudging ‘thank you’ with their eyes never leaving the object of their desire. Let’s not blame the kids though, as I believe that there is a growing understanding that we are placed on this earth to be served rather than serve. Many would not have a clue that Jesus once spoke about being a servant rather a master.
When I came to faith there was a song around that really touched me. It referred to a passage in Matthew 10:8:
‘Freely you have received, freely give.’
It was a song that kept me grounded for a long time as I regularly had cause to reflect on the great love of God that had so transformed my life. I couldn’t save up and buy this love or put it on Lay By at Big W; it was a free gift, yet bought at such great price. This kind of reflection gives birth to a grateful spirit. The whole verse goes like this:
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
A thankful heart clears the way for God to work. While I am in reminiscent mode let me close with this great old song from D. T. Niles:
‘The great love of God is revealed in the Son, who came to this earth to redeem every one. That love like a stream flowing clear to the sea, makes clean every heart that from sin would be free. It binds the whole world, every barrier it breaks, the hills it lays low, and the mountain it shakes. It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.’
Cultivate a grateful heart! It will make a big difference.
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