Dissolve my heart in thankfulness – Thanksgiving 2003.

November 27th, is celebrated in the US, as thanksgiving. Here is a snipets from an editorial of the New York Times about thanksgiving, making the point that it is only through darkness we see the brightness of the light. In adversity we often see the best of humanity.

But today, Thanksgiving has been rendered harmless - all triumph, no adversity - which is fitting, now that we have become a nation that refuses to admit the hardships we face, and the sacrifices required, (and) Roosevelt appreciated that only by confronting our biggest challenges head-on can we defeat them, and have something to be truly thankful for. (Cohen, A., A Celebration With Darker Currents, NYT Editorial, Nov. 27. You will need to register to read this article)

I also wanted to include some comments from an email that I receive called Slice of Infinity. In this particular email Jill Carattini talks about reciprocation (that is repaying kindness for kindness, and compliment for compliment). For this reason, Cialdini argues that much obliged has become synonym for thank you. (Robert Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice, 20)

Today, we often reciprocate mindlessly, take this psychology experiment for example: a professor sent Christmas cards to a large list of strangers to test the Rule of Reciprocation. The response was astounding. Cards came pouring back to him, all from people he had never met, the vast majority never even inquiring into the identity of the unknown sender! They simply received his card, and automatically sent one in return (Slice of Infinity, November 27 2003)

But there is another sense, when you can’t reciprocate the gift, for example when another person saves your life. Or for as us Christians, we are changed by the gift. The gift that came when Christ willingly took the death that was ours. These words from Watt’s Hymn truly sum up our response to this awesome act of Grace, and Mercy)

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head,
For such a worm as I?
Thus might I hide my blushing face,
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay,
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away,
’Tis all that I can do.
Isaac Watts, Alas and Did my Savior Bleed? 1707.)

This thanksgiving I was reminded of a comment by Philip Jensen, printed in the Southern Cross, a while back. Thanksgiving is something that would be good to import into Australia. Especially for Christians, as the bible commands us to be a people of thankfulness In the article he mentions a man he met through church who spends thanksgiving work out whom they should be thanking – and actually writing notes to these people and thanking God for them.

I want to end here with a list of thank you’s, for I have much to be thankful to God for this year. I am deeply thankful for the love, friendship and support of my family; my parents, my brother Matt, and my sister Lynley (in the UK now).

This year I left my church this year and moved to Sydney, I am thankful to God for the pastor, Peter de Salis, his family, and the wider church family, for their faithful teaching, their faithful example, which has truly encouraged, and strengthened me. They truly hold me in their hearts, and I hold them all in mine.

Thirdly God’s blessing on my move. God’s blessed me with two awesome Godly Christian flatmates, Gary, and Greg. He has also blessed me with a faithful mission minded church, and God has continued to reveal Christ to me through Paul Grimmond’s faithful teaching.

Fourthly, the friendship and encouragement of my bible study group. Guan, Matt, Bek, Jami, Viv, Kate, and assorted visitors have truly encouraged me as we together have wrestled over the passages, and seen Christ reveal His truth. Meeting with Matt and Guan to pray with and for each other has been a great blessing. Their Godly example has been a true encouragement to me.

God’s blessing of work, has been amazing, after my teaching job ended, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. Through Karen I found work at UNSW. Once that ended I started working at SPRC in October 2001 on a temporary basis, I’ve now been there over two years, and that’s been simply God’s provision, and, though I could go on, finally, the overseas trip I had in July-August, was awesome it taught me a fair bit about myself.

But above all these, I thank my Lord, for the death of His son, through whom all things were made that have been made, and through whom salvation was bought for all, who turn to Him as LORD.