From the Pastor: Gratitude
November is traditionally thought of as the beginning of a season of thanksgiving, a time to look back and celebrate our many blessings. As we make our shopping lists for the Thanksgiving feast, let us also consider how we can live in gratitude.
So how do we define gratitude? More importantly, why is it an essential part of our faith? In the article “What is Gratitude?” On the Grateful Living website, gratitude is described as a feeling we experience in response to something good, most often toward someone who has given us something we wanted. The article highlights two qualities of gratitude identified by Benedictine monk Br. David Steindl-Rast: “The first is appreciation: You recognize that something is valuable to you, without considering its monetary worth. The second quality is that gratitude is a response to something freely given to you.”
The article also notes that research has linked gratitude to physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being:
“With advantages ranging from increased heart function, immune responsiveness, generosity, deep sleep, and relationship satisfaction to decreased stress levels, depression, and anxiety, discovering gratitude can be like finding the holy grail of well-being. There is little doubt that it is good medicine. And even if you have doubt, gratitude is worth trying out.”
Gratitude is also central to our relationship with God. Giving thanks is an act of trust that turns our focus away from ourselves and toward God. A grateful heart fosters spiritual strength, peace, and resilience, and believers are encouraged to practice gratitude daily as an act of worship and a reflection of love.
One way we live in gratitude is by being good stewards of God’s gifts. In the coming weeks, our congregation will explore gratitude through the worship series It’s a Wonder-Full Life, drawing on the characters of the beloved film It’s a Wonderful Life and on Maggie Kulyk’s book Integrating Money and Meaning: Practices for a Heart-Centered Life.
Week one: We look back at our relationship with money and worth.
Week two: We consider how money can shape our presence and impact in the world.
Week three: We reflect on how our actions express the vision of hope we long for in our world today.
Week four: We conclude by celebrating our relationship with money, giving in gratitude for the sake of others and moving from fear to hope.
I invite you to join us in this transformative season of thanks. May it be a time of joy as we celebrate all that God has done for us and share these blessings through our time and talents. Remember, it is through gratitude that we are rooted in our faith:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)