Thankfulness

I read recently that the Duke of Wellington, a great British military leader who had many great accomplishments in his life (chief among them being the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo), was asked by a woman in his old age: “What would you do differently if you had your life to live over again?” He thought carefully and said, “I would give more praise.” Really? What is so powerful about a thankful heart? Over and over in the Bible, we are exhorted to have a thankful heart. The Psalms are 150 inspired prayers that we pray daily at St. Patrick. They teach us to praise and lament. They teach us that at the heart of a people who know and are known by God—is thanksgiving. So why praise? Doesn’t God know we are thankful? Why all this stuff about praise and thanksgiving? C. S. Lewis is helpful here:“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. . .” It is so true, isn’t it? Praise comes from a heart of thanksgiving and must find expression in sharing it with others!So, I thought, I will do that this month. I will share what I am thankful for at St. Patrick, and most of it has to do with how I see people in our small community leverage their power and presence for others. The first thing that I thought about was Field of Friends. I can’t believe that our sanctuary was turned into a baseball field with over two hundred people laughing, screaming, hugging, celebrating, and giving of their money and resources to bring laughter to our special friends. I can’t get enough of that.I saw one of our members wandering around the church the other day at an odd time. I found out he was there to help teach about Jesus’ love to some of the poorer youth in Collierville. I also watched with joy as another member was meeting with Amy about some of our Community Groups doing a night out for parents of our Special Friends. My heart was singing opera.After a slow start in our church plant in Chelsea, Alabama, James Daniels send me a short text two weeks ago on Monday: “We had seven new visitors today and one profession of faith.” Words seemed too cheap to express my joy and the joy of a group of people I pastor who are committed to help people in other neighborhoods experience the glory of the gospel. I walk through our new building every day and just imagine the ministry and changed lives that will happen, God willing, as we open heart and home to our community. One of Joel Brantley’s Young Life leaders was here recently telling me that Collierville Young Life had outgrown homes! Imagine my joy in saying, “Take a look at our Youth Room—you think it might be large enough?!” On a similar note, I gave greetings in our Sanctuary the past two days to about sixty volunteers from all over Collierville who were being trained to do Meals on Wheels. I love sharing our resources with our town!Back to church planting, I was with Brian Henson, who worked here for ten years and is now planting a church in Austin, Texas. I listened to him talk about sharing the gospel in the “weirdest place on earth.” He said to me, “Making disciples is hard, yet slowly but surely the lost are being saved and believers are becoming better disciples.” This week, I am so happy to have visiting with us a representative of a ministry we support that helps refuges in persecuted countries. I hope you will take the time after worship to speak with her about what God is doing to help our brothers and sisters in hard places. Speaking of hard places, I think about Mia a lot. Mia was here recently and I listened with amazement at how God is using her to help orphans in Romania. I am remiss in not telling the stories of what God is doing around us more often. I have repented of that—of hiding the light under a bushel, if you will. Because the real truth is this: God is really working through the ministry of St. Patrick and our ministry partners all over Collierville, the United States, and in the ends of the earth. It truly is love worth sharing.The Psalmist says, “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. . . Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:2, 4-5) So, if you are tired of all the vitriol and anger on Facebook and Twitter, try thankfulness. You only have to look at your own heart and ponder the words of the old hymn we sang last Sunday to get you going: “Why was I made to hear your voice and enter while there is room, while thousands make a wretched choice and rather starve than come?” Why indeed? Not because of any goodness in us, but because of that which is in the God we serve, who in grace and mercy gave his life for ours. All thankfulness starts when we come to the end of our achievement and merit and gaze upon the wonder of the cross. May our hearts overflow with thanksgiving and praise!