Give Thanks
Giving thanks is a theological powerhouse
The American holiday of Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to renew our commitment to not only giving thanks, but to personal and civic health. It is a wonderful fact that our nation has at its very roots several occasions of thanksgiving, and then a formalized holiday predicated on the idea that we owe our very existence to God and his good sovereignty on our behalf. There is no shame in acknowledging this. In fact, we have done ourselves a great deal of civilizational harm by acting as if there is.
Instead of a culture of thanksgiving, ours has slid into a culture of self-centeredness, envy, and manufactured guilt and shame. We are told to believe that our history is full of wickedness and evil that has never been atoned for and can never be fully atoned for. The only solution for the unpardonable sin of being America is societal seppuku. Along the way, young people are convinced by academic and political grifters that they are full of guilt and victimhood. They need to deny their nation and take up their crosses of white guilt and generational hatred. In addition, they are told that if they fill their days and minds with envy, they will find some form of absolution.
In addition, while God and his objective reality have been relegated to the historical “sin bin,” people are taught that they can take his place. The world is now all about you and your choices. Unrestrained personal expression is what will make you free. A toxic mixture of selfishness, self-hatred, and envy has become more normal than the traditional virtues of humility, selflessness, and thanksgiving.
The traditional virtues win every time.
The Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington in 1789, is a wonderful example of how to celebrate the day both as an individual and a nation. Below are some excerpts and thoughts (this link is to the full Proclamation – it would be great to read the whole thing this week).
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor..."
We are thankful for the birth of our nation and our Christian national heritage, but we also recognize the providence of God at work among all the nations. God is Lord of all.
"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation."
What a wonderful theological morsel in this Proclamation: God is the author of all good things, past, present, and future. Instead of perseverating on evils and perceived evils, what about filling our minds with the good gifts of God? James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
"...also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws..."
Of course all nations have plenty of evil within them. Proper thanksgiving makes room for confession and repentance because the God of Good Things is also a God of forgiveness and restoration. Woke envy has no means of forgiveness and restoration, only perpetual victimhood and anger. Recognizing God makes the whole process possible: repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and thanksgiving.
Fill your mind and mouth with the good things of God this year. Be grateful. Ask for forgiveness. Think about the big, good things. You will do your part to breath fresh air into your soul and society.
