Are we in a good place right now? Do we have enough to eat, clean water to drink, clothes on our backs and a roof over our head? Are we relatively safe where we live? There are those in other parts of the world who cannot answer yes to these questions, and that concerns and saddens me. We are blessed and should be thankful for all we have.
In looking at the difference between thankfulness and gratitude, I find it thought provoking. Gratitude is considered a feeling, while thanksgiving is considered an expression or action. When we ask ourselves some of the above questions, we most assuredly answer yes. Our yes should lead us to a feeling of gratitude for our safety, security and provision. In light of all we see and hear going on across our world, we do derive a feeling of gratitude for all we have been given. We are grateful to be in the places we find ourselves. We are grateful to have enough to eat. We are grateful for all that we enjoy.
Because we are grateful, we should enjoy a sense of peace and calm. Gratitude should lead us to be mindful of all the ways we are provided for. Gratitude should give us pause before we utter complaints about the quality and condition of our lives.
This brings us to Thanksgiving, which we will celebrate tomorrow. Many of us will celebrate the day with family and friends. We will gather around tables laden with various foods. But is this the action of thanksgiving we’re called to have? Are our thanks filled with expressive words, but little else? Not to put a damper on our gatherings, for I am sure we are grateful for all we have. But it remains to be seen if our gratefulness, our gratitude, will turn into a more visible and tangible reality of thankfulness.
Without fail, we will see and hear of those who spend a part of their thanksgiving feeding hungry people. Showing a true caring spirit toward those who live on the margins of life. I would believe true thankfulness is expressed on all the other days even more so than on Thanksgiving Day. In James 1:27 we read, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” This verse is interpreted to mean that true religion is a practical, action-oriented relationship with God that involves caring for the needy and oppressed, and following the call to love your neighbor. Now, if we substitute religion with thankfulness we find how we ought to express our feelings of gratitude. We express those feelings through how we treat and serve those around us in need.
You see, our yes to all the previous questions about having enough, should also be a yes to seeing to others having enough as well. If we are going to be truly thankful, then our thankfulness should be shown in how we treat those who cannot answer yes.
I’m very proud of the people of Preston Hollow United Methodist Church. It has become our tradition on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we suspend our regular worship, instead we meet to pack meals for hungry people somewhere in the world. At the time we do the packing, we have no idea where the meals will go. We find the destination out some weeks later. In past years we have seen the meals go to Ukraine, Burkino Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo. What we do know is, we are helping to alleviate hunger somewhere. Our gratitude for all God has done in our lives, is expressed in what we do. This is not a pat on our backs, but merely one example of how we can show our thankfulness.
I sincerely hope and pray each of us have a Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter and gratitude. I also pray each of us are moved to be action oriented in how we put feet and hands to our thankfulness.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom