It is in times like these that we seem to lose the sense of thankfulness. Bombarded by divisive issues we jump from one frustration to another. I hear the constant phrase “incitement to violence” and It seems to me every news cast for the last four years have been an incitement to something; maybe not violence but some kind of unbelief, disbelief or despair. We can’t even agree on vaccines and health issues. It is a spiritual exercise to be thankful. It should be structured like a custom or a tradition to simply awaken and find the things for which to be grateful.
Luther, in lecturing on Galatians 1:3-5 said:
“In their writings the Hebrews make it a custom to mingle praise and thanksgiving, a custom observed both by the Hebrews and by the apostles, as is evident very often in Paul. For the name of the Lord should be held in great reverence and should never be mentioned without praise and thanksgiving, which are a certain kind of worship and divine service. In secular matters, when we speak the name of a king or a prince, we make it a custom to do so with some nice gesture, reverence, and genuflection. Much more should we bow the knee of our heart when we speak about God, and we should mention the name of God with gratitude and the greatest reverence.”
