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Saturday, 18 November 2017
Psalm 92:1 (0) A psalm. A song for Shabbat:
This week, we’ve looked at some of the psychological research that is confirming what the psalmist wrote long ago: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD.” Here’s one more bit of research related to the gratitude journals Resurrection is giving us: “Take just a few minutes each day to jot down things that make you thankful, from the generosity of friends to the food on your table or the right to vote…. List-keepers sleep better, exercise more and gain a general contentment that may counteract stress and contribute to overall health.” * The ultimate source of joy in Psalm 92 was God’s loyal love and faithfulness, realities that are always with us if we just recognize them.
• In verse 2, the psalmist spoke of expressing gratitude to God in the morning and at nighttime. In what ways have you, or will you, build recognizing and expressing gratitude into your habit patterns, so that you don’t always have to try to remember to do it? Spend some time today praying about choices you can make to incorporate gratitude more fully into your daily practices as a Christ follower.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you made me for praise and gratitude. When I’m tempted to grump my way through a day, remind me of your ever-present love and faithfulness—and help me to be grateful for them. Amen.
* From Lauren Aaronson, “Make a Gratitude Adjustment.” Psychology Today, March 1, 2006, found at www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200603/make-gratitude-adjustment.
Family Activity: Create a family giving chain. Cut several sheets of colored construction paper into strips. Every week, give each family member one strip of paper. Have each person write his or her name on the paper strip and one way he or she served or gave to others that week. In addition to giving of time and energy, also include ways your family is giving money to church and others. Form the first slip into a circle and staple or tape the ends together, then add to that circle by connecting the strips together to create a chain. At the end of each month, review the acts of giving your family has shared in. Thank God for the privilege of giving to God and to others.
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Michelle Kirby
Michelle Kirby is Resurrection’s Associate Director of Discipleship Ministries. She is co-author of the Journey 101 Course, provides shared leadership in the Adult Discipleship ministry and has been a member of Resurrection since 1998.
This time of year, both in our church and secular calendars, we are thinking about gratitude, thankfulness. And it’s appropriate to do that. To set aside time to reflect on what we’re grateful for, why we’re grateful and what other things along our life’s journey have cultivated an attitude of thankfulness in our lives.
With the holidays quickly approaching and preparations already ensuing, I can’t help but be reminded of these same rituals and celebrations in years past. I think about family and friends, past and present, and how they have helped to shape my feelings and memories of the holidays.
One Christmas memory in particular springs to mind. My daughter Kristen was around 5 years old. I didn’t have a huge income and I entered into that inner battle parents often have of how much we want to spend on gifts versus how much we can spend on gifts. I always wanted to show my daughter (and later my son), in the biggest way possible, how much I loved them.
As I wrapped up the meager little pile, I hoped she would like the gifts. But more important to me, that she would somehow know how grateful I was to have her as my daughter, how happy she made me, and what joy she brought to my life simply by being her.
As Kristen opened each package her gratitude over each item was expressed first in a gasp, then a very long drawn out, “Thank yoooouuuuuu!”
Every gift. Gasp. “Thank yoooouuuuuu!”
Her little heart was exploding in thankfulness. She couldn’t contain her happiness, her love in that moment. And I remember that she had the same expression over a packet of colored pencils as she did over opening her prized “Popple” stuffed animal.
So thankful for every, single, thing.
She taught me a lot that Christmas. The sincere expression of thankfulness—I could see how that impacted her heart, I could feel what it was doing to my heart and the rest of our family surrounding us at the time. Her words and expression made us happy. Her thankfulness, happiness, and joy, was contagious. It hadn’t needed to cost a lot of money to elicit this repose in her. She just expressed her heart with abandon. To this day, when we’re opening Christmas gifts, we will use her expression of “Thank yoooouuuuu!” It’s such a beautiful memory of the pure thankful heart of a child.
Today’s passage reminds me on an even greater scale of this type of gratitude. Thinking through all that God has done for me, the ways He’s given me the gift of life, of lives, of work, and so much more. How important it is to thank God for who He is and all he has done. He has made me happy. The sincere and abounding love that He has shown me is simply amazing. I know I have fallen way short of expressing my gratitude to Him.
As we live in this season of thankfulness, take the time to remember special memories that helped to shape you. Times when someone showed you kindness or the expression of a face who received kindness from you. Hold those pictures in your mind and heart and thank God for the goodness and mercies, the gifts He is forever placing before us. Let our hearts explode in gratitude to Him with a great big "Thank Yoooouuuuu!"
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2 (1) It is good to give thanks to Adonai
and sing praises to your name, ‘Elyon,
3 (2) to tell in the morning about your grace
and at night about your faithfulness,
4 (3) to the music of a ten-stringed [harp] and a lute,
with the melody sounding on a lyre.
5 (4) For, Adonai, what you do makes me happy;
I take joy in what your hands have made.
6 (5) How great are your deeds, Adonai!
How very deep your thoughts!
---This week, we’ve looked at some of the psychological research that is confirming what the psalmist wrote long ago: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD.” Here’s one more bit of research related to the gratitude journals Resurrection is giving us: “Take just a few minutes each day to jot down things that make you thankful, from the generosity of friends to the food on your table or the right to vote…. List-keepers sleep better, exercise more and gain a general contentment that may counteract stress and contribute to overall health.” * The ultimate source of joy in Psalm 92 was God’s loyal love and faithfulness, realities that are always with us if we just recognize them.
