“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever…Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-3; 4
Psalm 136 is one of the most famous psalms in the entire book. It has the unique feature of repeating the phrase “for His steadfast love endures forever” 26 times! The writer of the psalm shows how that is with the examples that he gives. He starts with a call to thanks (v.1-3), and moves to giving thanks about God’s wonderful work of creation (v.4-9). He continues by recalling God’s greatest act of salvation in the Old Testament, the Exodus (v.10-16)! He then tells about broader acts of God in Israel’s history (v.17-22), and concludes it with a final word of praise and thanks (v.23-26).
Giving thanks to God and seeing His blessings is a vital discipline and aspect for the Christian life. It helps to lift our eyes up to God and to see the wonderful and bounteous blessings that He gives us. Giving thanks helps us to see that He is the One Who provides for us, and gives us what we need. We see His watchful eye and care for us, and can gain a greater appreciation for all of His blessings. Often times, when I give thanks, my eyes are opened even more to all that God has given me. It often helps me to see all the blessings that I miss and forget to thank Him for Him.
What can you give thanks for in your life? What has God given you?
Luther helpfully says, “He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.” Did he forget anything?
As a congregation, we have lots to give thanks for. This summer, we welcomed three new confirmands, had 7 people attend NYG, and had over 30 teens per week attend our summer program John1516teens. We had a great VBS that was well-received and taught the kids about Paul the Apostle (one kid asked me, “Who is Paul?” She certainly knew who he was once the weekend was over). We have full and active boards, and are blessed with many volunteers who faithfully work behind the scenes, doing needed services and tasks for our congregation and the ministry that is done here. We are blessed with talented musicians who help to lead our Divine Services. We just recently had our first Stewardship Service Sunday, and are looking forward to our first neighborhood event. We also have other amazing opportunities for service and fellowship this upcoming fall and winter. The list that we can give thanks for as a congregation can go on and on and on!
However, in the midst of all these things that we can give thanks for, we cannot forget the best of all: God’s Son! He is the reason that God’s steadfast love endures forever. He is the reason that we are His sons and daughters. Jesus is always a reason to give thanks!
In Christ,
Pastor Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXI, Number 2, September 2019)