[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]
My wife recently shared with me the humorous responses of several of our sons (Age 14-19) to her text inquiring what food items they wanted to make sure we had for Thanksgiving Day. Moms can be awesomely conscientious that way! Some of the responses from my sons were not quite what you might expect.
“Chicken and Rice Soup,” was one response.
Another sent, “BBQ Ribs”!
I thought about chiming in with, “Kung Pao Steak, Bratwurst, and Spaghetti and Meatballs!”
A couple mentioned hashbrown casserole which was a bit closer to the mark. No one sent such off-the-wall requests as TURKEY! Or MASHED POTATOES! HA…
I guess it is not a big deal when it comes to a family meal to modify things a bit, but when we look at Biblical Thanksgiving, the Lord gives us some specific items to include in the “meal” of praise.
Psalm 100 reads, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
The menu of Biblical thanksgiving ought to include:
Expression
“Make a noise” “singing” “praise” “bless his name” – We are encouraged to vocalize the gratitude which hopefully is in our hearts. This is part of the reason for daily prayer life for us all, and for stopping to have special prayer at family gathering times. It should mean more than that, but certainly not less.
Approach
“Come” “Enter” – We are invited to move toward the Lord, whether things are great in our life or a struggle, whether we feel worthy in Christ, or are struggling to remember God’s love, whether we are actively conscious of our total dependence on the Lord, or drifting into self-sufficiency.
Truth
“Know that the Lord, he is God!” “We are his people” “the Lord is good” “his steadfastness endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations.” – We do not need to make up reasons to praise and we should not create our own definition of the nature of the God we worship. Part of the way the Psalms help us in worship and in prayer is to keep us focused on the Bible’s definition of the Triune God.
This E.A.T. acrostic help us this season to respond to God’s unfathomable grace to sinners like you and me, who have great cause, not just the end of November, but every day of the year, to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in all things.
