Thanks - Living

Thanksgiving Day 

Thursday, November 23, 2023

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

At one time the English poet Rudyard Kipling's writings were so in demand that he was paid 10 shillings (about $1) per word for his efforts.  A group of students thought that was outrageous, and sent him a letter with 10 shillings enclosed.  They asked him (since his words were so expensive) to send them his best word.  He replied, of course, "Thanks!"  

In all of life and human existence our best word is "grace."  Today as we once again celebrate Thanksgiving, we could talk about the many ways God’s loving grace provides for our needs:

·       of food and a roof over our heads 

·       healing and miracles

·       family and friends

·       freedom

But the best word is still grace, and no scripture says it better than John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." 

I'm thankful for grace.

His grace is enough!

His grace is enough to forgive my sin, and make me clean.  That means I will not perish because I'm forgiven. 

A man was considering the purchase of a Rolls Royce.  He asked the dealer some questions about the luxury car, and all were answered, until the man asked how much horsepower the engine had.  The dealer didn't know, and since there was no manual for this hand-crafted vehicle, he sent a telegram to England for the answer, "How much horsepower does a Rolls have?"  Shortly a return message came; there was only one word:  "Enough!"  As much, and as bad as my sins are, Jesus' grace is enough to wash me white as snow.  

His grace is eternal. 

Eternal life is as much quality as quantity.  None of us would care to live forever if it meant the current human condition.  As a child it seemed that I would just go on forever.  I know better now.

·       Bodies wear out, and relationships falter. 

·       There is much suffering and pain in the human family. 

Anything that will last forever has to be the best.  I'm grateful that I will live forever and "for better!"  I have the greatest gift for which to be thankful.  

HOW SHALL I RESPOND?

We are taught from a very young age that, when someone gives you something, you say Thank You.  And, as we also find out, words can be cheapened if we do not back them up with actions that match those words.  To say “thank you” for all God has done is best said by living it out.  So I'm going to live thankfully!  For me, today and every day is "Thanks-living” Day!

For You Today 

I have no great homework assignment to lay on your shoulder today…only a prayer for your day, and your life, that you may find joy, peace, and eternal rest as you live thankfully in our Lord’s presence.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Thankful!

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2022

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Seven years ago on a rainy August morning, I awoke to find that our little dog Wellie’s hind legs had become paralyzed.  A few hours later I got the call from my brother Thom that our Dad had graduated to the Church Triumphant. 

When big things happen in your life, especially on the same day, you remember that day clearly, and with an intensity of emotion.  I don’t know how more oddly-connected two events could be – the death of my father joined in my memory to a dog’s health issue.  But there are some similarities.

There is pain

While our vet assured us our little fur-beast feels no pain, the look of bewilderment on his little face that morning, and the growing sense of loss was unmistakable.  Perhaps the harsh reality of seeing a little animal suffer helped prepare my heart for what was to come just moments later, when I would hear the words that Dad had passed.

There is also patience

My father was not a patient man.  He could get excited about the prospect of getting something accomplished in an intense way that was so focused, all else had to be put on-hold.  You could see it in his eyes, and it always meant you could get on board or you could stay behind! 

Sometimes it took great patience just to be around my Dad; navigating his energetic ways caused patience to develop in those who knew him well. 

Our little Wellie’s paralyzed legs have forced him to slow down.  I had to re-learn patience as I help him up and down stairs, and do the mundane tasks that were taken for granted before.

There is perseverance

Wellie is not a little dog to be denied!  When it is supper time he lets you know with that stare and incessant barking, right in your face!  He maintains his space, and will not be pushed aside.  

He still plays, loves and licks you on the ear lobe when you pick him up.  He knows the family routines and is always willing to lead the pack when it’s time to go, dragging his little back legs behind.  These are important issues to a dog.

My Dad also paid attention to the important things.  He loved my Mother and his sons fiercely and faithfully.  He loved and served God with whatever lot God placed in his hands.  Even in his nineties Dad could be seen in the halls of the local nursing homes limping along with his cane, visiting (as he called them), the old people, bringing the joke-of-the-day and a smile to each room.

My father was a man of perseverance, overcoming his depression-shortened education with a lifelong thirst for learning.  He would make the most of his annual vacation time by visiting historic sites in the United States. 

Perhaps what I will remember most is Dad’s integrity, a character strength which balanced-out his impatience and perseverance.  Somehow this ordinary man had an extraordinary impact on those with whom he shared this life. 

One story my Mother told me was how Dad worked his way up to be the foreman’s assistant at the aviation plant during World War II.  He supervised a dozen workers.  After the war the need for planes eased up, and with it came layoffs.  One day the boss came to him with the list of people Dad would have to give notice of termination.  One of those men had a large family, and had been a faithful employee for years.  My Father tried to reason with the boss that the man shouldn’t be on the list.  Another employee, a young girl had only recently been hired; it was only right that she be let go, because she was living with her parents, and the economic hardship would be less than someone with so many depending on his paycheck.  The boss refused; Mom said they later learned it was because the boss was pursuing her romantically.  When Dad found this out he refused to fire the man with the family.  The boss said:  you either put his name back on that list, or put your own on there in his place.  And that is exactly what he did!

At times I have been faced with ethical decisions, and it is my Dad’s integrity, placing faithful commitment to doing what’s right, above career, money or comfort, which helped build in me a moral compass based upon kingdom principles.  Whatever sense of character I possess, my Father was a Godly teacher who led me to the well. 

