Thanksgiving weekend has passed for another year. We willingly gave thanks for what and whom we appreciate in our lives.
But the question I ask of myself, my friends, my family and my congregation, is not what are we thankful for, but whom are we thankful to? It’s easy to list what we are grateful for, but when we want to thank the provider, we fall into the trap of thanking ourselves. For example, we are grateful that our freezers are full of food, and in the same breath, we think about the hard work that we expended in the planting, watering, weeding, gathering in produce and preserving it. Our thanksgiving becomes an occasion for patting ourselves on the back for a job well done.
We are reminded by the psalm today to direct our thanksgiving to God. The writer gives praise and thanks to the One who set the heavens and earth, the waters, winds and flames in just the right places and with the appropriate boundaries so that all of creation may flourish. In God’s great wisdom, the elements of creation work together to convey God’s goodness and reveal the majesty and greatness of God. Without God’s careful designing of creation, we would not have the provisions that sustain us and all creation.
O great God, we praise you for your creation. Amen. —