One BLESSING, Two BLESSING, ....

 

"If the only prayer you make is 

"thank you," that will suffice."

Meister Eckhart 

October 11, 2024

Psalm 136:1-4

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

Psalm 95:1-2

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

I recall that every Thanksgiving Worship from my childhood featured the song "Count Your Blessings." Perhaps you have similar memories. The refrain went like this:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Now I believe that is good advice, not just once a year, but as daily practice too. The Thanksgiving Weekend is upon us and I believe today we should have as our focus "Savouring our Blessings". 

What are you thankful for? 

We live in a culture that spins a narrative at us about all that is wrong in life. So lets set that narrative aside this weekend, and think about what it is we are thankful for, to Count our Blessings and Name Them One by One.

Let's try a small exercise to help us count our blessings.

Hold your hands in front of you in a fist and count off on your fingers, 10 things that come to mind that you are thankful for.  Hold your hands open in gratitude at the end.

(leave 1-2 minutes here for silence – yes it will feel too long and awkward, that’s ok)

What are the things that you deeply appreciate
Who are the people who you love and who love you
Let their faces smile in front of you

What are your talents – gifts – natural abilities – thank God for those
What are the Supernatural gifts – that God has blessed you with
What are the virtues in your life – where through the grace of God you feel the power of christ moving in your life – thank God

Maybe you’re a good listener, your patient compassionate, acknowledge these blessings come from one source.
What’s happened in the last few days that you are especially grateful for?  That make your heart smile?
Of all these things – what’s most alive for you – what are you most greatful for?

As you think of the things that you are thankful for, where in your life have you been tempted to focus on how life isn’t good enough. Where you’ve been tempted to slip into dis-content?  Where have you been tempted to complain?

Is there any thing in those situations that you can be thankful for?

Prayer

So God with our open hands, we think about how we hold all these blessings we have received from you, and we give you thanks. We acknowledge the big things and the small things before you now. We acknowledge God that you don’t owe us anything!  All that we hold in our open hands is a gift! Amen.