Dear Beloveds of God,
Growing up, my grandparents use to always take a Sunday drive. Sometimes they would ask one or two of us grandkids to join them. Whenever asked, I would joyfully join them because I got the chance to spend more time with my grandparents who I loved dearly. But I also loved that we shared the experience of witnessing the beautiful landscape of the Catskills and the fields of farmland adorned with crops and farm animals. And one of my favorite things about these rides was the remembrance shared – hearing stories about their experiences at certain places we passed by, the connections shared, and relationships created with the people who lived there or who had passed on to eternal glory with the Lord. In recalling these stories, they always shared how God blessed their lives through their experiences and relationships. Sabbath day drives have now become a spiritual practice of solitude & gratitude for me in that they encourage me to step away from the busyness & chaos of life, to get present in the moment, and to practice remembrance.
It can be good to remember. Remembering helps us recall the relationships, experiences, and words that have positively shaped and transformed us throughout our lives. Remembering then moves us to have a posture of gratitude and thankfulness as we recall the wonderous works, the salvific acts, the blessings, and beautiful promises of our Lord. Also, remembering produces hope in that we can rest in God’s promises as we recall God blessing us with His unconditional love and grace, and how God has met us amid & carried us through the array of twists and turns we have experienced in our past along the road of life – the grief & sorrow, the challenges, and the joys & celebrations.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I wonder what it might look like for each of us to create space in our daily lives to spiritually practice remembrance and humbly take on a posture of gratitude and thanksgiving.
As we remember and get present to the ways God has blessed us in our lives, may our lips then be moved to praise the Lord joyfully saying or singing...
“Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One,
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.”1
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Jenn
1 “Give Thanks” by Henry Smith. Sing! A New Creation. #216.