Pastor's Message

November 2004

Prayer of Thanksgiving

What is a Christian? Some might say you have to be “born again” to be a real Christian. Some might say that you have to be a member of a church. In St. Paul's UCC when we celebrate communion, we define being a Christian broadly when we invite “all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior” to join us in receiving the sacrament. Brian Stoffragen, an “internet friend” has said that a Christian is “one who responds with thanksgiving to God.”

Scripture supports this understanding. There are 15 Psalms that could be called “Psalms of Thanksgiving.” This is more than any other theme in the Psalms, except for Psalms of Lament. Paul seems to understand the importance of thanksgiving when he writes in Romans 1:21, “for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.”

Of course, God’s grace is a gift freely given to everyone, but not everyone responds to God’s grace by properly giving thanks and praise to God for what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. The church through the ages has been on a constant quest to help people give thanks to God in a way that is meaningful and appropriate. In fact, the term “orthodox,” which came about as a term that means correct worship, literally means “correct praise.” In our worship, this should be our goal, to find the “correct” way to praise God, to give thanks to God.

Some people might claim that they can worship God anywhere, they can thank God in the woods or even while driving their car to work. While this is true, we must ask the question, “How does God want us to give thanks?” In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals ten lepers. It seems only obvious that all ten were grateful. I would imagine all ten offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God. But only one returned to the feet of Jesus to give thanks – and Jesus clearly was disappointed that the other 9 didn’t come to him. From this we can see that Jesus desires that we make a special effort to “come to him” to say thanks, rather than simply saying a word of thanksgiving as we go through our daily routines.

But there is something more in the story of the healing of the ten lepers. In Luke 17:16 Luke tells us that the healed man who returned “prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” The word for “thanked” that Luke used is “eucharisteo.” This word is used only four times in the Gospel of Luke, and two times it is used by Jesus as he “gave thanks” over the bread and the cup in the Upper Room with his disciples (Luke 22:17, 19). From this we might understand two important elements of “properly giving thanks” to God. First, we do not give thanks alone, but we do it in community. As we gather with other believers we can join with them and lift our voices, “out loud” (an important theme in the story of the healing of the 10 lepers). We can do this with songs and hymns, with spoken prayers and prayer responses and by joining in reciting Psalms. But as we break the bread and drink of the cup, we not only emulate the giving thanks that Jesus did with his disciples on the night he was betrayed, but we are also gathered in the presence of Christ. Since we believe that the bread and wine are not only symbols, but that they are in a mystical way, to the believer, “the reality which they represent,” we are in reality, in the presence of Christ when we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

November is often considered the “Thanksgiving month.” For some, that simply means it is the month where our Thanksgiving holiday falls. Some might have a broader understanding and try to let Thanksgiving be more than one day, but a season of giving Thanks to God. It is my prayer that every member of St. Paul’s UCC takes time to give thanks to God for the grace we have received, and that we all seek to do it in a manner that is both proper and pleasing in the sight of God. Let us come together and give thanks in the presence of Christ. May we be known as Christians who “respond with Thanksgiving to God”.