Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November…
Maxwell Anderson
Perhaps more than at any other time of the year, autumn is the season of remembering, of reflection. This season of falling leaves and drier fresh air tinged with the desiccated musk of fading life, a dramatic point of transition from the heated growth of summer to the icebox and necessary dormancy of winter—this is the season in which nostalgia rises within us. Thus it is a time of temperance, of slowing down, of contemplation.
For those of spiritual bent, those who claim Christ Jesus as Lord, it is more than just an exercise in recollection, of leafing back, as it were, through the days gone before. No, for us it is a time, oddly enough, of growth, as we recall the Lord’s work in our life over the past year, and extend to Him our gratitude and thanksgiving, our appreciation and praise for the many graces He has poured into our days with Him.
Everything is Always
In God’s economy, and especially with life in Christ Jesus, everything is always.
“I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings
of your fatlings.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Amos 5:21-24
Item: The third Sunday of September is “Wife Appreciation Day,”
an exciting event that gives husbands a chance to demonstrate just how much they love and appreciate their wife. There are so many things that a supportive and loving wife does for her husband, and this is a chance for husbands to look back and remember all the big and little things that add up to so much. Husbands may want to order a beautiful bouquet of her favorite flowers, and/or arrange a fabulous surprise, such as making a reservation at her special restaurant, booking to see a spectacular show; or taking her on a romantic mini-break. Alternatively, they may want to get her a gift of designer perfume or a unique piece of jewelry, both of which are always gratefully received!
(daysoftheyear.com)
If, however, I am not demonstrating on a regular basis “just how much [I] love and appreciate [my] wife,” what good are my efforts on just one, officially sanctioned, special day of the year in which I am told to do it by someone else?
Birthdays. Anniversaries. Valentine’s Day.
They are all the same—utterly meaningless if we are not living out our love and appreciation every day of the year.
Stated in a variety of ways throughout His word, God makes the point that our enthusiastic appreciation of Him on special occasions just leaves a bad taste in His mouth if we are not living out that appreciation every day of the year.
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.”
Isaiah 1:11-17
So now comes Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, since it is associated with the Pilgrims who came to our shores so very long ago. These earliest settlers from Europe to what would one day become the United States of America expressed their gratitude and praise to God for their life, and the abundance they were enjoying in their new home.
At a time when society would strip away any mention of faith, of God—and especially dependence on Him—from public discourse, it is heartening to recall that when George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving in 1789, his proclamation was literally filled to overflowing with God, and an appropriate recognition of the root of the holiday in the Pilgrims.
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation…
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Thus for both Christians and Jews, the fourth Thursday of November, proclaimed as a national holiday in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln, is a special day not just to celebrate the harvest with tables heaped to overflowing, but a day to recognize and give thanks for “the many signal favors of Almighty God.”
Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
1 Samuel 7:12
But what good is this isolated annual remembrance if we are not giving thanks to Him every day?
Thanks-Giving
You see, it is a state of mind, really.
It is a mystical, other-worldly, sometimes confusing, sometimes ecstatic, utterly liberating state of mind. More than a belief, more than just a philosophy, far more than just rules or an action, it is a way of life—a way of living.
Real, substantial, authentic thanks-giving is the product of a heart that has been broken; not broken in the soap opera, smarmy dime-romance sense—“Oh, my boyfriend’s left me for another girl, sha-na-na.”—but the reductive brokenness that results in a life renewed, a life rescued from the abyss. The first step upward toward God is trod upon the shattered remnants of the old self, a life broken, a heart contrite.
Few things today are more alien to modernity. No one trying their best to fit into today’s society is going to subscribe to this (as they see it) antiquated, obsolete concept of thanks-giving. Polite appreciation might be permitted—so long as we don’t get carried away. By all means, show restrained gratitude, a gracious “thank you,” even a hearty slap on the back for a job well done. But this business of brokenness sounds alarmingly like servitude—and we just cannot countenance that at all.
But God in His word says something quite different. According to the apostle Paul, we are born slaves. The only question is, slaves to what?
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
Romans 6:16
The Christian is not someone who has moved from unbridled freedom into a life of abject bondage, but someone who has simply made the decision for a superior Master.
The work of the Holy Spirit notwithstanding, the believer has made the conscious decision to leave a slaveholder of unimaginable cruelty and depravity, to serve a benevolent Master of unimaginable mercy and kindness. And the best way to serve this new Master is to live a life of thanks-giving.
Our thanks-giving is based on Calvary. Our faith is based on the open tomb of Resurrection morning, for in His resurrection we have the promise of our own. But our life of thanks-giving is based on His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. Where the Lamb of God’s blood flowed down, there we have the debt we can never repay—a debt God does not expect us to repay, nor even to try.
It may be enough for some, but for the believer actively acquiring the image of Christ as he journeys upward toward God, a life of simple, momentary gratitude or thankfulness is not sufficient. There is something primal buried deep inside the Spirit-led soul that clamors to express more. Struggling always against the weak and lazy flesh, the spirit of the believer yearns to be united with the Spirit of God in an attitude of worshipful submission—to express a much deeper gratitude in a life of thanks-giving.
We look upon that ugly and profane cross, that instrument of gleeful torture (for what else can one call a public death by slow asphyxiation and drowning) and our heart breaks. The first child-like response is, indeed, one of thanksgiving and praise for a God who would willingly sacrifice Himself for His followers. With that despicable, glorious sight in our gaze, we fall down in grateful worship.
Our praise may be authentic and unselfish, but after a while we realize that it is not enough, not nearly enough. Something in us cries out to express even more for this gracious, sacrificed Savior. Our words, our songs, our corporate devotion are not sufficient to express what lies yet unexpressed in our heart. We must give Him more than words and songs—we must give Him everything that we are. We must come to a point of agreement with the apostle Paul, who wrote,
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
There is nothing else left, nothing that will satisfy our longing, except to be broken. So before the cross of Christ, before the open tomb, before the Father’s throne we remove the crown that sits atop our head—that glorious crown that represents every gift we have ever received from above, every talent instilled, every act we have ever performed—and we carefully place it at His feet. As part of our worship we agree with the Lord that He owns us completely. We are not our own. We are His to use as He pleases.
We will now spend the remainder of our days living for Him. Our talents belong to Him. Our will has been subjected to His. Our desires will be aligned with His. Everything of our lives will be subsumed in His.
And thus we will spend the rest of our lives thanks-living.
Issue #895 November 2024
Reflections by the Pond is published monthly at dlampel.com and is © 2024 David S. Lampel.Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com. Cover photo by Alex Woods on Unsplash; page 5 photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash. This and all of our resources are offered free-of-charge to the glory and praise of Christ our Lord.