Thanksgiving — a basic element of the Christian life
By Jacqueline Dugas
The practice of thanksgiving is woven deeply into the fabric of Scripture and flows from the lips of God’s people in both testaments.
When looking at this form of prayer in the Bible we can’t help but notice that faith in God means believing in his presence, action, and care in all aspects of life. The Lord is the great Reality in every circumstance.
At the heart of thanksgiving is the acknowledgement that we are not alone, nor are we left to deal with life on our own. God is both companion and participant in the life of his people. We might say that giving thanks is firstly a confession of faith in God who is, and who is with us.
In the Old Testament thanksgiving was often tied to deliverance from enemies, oppression, and persecution. It was offered for victories won by the grace of God, and even expressed in times of testing because these are often opportunities for God to work.
In the New Testament we find the same ideas which culminate in the Eucharist, a word that means thanksgiving. In the early church, the service of the Lord’s Supper was entirely focussed on celebrating and remembering with gratitude the most important work of God.
Thanksgiving is a basic element of the Christian life, and it appears in the Gospels and in the epistles, mostly in Paul’s letters.
Paul gives thanks to God for his people again and again. He thanks him for their faith and their faithfulness to the gospel, for the sharing of the gospel, for their steadfastness, especially in trial and he thanks the Lord for the grace given to the church.
In fact, no petition or intercession were made without thanksgiving because God is always present and at work. What a rich lesson for us today.
Great encouragement in my life and work comes from the realization that the Lord is present and active in this world and in my own life. I suspect that for each of us there are times when the pressure is so intense and so painful that we might be tempted to think that the Lord has shut himself away from our cries. The tempter would want nothing more than for seeds of doubt to settle in our hearts, but we know better—God is love, he is with us, he is for us, he is faithful, and we can and must trust him.
In hard times and long seasons of waiting we might lose sight of God’s immense love for us and wonder about our circumstances. I was reminded recently of the extraordinary answer from Jesus to the searing question, why Lord? Jesus and his disciples had met a man born blind. We can imagine what they would have immediately understood about his life—his suffering, isolation, and loneliness; how cut off from the world he must have felt. The disciples asked Jesus, why? They phrased it this way, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus’ reply is liberating. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:1-3)
This is the hope that pulls us through, this knowing and believing that whatever led us to where we are, the work of God can be displayed in our life and circumstances.
In whatever circumstances we may find ourselves, we can wholeheartedly give thanks to God for being with us, in us and for us, and for being the Lord of the miracle that we need. From there, we offer our petition and intercession, again.
This Thanksgiving season, as we celebrate the social and traditional reasons for giving thanks, let’s also take ample time to quiet ourselves in God’s presence and remember that he is with us—present, active, and caring. Let’s ask him to open our eyes so that we may see him as the larger Reality in all of life.
Here is a list of beautiful Psalms of thanksgiving. I know that in those sacred pages you will find the words that you need to offer your gratitude to the Lord, whatever your circumstance.
Psalms of Thanksgiving: 8, 30, 34, 89, 92, 95, 100, 103, 136, 138,145, 150.
Blessed Thanksgiving!
感恩 – 基督徒生命的重要基础
感恩的重要性贯穿了整部圣经的结构， 在新旧约里都多次被神的子民提及与重申。每当在圣经里看见感恩的祷告，我们都不难注意到真实的信心包含了深信神的同在，敬畏神的作为，以及感谢神对我们生命和生活的看顾关爱。神在每件事上都是我们最真实的倚靠和存在的根本。
感恩的核心在于认知到我们并非孤身一人， 也不是孤军作战。上帝会成为我们最忠实的伙伴，参与在祂子民的生命与生活当中。可以这么说，感恩的本质其实就是承认和感谢真实的上帝与我们同在同行。
在旧约里，感恩常和从敌人手里得救，或是脱离逼迫有关。人们会在战胜仇敌后感谢神施恩让他们取得胜利，又或是在经历艰难和试炼的时刻感谢祂的奇妙作为与保守。进入新约以后，感恩的概念以圣餐作为最高的体现（早期教会中Eucharist一词亦含有感恩的意思）， 信徒们会在领取圣餐时感谢并记念上帝最伟大的作为，即主耶稣道成肉身成就救恩。
作为基督徒生命的重要基础，感恩的教导也重复出现于福音书以及新约书信中，尤其是使徒保罗在写给众教会的书信里，多次为神的子民对上帝的奇妙恩典献上感恩。保罗感谢上帝赐予信徒们信心，以及对传福音的忠诚，使他们在患难中也能坚定不移。事实上每当我们祈求主或为人代祷的时候，祷告中都一定会包含感恩的心意，因为神总是与我们同在，无时无刻在为我们的好处动工。能够认识这一点本身就是宝贵的一课啊！
认识到上帝总是活跃在这个世界，以及我们的生命中后，让我们在工作和生命里都得到极大的激励而从新得力。我想大家都曾有过艰难痛苦的经历，被生活中的压力挤迫得狼狈不堪，让我们开始质疑上帝是否故意掩耳不听我们的呼求。那恶者最高兴就是见到这类怀疑的种子，在我们的心田里落地生根，但我们清楚知道神就是爱，祂与我们同在，为我们动工，信实保守我们，因此我们可以，也应当信靠祂。
艰苦的时期容易让我们看不见上帝的无穷大爱，开始担忧怀疑起自己的处境。这让我最近想起了主耶稣如何从容回应祂曾经面对的一个问题。有一个天生的瞎子来到主耶稣和使徒们面前，他们知道他的生命中充满苦难与孤独，且被迫与世人隔离。使徒们于是问主为什么这个人会遭遇这些苦难， “是谁犯了罪？是这人呢，是他父母呢？”主耶稣的回应令他们茅塞顿开：“也不是这人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上显出神的作为来。” （约翰福音9:1-3）。这样的盼望让我们能够一次次地胜过难关，因为我们知道无论生命的经历推动我们走到何处，神的美好作为都一样会在我们的生活和处境中彰显。正因如此，不论我们遇上何等处境，都可以全心全意感谢神的不离不弃，在我们的生命里动工。
为我们施行祂的奇妙作为，让我们能够不断地对祂献上充满感恩的祈求与代祷。 在这个感恩的时节里，当我们一同欢庆社会和传统中各种值得我们献上感谢的事物时，也让我们在神的同在中安静下来默想主恩。祂是一位不离不弃，活跃在我们生命中，且永远关心爱护我们的神。让我们一起来祈求祂打开我们的眼睛，使我们可以看清祂就是生命中一切存在的根本。
以下是数篇以感恩为主题的美妙诗篇。无论你身处什么境况，都可以在其中找到圣洁的感恩字句，用以对主献上真诚的感谢。
感恩的诗：诗篇第8, 30, 34, 89, 92, 95, 100, 103, 136, 138,145, 150篇。
祝愿大家感恩节快乐蒙恩！