To the blessed Family of Faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

November is here (unbelievable as that is), and that means that Thanksgiving is upon us. Now, I think it would be-hoove us all to remember that giving thanks to our Lord and our God ought not be reserved for a single day. Indeed, thanking God for showering us with His bountiful blessings should be an everyday occurrence, but I think this year it would be very helpful for us.

This past year has been, and continues to be, a struggle for many people the world over. Sometimes, it feels as though we are just being swept along, powerless to affect any change or improve the circumstances in which we find our-selves. Whether that’s true or not, when you reach that point, it may feel pointless or even stupid to give thanks, be-cause what is there to be thankful for?

Plenty. There is plenty for all of us to be thankful for, regardless of the trials which we endure.

The life of King David was certainly fraught with trials and tribulations (some of which were self-inflicted). All you need to do is peruse the psalms of lament to hear the sorts of troubles that hounded the shepherd-king. However, you can also read David’s psalms of thanksgiving, rendering to God the praise and honor due Him. In Psalm 34, for example, he writes, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together! I sought the Lord, and He answer me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord hear him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

I’m not saying we should just gloss over present tribulations. I’m not saying that the very real suffering many people are facing these days is inconsequential, or that we should just put on a happy face and pretend nothing is wrong. What I am saying is that, in spite of the trials we face, our Lord yet blesses us with gifts too numerous to count. Food in your bellies, air in your lungs, a place to lay your head at night – these are what we call “bare necessities,” and yet we forget that they are all gifts from the loving hand of our heavenly Father. He gives us what we need, and certainly be-yond, with the various riches and luxuries that we possess—all of which would astound even Solomon, with his vast riches.

However, a day will come when you aren’t able to stomach the food set before you, when it hurts to breathe, or you cannot get into a comfortable sleeping position. A day will come when all these material blessings will not matter much at all, as death approaches. Even then … you are richly blessed, and ought to give thanks. Why? Because you have been given the greatest blessing and gift of all which can never be taken from you: faith in Christ Jesus, the cruci-fied and resurrected Lord, Who has answered your greatest need by making atonement for all your sin.

The sufferings of this life are not to be taken lightly, and it’s unlikely that they will just end on a whim. However, when we consider all the blessings bestowed upon us by God, when we hear His absolution being pronounced, when He convicts us with His law and soothes us with His Gospel, when He feeds us with the very Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus in the Supper … we taste and see that He is good, that His steadfast love does endure forever. Present circum-stances notwithstanding, we have plenty to be thankful for—not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day. May your November and Thanksgiving celebrations be filled with such thanks to our God, from Whose hand comes every good and perfect gift!

+ Pax Christi +
Pastor Heckert