Dear Rose Park,
This past Sunday evening, I had the great joy and privilege to attend worship with our friends at Benjamin’s Hope. Sam and I sat across the aisle from Jim and Deb Kiekover and alongside Kylee Duistermars and her two sons, Charlie and Graham. We sang with full voices, laughed with full bellies, and worshipped with full hearts. It was a beautiful service and I hope you can join us next time.
One aspect of the liturgy that struck me in particular was a brief time where attendees shared what they were grateful for. After each person was done speaking, the worship leader then said, “one, two three…” and every one joined in to say, “yay God!” It was a simple way to collectively give thanks back to God. As the guest-pastor made his way to the pulpit I anticipated the ‘yay God!’ section was over; I was wrong. The entire sermon was a beautiful reminder of Paul’s words from Colossians 3 which are deeply rooted in gratitude. Let me share a portion of these words with you:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory…Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
It dawned on me halfway through the sermon: how foolish of me to assume that gratitude can or should be isolated to only part of our worship. How foolish of me to treat an opportunity to give thanks to God as some sort of speed-bump to get over and on to the next thing. All of life is an act of worship and all worship is an act of gratitude. Meaning, our lives should be filled with gratitude back to God. When we consider the tremendous gift of grace that God has given to us through His son Jesus, the only appropriate response back to God is gratitude.
Take a look again at Colossians 3 and consider all we have to be grateful for: being raised with Christ, having eternal life with Him, receiving God’s unconditional love, embracing God’s forgiveness, and being welcomed into God’s family. Too often we take for granted the tremendous blessings we have in our lives but perhaps this is an opportunity to embrace gratitude and give a collective voice of thanksgiving.
1, 2, 3…yay God!
Grace & Peace,
