In Everything?

Last night at Wacky Wednesday, we discussed with the children of Lake Cities UMC what we can be thankful for. The children made crosses and on the crosses placed various leaves with what they were thankful for written on them. Some of the children needed help thinking about what to write so we started making a list. Very soon the dry erase board was filled with many things that we can be thankful for. When we were about done one child said that they were thankful for school to which many of the other children quickly booed. I thought about how easy it is for us to be ungrateful about something, especially if it is something that we do not want. This got me thinking about a verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that says: “Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Are we really supposed to give thanks to the Lord in everything? What about natural disasters? What about war? What about evil deeds? How can we be thankful for hurt, sorrow, and pain? Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians in greater context. The letter to Thessalonica from the Apostle Paul was written to express Paul’s relief that the church had survived attacks on it and to give them encouragement to continue to stand firm in the faith. Throughout the letter Paul encourages them to continue to grow as they had done before, to continue in Christian love for one another, and to refrain from immoral behavior. Despite the hardships they have endured they are to look forward to a future perfected by Christ. The final part of the letter contains an instruction to the Thessalonica church to be champions of their faith, because it is their faith that will maintain them through the storms of life. It is in the final instructions of Paul that we read, “give thanks in everything” because even in the storm, God is present.

Join us this Sunday for worship at 8:30 or 10:45 AM as we consider these words and how we can show our gratitude in everything.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church