Readings for Thanksgiving
Preparation Song: Gratitude (lyrics here)
Reflection
This coming Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, the season when we begin making preparations in our heart to receive the true gift of Christmas—the incarnation of Jesus, who came to earth to rescue us from sin and restore us to relationship with God. It is also, as this year’s Advent lectionary readings reflect, a time when we anticipate the day when Jesus shall come again to establish his eternal Kingdom.
For Advent this year we will be doing a daily song devotional like the ones that were offered during Lent and Eastertide. As such, we are going to wait to explore Advent texts and themes until Sunday when the season officially begins.
Thankfully, the Revised Common Lectionary allows for special feast days and holidays in its schedule of readings, and Thanksgiving is among those for which it offers Scripture for study and reflection. This is the week in the United States where we pause to give thanks for the many blessings we have received, and even if you are in a country where that holiday is not celebrated (or celebrated at a different time of year), it is always a good spiritual discipline to pause in gratitude.
So for our songs and reflections this week we will be using the lectionary readings for Thanksgiving. We pray that this week of prayerful contemplation on God’s provision and blessings stirs you to even deeper levels of gratitude and praise to the giver of all good gifts.
In preparation here are some words to consider which come from Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, issued in October of 1863, which established the last Thursday in November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise. They remind us how easy it is to lose sight of our dependence on God, and they encourage us to always look heavenward and remember the source of all that we have and enjoy.
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”—President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation dated 3 October 1863.
Reading One: Joel 2:21-27 (NRSV)
Song: Generous Giver (lyrics here)
Reflection
The passage from Joel speaks to God’s restorative work and his bountiful blessings to those who have heard the prophetic call to return and repent. Scholars call this an “oracle of assurance,” a promise delivered to God’s people letting them know that their cries have been heard and will be answered. Restoration is at hand.
As you read these assuring words, the sheer bounty of God’s provision is made clear: the orchards and fields give their “full yield” (v. 22), the rains God provides are “abundant” (v. 23), the threshing floors are full, and the vats of wine and oil “overflow” (v. 24). Verse 26 then captures the generous nature of God’s restoration and provision, as well as the response it stirs up in God’s people.
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.”
God has indeed “dealt wondrously” with us, most supremely in the gift of his son Jesus. As we consider all the great things he has done on our behalf, and all the ways he has provided for our needs, our hearts can’t help but burst forth in praise.
You are the Generous Giver
Your mercy overflows
Your blessing is a river
On and on and on it goes
You are an endless fountain
You’re filling up my life
My heart must sing Your praises
Jesus You be glorified
How has God displayed his generosity in your life? How has he provided “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20) in ways that stir you to praise? Spend some time recalling God’s generosity and provision in specific ways and offering gratitude for each in prayer.
Reading Two: Psalm 126 (NRSV)
Song: Psalm 126 (lyrics here)
Reflection
Psalm 126, like our passage for Joel, puts the subject of God’s provision in the context of restoration, specifically Israel’s return home from exile in Babylon. It is such a miraculous and long-anticipated event that to the people of Israel it seems like a dream. When the reality of what God has done sets in, though, their dreamlike state gives way to very real joy and laughter. And the people know without a doubt who it is who has brought about their restoration: “The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.” (v. 3)
The restoration of Israel has an interesting side-effect, though—it serves as a witness to other nations: “…then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’” (v. 2) That’s an aspect of gratitude and thanksgiving we rarely think about, but it’s very true: the ways God provides, and the ways we respond are part of our witness.
Isaac Watts, in his version of Psalm 126, rendered this in a beautiful and powerful way:
"Great is the work," my neighbors cried,
And owned the power divine;
"Great is the work," my heart replied,
"And be the glory thine."
As we enter a season of gratitude and Thanksgiving, may God continue to receive the glory, and may those around us “own the power divine.”
Why do you think gratitude is a powerful witness? How can you build gratitude as a spiritual practice into your walk with God more and more? What are you specifically thanking him for today, asking that he receive the glory?
Reading Three: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NRSV)
Song: Thank You For Saving Me (lyrics here)
Reflection
Paul encourages young Timothy to offer thanks and prayers for everyone, including those in worldly positions of power, so that the followers of Jesus can lead quiet and peaceable lives. It is true that praying for those in authority, even those with whom we disagree, can bring a peace to our souls that outward dissension and rebellion can never achieve.
But it’s hard, isn’t it, especially in today’s highly contentious culture? How in the world can we move past the animosity and even outright hatred to bring about a more prayerful attitude towards the people in authority with whom we find ourselves at odds?
I think Paul gives us a good mindset to carry into that kind of prayer in the verses that follow, where he reminds us that God desires all to come into a saving relationship with Christ and a knowledge of the truth (v. 4). He then reminds Timothy (and us) that Jesus serves as our mediator with God by virtue of his incarnation and sacrifice. If Christ can die for us while we are yet sinners (Rom. 5:8), surely we can lay down our lives and our pride as we pray for those divided from us by policy and opinion.
The song “Thank You For Saving Me” encourages us to embrace a position of humility before the cross, acknowledging what Christ has done on our behalf with words of gratitude and praise. Out of this humble mindset, how might our prayers for those who have yet to know his salvation be affected?
I called your name, you heard my cry
Out of the grave, and into life
My heart is yours, my soul is free
Thank you God for saving me
Spend some time in prayer simply sitting with gratitude for the salvation God has brought us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As you sit at the foot of the cross, allow the Holy Spirit to remind you that it is a place where all ground is level, all are in equal need, and let that guide you in your prayers for others.
Reading Four: Matthew 6:25-33 (NRSV)
Songs: For the Beauty of the Earth (traditional lyrics here, John Rutter version lyrics here)
Reflection
In this famous part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses imagery from nature to remind us that God provides for all of creation; therefore we can trust him with our every need. He calls to our minds images of birds, lilies, grass, and fields, and uses them to calm our worry-filled hearts and spirits.
For me, one of the surest ways for my heart to be stirred to gratitude is by contemplating the wonders and beauty of nature. It seems appropriate, then, to spend time contemplating God’s wondrous gifts of creation as we also turn our hearts to him in praise and thanksgiving.
As you listen to either the traditional hymn or the modern John Rutter version, spend some time contemplating the words and ask yourself: which of the gifts described in this song resonate deeply with me today? How can I give thanks to God for these gifts as we celebrate a season of gratitude?
For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise
For the beauty of the hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale and tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love
Brother, sister, parent, child
Friends on earth and friends above
For all gentle thoughts and mild
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise
For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given
Graces human and divine
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise