Today is November 30th. The season of Thanksgiving has officially ended—or has it? In my mind, tomorrow, December 1st, essentially kicks off the Christmas season. As I straddle between these two significant holidays, I’m thinking that thankfulness is never more appropriate than the beginning of Advent. His coming is what makes possible our “becoming”. That one baby’s birth allows for our new birth. A tiny new light has dawned for all of humanity—it is the light of hope, and the fulfilling of an ancient promise amidst a dark and sin-filled world.
As the months continue to fly by, we turn around and bump right into Lent, and with it, yet another season of incredibly humble thanksgiving. That hope-filled light God has given, produces within us a spiritual seed of faith that continues to grow and nurture us, and ultimately creates the safe passageway for us to experience eternal life. Without the spilled, life-sustaining blood of Christ upon the cross, we would have remained dead in our trespasses.
Suffice it to say that there never really is a season when our hearts should not be wrapped in thankfulness, or when our lips are ever stilled from uttering deep gratitude for the many outrageous gifts given to us by a God who loves and saves. What He has done defies all logic! And that is the beginning of grace…
The Bible contains numerous examples of men and women who experienced profound gratitude from the healing hands of God incarnate. One person in particular has been circling around in my brain: the one out of ten healed lepers who demonstrated sincere thankfulness. Or as someone has phrased it, “the cleansed ten; the thankless nine.”
Tomorrow we shall begin a line by line look at this event as depicted in Luke 17:11-19. But tonight, at the close of another year’s preparation and participation in celebrating thankfulness with food, family and friends—it is truly God’s bounty of grace for which we should be most thankful–for without it, there would be no reason to celebrate.
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich”
Because of what the Lord has done for us
Give thanks…
Author: Henry Smith