Happy Thanksgiving

As was suggested, here is the article I wrote for the local press. I think it is appropriate since today is Thanksgiving here in Canada.

Time to be Thankful

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful. In the coming week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. For many people Thanksgiving Day is just another day off. However it is one day set aside to help us to remember to be thankful. Living in Canada we have a lot to be thankful for. We enjoy a lot of freedoms in this country that many people around the world do not have. We are greatly blessed to live in such a place.

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful to the One who has blessed us with so much. We thank God for all his many blessings. Psalm 136 reminds us that we are to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” In this Psalm there is a line that is repeated after each phrase. That line is, “His love endures forever.” The Psalm begins by saying, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever…” The repetition of the phrase “His love endures forever” reminds us of why we are to give thanks.

We give thanks most of all because God’s love endures forever. No matter what you are faced with, “His love endures forever.” If you have cancer and don’t have a good prognosis, even in the midst of that “His love endures forever.” If you are struggling financially, even in the midst of that, “His love endures forever.”

If you are doing really well, and have many good things happening in your life, “His love endures forever.” We need to remember that all good things come from the one whose “love endures forever.” We are reminded to give thanks. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Thessalonians, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess. 5:16-18) Paul of all people knew what it was like to suffer. He was persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, yet he still urges everyone to give thanks in all circumstances.

Some might wonder how can you be thankful when things are going wrong in my life? We can do this because we have confidence in the great creator. As Psalm 136 continues to remind us to give thanks “to him who alone does great wonders, who by his understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights.” Why? Because “His love endures forever.”

His love does endure forever. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sin. Through his son, his love continues on, it endures forever. It is because of his great love for us, we are saved from our sins. In this time of year we have one day that is set aside for the main reason of giving thanks. To give thanks in good times and in bad. We can give thanks to “the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”