Devotion • November 23
Today’s Scripture Reading
Psalm 95
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! (NRSV)
Reflection
The text of the hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” was written by Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart (1586–1649) as the Thirty Years’ War was raging in Germany. Rinkart lived in the town of Eilenberg, Saxony, and in 1636 the town was flooded with refugees. Then the Swedish army encompassed and surrounded the city gates. Inside the walled-off town there was plague, famine, and fear as thousands died. Eventually the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, and Rinkart alone went to successfully negotiate an end to the hostilities. In gratitude for the end of this suffering, he composed these verses for the survivors:
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom this world rejoices; who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us; and keep us in God’s grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills in the world and the next.
Today we face many challenges in this world; for some in war-torn countries those challenges are similar to those with which Pastor Rinkart dealt. We can be grateful if we do not face those exact challenges, yet each of us has concerns about personal, environmental, or political issues. We certainly should not forget these, nor neglect them, but on this day of thanks, let us give thanks for the many blessings around us, even blessings it is too easy to take for granted. Take a moment to write down the things you are grateful for and start a gratitude journal. You can add something to it every day, every week, or whenever you feel grateful. Keeping this journal can make you thankful every day for something, no matter how large or small it may be. This gratitude journal could change your life by making it a habit to look for things to be grateful for. That’s a good habit to get into!
Prayer
Generous God, who has given us so much, let us all give thanks “with heart and hands and voices.” Amen.
Written by John Sherer, Organist and Director of Music
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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