What is Thanks?

A Psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come into his presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he that made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise.

    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations.

This psalm pretty well says it all for me.  I think God loves a joyful noise, whatever you can get your hands on.  A drum?  Great.  A lute?  Play on, my friend.  Two wooden spoons?  You go!  An accordion...whoa, slow down there!  No need to get too carried away.  

There is something infectious and contagious about joy.  If you are around a happy person you either find yourself starting to smile, or you will find yourself get more and more annoyed by that person. There is no neutrality.  

The psalm affirms the truth of Genesis 1, that we are made in God's image.  And it is more than reflecting God's fingerprints, God intimately knows us.  Perhaps better than we know ourselves.  

Often though, we have some fear and trepidation about God knowing us so well.  If we take that to its natural conclusion God isn't fooled by the nice clothes and ties and hats we wear on Sunday morning.  God knows what lurks just beneath the pearl or cross necklace.  And God really knows what we did at work or on Friday night, we might not see that as good news.  

But what if it was?  Can you imagine someone covering all you are with a love that will not let you go?  Perhaps we want to be punished, that some how that makes us feel better.  Only God is not interested in making us feel better.  God is interested in love, a steadfast love that endures always.  The Hebrew word here is hesed, it means a lovingkindness that can come only from God...occasionally from humans in the book of Ruth, in the ways Ruth treats her mother-in-law Naomi.  It is a beautiful narrative of what human hesed looks like.  Otherwise, hesed usually comes from God.

If we are wrapped in that kind of love, then perhaps our thanksgivings will lead not only to gratitude, but leaning and living out that gratitude more purposefully.  Making decisions based on gratitude, not on the impact on our bank account.  Listening with kindness and love, rather than for a pause to get our words in.  

I invite you as we enter into this week of thanksgiving to focus on the word, "Gratitude."  How would you define that word?  How would you live that word?  How might that extend that past this Thursday?

I pray as you think about this may you sense more than a trace of God's grace.

Blessings ~