Psalm 116:12-19
What can I give back to God for the blessings poured out on me? I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God! I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do, and I’ll do it together with all people.
Oh, God, here I am, your servant, your faithful servant: set me free for your service! I’m ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of your love and your grace. I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do, and I’ll do it in company with all people.
[This is my half of a two-person message]
It was an unexpected struggle to choose a scripture for today. Since next Sunday will start Advent season we wanted to do our Thanksgiving message today but the lectionary readings didn’t seem to fit at all. It got even weirder when I did a search for scriptures dealing with thankfulness. I’m still a little horrified at just how many scriptures there are extolling the writer’s desire to express their thankfulness to God for having stepped in and slaughtered their enemies and left them piled up at their feet. Humm ... that really wasn’t the message we were looking for — honest.
So I was very thankful to stumble onto Psalm 116, which is a hymn of praise for answered prayer. It’s a longer psalm in its entirety. I pruned it down quite a bit to just the part I particularly want to address, basically verses 12-19.
What can I give back to God for the blessings poured out on me? This is the verse that spoke to me — What can I give back to God for all I’ve been given? This is, after all, Thanksgiving 2020, and many of us may well be thinking something along the lines of “how are we supposed to be grateful this horrible year?” And, that can be a valid question.
This has been in many ways a horrible year. Between the pandemic and our currently fractured social contract, wildfires and hurricanes, and an impending economic collapse, we all seem to be hanging on by a thread, waiting for the next calamity to strike us.
Some have lost their homes (some have even lost their lives) to violent climate-based outbursts. Many of us are beginning to fear the loss of democracy itself in our nation -- and families have been ripped apart by political differences.
But it is the pandemic which has caused the most pain, by far. Some have suffered unspeakable tragedy and grief through the loss of a beloved family member they weren’t even able to say “goodbye” to. Some have lost jobs as businesses shut down. Others, especially the more fragile elderly have lost basically all human contact as fear has driven them into isolation. We all know the losses. I don't need to go on. How on earth do we acknowledge gratitude in the midst of all this?
That's where this psalm speaks so clearly to me and to you, I hope. What can I give back for the blessings poured out on me? The answer is to look around you. Because in the midst of all the ugly, there have been blessings — amazing blessings — medical personnel who give their all - and then keep giving; friends who keep in contact no matter what, who won’t allow you to tuck in and hide from the world; new life born into our families – babies come regardless of outside events; relearning the joy of not rushing so much, baking your own bread, tending a garden, having actual conversations with those you live with -- or just sitting back and watching a sunset; the generosity of strangers has been astounding this year as people reach out to offer help wherever they can – offer help to total strangers who aren't liberal or conservative, old or young, black or white or brown -- just another human who needs something or someone.
I could go on and on — and so could you if you stop to think about it for a moment. If we set our minds to it we can all find blessings amongst the inconveniences and pains, even in the midst of suffering. So, the scripture asks — what can I give to someone today that will be a blessing for them? This is how we will repair this world - each of us doing our part, sharing our gifts -- and doing it all together.
So, that’s the question for today. Where can I return grace for grace given? Look around you -- see who needs help. And thank God that you are able to offer that help.
It was an unexpected struggle to choose a scripture for today. Since next Sunday will start Advent season we wanted to do our Thanksgiving message today but the lectionary readings didn’t seem to fit at all. It got even weirder when I did a search for scriptures dealing with thankfulness. I’m still a little horrified at just how many scriptures there are extolling the writer’s desire to express their thankfulness to God for having stepped in and slaughtered their enemies and left them piled up at their feet. Humm ... that really wasn’t the message we were looking for — honest.
So I was very thankful to stumble onto Psalm 116, which is a hymn of praise for answered prayer. It’s a longer psalm in its entirety. I pruned it down quite a bit to just the part I particularly want to address, basically verses 12-19.
What can I give back to God for the blessings poured out on me? This is the verse that spoke to me — What can I give back to God for all I’ve been given? This is, after all, Thanksgiving 2020, and many of us may well be thinking something along the lines of “how are we supposed to be grateful this horrible year?” And, that can be a valid question.
This has been in many ways a horrible year. Between the pandemic and our currently fractured social contract, wildfires and hurricanes, and an impending economic collapse, we all seem to be hanging on by a thread, waiting for the next calamity to strike us.
Some have lost their homes (some have even lost their lives) to violent climate-based outbursts. Many of us are beginning to fear the loss of democracy itself in our nation -- and families have been ripped apart by political differences.
But it is the pandemic which has caused the most pain, by far. Some have suffered unspeakable tragedy and grief through the loss of a beloved family member they weren’t even able to say “goodbye” to. Some have lost jobs as businesses shut down. Others, especially the more fragile elderly have lost basically all human contact as fear has driven them into isolation. We all know the losses. I don't need to go on. How on earth do we acknowledge gratitude in the midst of all this?
That's where this psalm speaks so clearly to me and to you, I hope. What can I give back for the blessings poured out on me? The answer is to look around you. Because in the midst of all the ugly, there have been blessings — amazing blessings — medical personnel who give their all - and then keep giving; friends who keep in contact no matter what, who won’t allow you to tuck in and hide from the world; new life born into our families – babies come regardless of outside events; relearning the joy of not rushing so much, baking your own bread, tending a garden, having actual conversations with those you live with -- or just sitting back and watching a sunset; the generosity of strangers has been astounding this year as people reach out to offer help wherever they can – offer help to total strangers who aren't liberal or conservative, old or young, black or white or brown -- just another human who needs something or someone.
I could go on and on — and so could you if you stop to think about it for a moment. If we set our minds to it we can all find blessings amongst the inconveniences and pains, even in the midst of suffering. So, the scripture asks — what can I give to someone today that will be a blessing for them? This is how we will repair this world - each of us doing our part, sharing our gifts -- and doing it all together.
So, that’s the question for today. Where can I return grace for grace given? Look around you -- see who needs help. And thank God that you are able to offer that help.
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