XII.
Saying Thanks!
In everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make
your requests known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
This morning on Facebook, a friend posted an article, entitled, “Immigrant farm workers feed us despite the Coronavirus epidemic. They deserve better.” Those words provoked me to ponder all those persons, whether citizens or not, legal or not, who support us every day. Thanksgiving is the virtue of connection and affirmation. When we are thankful, we are affirming that we need others and that our lives depend on the efforts of others. In this spirit, Meister Eckhardt asserted that “if the only prayer you can make is thank you, that will suffice.”
Eckhardt was thinking, first, about God. But God comes to us in the hands and feet of others. We can thank God for the universe, the way of Jesus, the grace that surrounds us, and the insights that guide us, and we should throughout the day! Thanking God means thanking others as well. This morning I give thanks for – medical personnel, letter carriers, first responders and law enforcement officers, farm workers and grocers, pharmacy staff, military, friends and family, good books, my computer, social media, internet, and Zoom, and for you who read this, and that’s just the beginning. For whom are you thankful? Whom among the forgotten or scorned in society are you grateful?
Thanksgiving is an antidote for impatience and grumpiness. So pray, reach out and say “thanks” to those who make our lives better, and let your words be those of lovingkindness.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For all good gifts and life itself. Let me sow seeds of gratitude and kindness throughout the day. Amen.
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Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author of over fifty books including FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC, FINDING GOD IN SUFFERING: A JOURNEY WITH JOB, and PIGLET’S PROCESS: PROCESS THEOLOGY FOR ALL GOD’S CHILDREN.
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