For You Today  

It’s been more than seven years, and the thankfulness for a man’s impact on a son is still growing.  Thanks,Dad!                                                                             

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       A Gift in the Basket   and   The Passover Connection

This devotional memoir first appeared on Rocky Road Devotions entitled Thanks Dad! August 11, 2016 (updated this date)

Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

A Gift in the Basket

 

Thursday, November 25, 2021

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink?  What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  Matthew 6:31-33

Going to WalMart (or any other store on this planet) is not (as Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music) one of my favorite things.  When it comes to the shopping experience I am fiercely-devoted to the getting-in/getting-out principle.  Elizabeth is not that way so much; she can be slow enough to find a bargain, or a better brand of this or that, even with the grinch at her side.

But even in a trip to “Wally-World” you can be blind-sided with a gift in the basket.  This past Tuesday we headed to the dreaded place with my usual grumpy/testy demeanor reserved for such excursions.  I hurried us through the aisles to get the two items that were the reason for this hunting-gathering foray.  Twelve items later we arrived at the self-checkout area.  (This is the one thing I love about stores these days…a machine you alone operate will never squash your bread or break three eggs in the carton because of my surly attitude.) 

I scanned, bagged, and loaded our assorted necessities in our basket buggy.  And with that we made a start towards the exit…a place where the receipt checkers cast a suspicious eye on everything with a demeanor that makes the place so appealing.  (I sometimes think it would be enjoyable to attempt walking out without paying, just to have a more pleasant experience at, say, the police station, where they sweat you in a back-room for hours under a heat lamp.)

It was when we were leaving the self-checkout station the gift happened.  A little brown arm, attached to a five-year-old in her mom’s basket, reached out and grabbed Elizabeth’s arm.  The other arm found my bride’s hand, and clamped on it.  As we both looked at the little face at the other end of those arms, there was a decided change in my next two days…indeed to this very moment.  That little angel had the most disarming, joyful smile.  She cocked her head to one side, pumped Elizabeth’s hand, and announced:  pleased to meet’cha. 

In a day of forbidden “closeness less than 6-feet in any direction”, and certainly no-touching, the last thing on my mind was hand sanitizer.  You don’t think about that when your grumpy shopping demeanor has melted like a snowman in a microwave.  You don’t think about that when someone has offered their joy with such enthusiasm and unbridled generosity.  It was a God-moment; I knew the Father had to be there, even in WalMart; how else can you explain such surprise and joy?

Later, reflecting on that briefest of encounters, I couldn’t help comparing what I’d just witnessed as a stark contrast to the ugly head of racism in our culture, and the division it causes in God’s Kingdom.  A little joy swelling from the heart of the tiniest African-American child, offered to an older white woman, was the juxtaposition of the cross…a gift in a basket…at Wally World.  It was the very picture of grace, the unmerited favor of one so pure, blessing anyone who gets close enough to the arm grabber.

On a pre-shopping-season note, my reflection included something I will think of often – especially today, Thanksgiving.  I am so truly thankful to have lost the ugliness of racism, bias, sad news, age aches, heart catheterizations, and the blues, in an instant, at WalMart...if only for an instant.  I’m hoping it will be the kind of joy I’ll pass around for the rest of my days here on the earthly journey.

For You Today

Well, it’s Thanksgiving Day; are you grumpy or grateful?  If you have a doubt, let me tell you where to find some Kingdom-seeking blessing, even in a dreaded shopping trip.  Get close to someone you never knew.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this text see On Point or Paradox; Illusion of the Heart

 

The Passover Connection

 

Thursday of Holy Week, April 1, 2021

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself.  On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.  Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood.  Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.  1 Corinthians 11:23-26

If you have ever attended a Passover seder meal you may have noticed the connection between the Old and New Testaments of Scripture.  

This meal, marking the Exodus of Israel from Egyptian bondage is a rich source of shadow of the ministry of Jesus, and God’s unfolding plan of redemption for all people. 

It would be impossible to write a small book to examine the similarities of Seder and Lord’s Supper, so let’s just admit to the brevity of what we will look at…something of a spiritual appetizer.[1]

There are 15 steps (or movements) to the Seder.  Each step is accompanied by food or elements that help tell the story of the captives who were set free by God.  Some of the elements and their meaning, salt water (signifying the tears shed in captivity), bitter herbs (the harshness of bondage and servitude), wine (the joy of release to freedom), and unleavened bread (made in haste).

The connection to the Lord’s (last) Supper include remembering His death as our release from bondage, the wine looking ahead to celebration of the Kingdom, and bread, representing He who is the Bread of Life.

Of the parts of seder I love most, and see the strongest connection to our Eucharist are:

·       Haggadah (translated Passover) literally means “tale”.  In the haggadah Jews tell the story of God’s salvation; our Gospel recounted in The Supper is the gateway to eternal life.

·       Barech and Hallel are the blessing after the meal and songs of praise.  The blessing is done with the opening of the door to invite Elijah into the home.  It is an acknowledgement of the coming of Messiah as their hope.  Our Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist, remembers his coming, and sacrifice with Hallelujahs, songs of praise for God’s mighty hand of salvation.

·       Nirtzah is the 15^th and last step in seder, a final blessing that includes the hope of next year, Jerusalem.  It is that looking forward to gathering at the place of God’s presence.  The connection, of course, for Christians is our blessed hope of eating the new meal with Jesus at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, in the New Jerusalem.

The meal is, for me, a hinge upon which swings the connection of Old Testament prophecy which looks to the coming of Christ and His Kingdom, and New Testament fulfillment, unfolding the glory of Jesus’ coming, ministry, and eternal life.  It is a sacred meal, our Passover connection!

For You Today

Here we are in the middle of Passover, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday.  How could we end, except with Nirtzah…next year, New Jerusalem!!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com      Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] For deeper study see:  Pelaia, Ariela. "The Order and Meaning of the Passover Seder." Aug. 28, 2020