Weekly Reflection from Pastor Kevin 11/22/23

Weekly Reflection from Pastor Kevin 11/22/23

Dear SCC & Friends,

… give thanks… ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Reflection #194

                 Are we going to have a prayer, it’s Thanksgiving you know? Before we’re served, shouldn’t we say grace? Lucy asks Linus to pray, and he begins with a brief history lesson… In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this:We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world of freedom and justice. Amen. ~A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving – Charles M. Schulz~ That first Thanksgiving was over four hundred years ago, and we can confidently say, amidst triumph and tragedy, that the Lord’s everlasting goodness spans all generations. Common grace is a gift to all of humanity. …He causes His sun to rise on the evil and good and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. ~Matt. 5:45

                 To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – And He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, and every moment of existence is a grace… ~Thomas Merton~ O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. ~1 Chron. 16:34 It’s really hard to find an unhappy person who is thankful. It is equally challenging to be around someone with an ungrateful attitude… the person who carries an entitled mentality which says, “I deserve more.” Ingratitude was a capital offense (crime) in Gulliver’s Travels and can poison one’s soul… Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.~RLS~ May we be of a different spirit, ever giving thanks to the Lord who is worthy beyond measure. And whatever we do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~Col. 3:17 May each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving! …Keep up the good work!

 

…In everything give thanks…

Kevin