• In verse 2, the psalmist spoke of expressing gratitude to God in the morning and at nighttime. In what ways have you, or will you, build recognizing and expressing gratitude into your habit patterns, so that you don’t always have to try to remember to do it? Spend some time today praying about choices you can make to incorporate gratitude more fully into your daily practices as a Christ follower.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you made me for praise and gratitude. When I’m tempted to grump my way through a day, remind me of your ever-present love and faithfulness—and help me to be grateful for them. Amen.
* From Lauren Aaronson, “Make a Gratitude Adjustment.” Psychology Today, March 1, 2006, found at www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200603/make-gratitude-adjustment.
Family Activity: Create a family giving chain. Cut several sheets of colored construction paper into strips. Every week, give each family member one strip of paper. Have each person write his or her name on the paper strip and one way he or she served or gave to others that week. In addition to giving of time and energy, also include ways your family is giving money to church and others. Form the first slip into a circle and staple or tape the ends together, then add to that circle by connecting the strips together to create a chain. At the end of each month, review the acts of giving your family has shared in. Thank God for the privilege of giving to God and to others.
---
Michelle KirbyMichelle Kirby is Resurrection’s Associate Director of Discipleship Ministries. She is co-author of the Journey 101 Course, provides shared leadership in the Adult Discipleship ministry and has been a member of Resurrection since 1998.
This time of year, both in our church and secular calendars, we are thinking about gratitude, thankfulness. And it’s appropriate to do that. To set aside time to reflect on what we’re grateful for, why we’re grateful and what other things along our life’s journey have cultivated an attitude of thankfulness in our lives.
With the holidays quickly approaching and preparations already ensuing, I can’t help but be reminded of these same rituals and celebrations in years past. I think about family and friends, past and present, and how they have helped to shape my feelings and memories of the holidays.
One Christmas memory in particular springs to mind. My daughter Kristen was around 5 years old. I didn’t have a huge income and I entered into that inner battle parents often have of how much we want to spend on gifts versus how much we can spend on gifts. I always wanted to show my daughter (and later my son), in the biggest way possible, how much I loved them.
As I wrapped up the meager little pile, I hoped she would like the gifts. But more important to me, that she would somehow know how grateful I was to have her as my daughter, how happy she made me, and what joy she brought to my life simply by being her.
As Kristen opened each package her gratitude over each item was expressed first in a gasp, then a very long drawn out, “Thank yoooouuuuuu!”
Every gift. Gasp. “Thank yoooouuuuuu!”
Her little heart was exploding in thankfulness. She couldn’t contain her happiness, her love in that moment. And I remember that she had the same expression over a packet of colored pencils as she did over opening her prized “Popple” stuffed animal.
So thankful for every, single, thing.
Today’s passage reminds me on an even greater scale of this type of gratitude. Thinking through all that God has done for me, the ways He’s given me the gift of life, of lives, of work, and so much more. How important it is to thank God for who He is and all he has done. He has made me happy. The sincere and abounding love that He has shown me is simply amazing. I know I have fallen way short of expressing my gratitude to Him.
As we live in this season of thankfulness, take the time to remember special memories that helped to shape you. Times when someone showed you kindness or the expression of a face who received kindness from you. Hold those pictures in your mind and heart and thank God for the goodness and mercies, the gifts He is forever placing before us. Let our hearts explode in gratitude to Him with a great big "Thank Yoooouuuuu!"
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Roger and Kay Novak and family on the death of their son Jeffrey Novak, 11/4
•Ted Chael and Mike Chael and families on the death of their brother David Thomas Chael, 11/4
•Katherine Carlson and family on the death of her sister Joan Cuthbertson, 11/3
•Tammy Worley and family on the death of her son Justin Taylor Worley, 11/2
• Jim Poplau and family on the death of his sister Kristy Poplau, 11/2
• Marsha Murray and family on the death of her husband Mike Murray, 11/1
•Family and friends of Arlene Shuler on her death, 10/31
•Susan Yoakum and family on the death of her husband Steve Yoakum, 10/30
•Kristin Hadel and family on the death of her father Robert E. “Bob” Shanklin, 10/30
•Family and friends of Blanchie Coolidge on her death, 10/30
• Linda Collins and family on the death of her mother Wilda Lawhorn, 10/28
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Roger and Kay Novak and family on the death of their son Jeffrey Novak, 11/4
•Ted Chael and Mike Chael and families on the death of their brother David Thomas Chael, 11/4
•Katherine Carlson and family on the death of her sister Joan Cuthbertson, 11/3
•Tammy Worley and family on the death of her son Justin Taylor Worley, 11/2
• Jim Poplau and family on the death of his sister Kristy Poplau, 11/2
• Marsha Murray and family on the death of her husband Mike Murray, 11/1
•Family and friends of Arlene Shuler on her death, 10/31
•Susan Yoakum and family on the death of her husband Steve Yoakum, 10/30
•Kristin Hadel and family on the death of her father Robert E. “Bob” Shanklin, 10/30
•Family and friends of Blanchie Coolidge on her death, 10/30
• Linda Collins and family on the death of her mother Wilda Lawhorn, 10/28
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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