Today’s message was written by Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

It is no secret that I have a passion for encouraging people to base their lives on gratitude. Paul put it like this, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18a).

Let me point out that Paul didn’t say to give thanks ‘for” all circumstances. Obviously, we don’t give thanks for cancer or heart attacks, arthritis or blindness, Alzheimer’s or terrorist attacks. But we can give thanks “in” all circumstances because God is with us, come what may. And when we realize that and embrace that, and reach out to God in faith, he will give us strength and see us through. We can count on that. And that is cause for great thanksgiving. 

There is an old legend that tells about a man who came one day to the barn where Satan stores the seeds that he scatters across the earth. The man noticed that the two most abundant seeds in the barn were the seeds of bitterness and discouragement. He asked Satan about those seeds. “Oh, yes,” came the reply, “bitterness and discouragement; they are, without question, my most effective seeds. Why these seeds will grow almost anywhere.” 

Then, with a solemn look on his face, Satan said, “However, there is one place where the seeds of bitterness and discouragement will not grow.” “Oh?” said the man, “and where is that?” Satan answered, “They will not grow in a heart of gratitude.” 

Let us pray: God of love, we come to you with hearts full of love, souls full of trust, and minds full of thanksgiving. Your lovingkindness is as far-reaching as the stars, your care for us as deep as the sea. Help us to turn with childlike trust. Open our eyes to the wonders of Your Word and send us on our way with hope and courage. Watch over those traveling. Teach us that we never journey beyond your loving-care. Through the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy are lying on a hillside looking up at the clouds. Lucy says, “If you use your imagination you can see lots of things in the cloud formations. What do you think you see, Linus?” Linus replies, “Well, those clouds up there look to me like the map of Honduras on the Caribbean . . . .the cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, a famous painter and sculptor . . . And that group of clouds over there gives me the impressions of the stoning of Stephen . . . I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side.” Lucy responds, “Uh, huh, That’s very good . . . What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?” and Charlie responds, “Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsy, but I changed my mind.”

I think that there is a little of Charlie Brown in each of us. Some of us are our own worst critics. We too often compare ourselves to others and we are more aware of our weaknesses and imperfections than we are our strengths. And, there are times when we feel inadequate, unequipped or unworthy.

The Reverend King Duncan once made the point that “Those the world called tax collectors, Jesus called disciples. Those called sinners, Jesus called companions. Those scorned as immoral, he called forgiven. Those called common fishermen, he called fishers of men. A crucified thief he called an heir of paradise.”

The truth is, there are no such things as perfect people. And when we compare ourselves to others, we are often not seeing the full picture. We all struggle. We all have imperfections. We all are gifted in our own unique ways. And we all are redeemed only by the grace of God. 

There is a great hymn we sometimes sing in our church, Just As I Am, Without One Plea. The second verse reads: Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come.

I pray today that God would still and quiet the inner critic in us. And may God grant you the grace to accept and love yourself as he has loved and accepted you. 

Let us pray: Loving God, when we feel weak or alone or inadequate break into our lives anew. Grant us a resilient spirit, and a healthy sense of confidence that we might be channels of your grace and love for others. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you walk into our local hospital these days, you’ll be greeted by a large poster that says: Aggressive behavior will not be tolerated. This includes: Physical abuse. Verbal Harassment. Abusive or foul language. Threats. Damaging system property.” 

At a hospital! – a place for healing. More and more we see signs like this in restaurants and airports. This has not always been the case. In fact, in 25 years of visiting hospitals as a pastor, it is only in the last three years since Covid, that I’ve seen anything like this. 

There is a lot of anger and resentment in the world around us right now.  And very little of it is serving a greater cause. I see very little of it making any kind of difference. More often than not, it does more harm than good, especially to ourselves.

It is true, for some people, anger is what drives them through life. In fact, some people believe it gives them an edge. But that anger often comes from an inner woundedness or pain that has not been dealt with. And what you see, more often than not, is that many of those same people have left a slue of ruined relationships in their wake. 

In Ephesians, chapter 4, the Apostle Paul writes: “Be angry, but do not sin.” Then he adds, “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us…”

As it is written in the book of James (1:19), may we be the kind oof people who are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. May we be the kind of people who do not add to the anger and hostility of the world around us, or to the anger and hostility of the world within us.

Let us pray:  God of Grace, we thank you for your love for us, and your love for the world around us.  We don’t have to look far to see tremendous need. We pray today for healing for ourselves and for others. When anger arises within us, help us to pause, and give us the wisdom to respond with grace.  May we ever reflect your love in all we do, and in all we say. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sometime back, I heard the Benedictine monk, David Steindl-Rast talk about the word “spirituality” which comes from “spiritus” which means “life,” “breath,” “aliveness.” He says that “spirituality is aliveness on all levels. It has to start with our bodily aliveness, that is being alert/aware of all that is around us.  But of course, when we say “spirituality,” we also mean aliveness to (relationships with others), aliveness to our confrontation with that great divine mystery with which we are confronted as human beings, and which we can look away from, or forget, or be dead to. We come alive to it. And all this coming alive — that is spirituality. And what science has discovered is that when people are grateful, they come alive.” 

I leave you with the same challenge I left you with early in the month. As you go throughout each day this week, I invite you to intentionally pause momentarily from time to time – find something to appreciate. Allow a full 15 – 30 seconds for it to fully sink in. Delight in. Let it soak in, and give thanks.   And as you do, may you feel alive to both the gift – and the Giver.

Let us pray: Open our eyes this week, O God, to the many gifts that surround us on every side. As we notice that our cups are full to overflowing, open our hearts to respond. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

Henri Nouwen once told about a time when he visited a monastery on retreat. The monks at that monastery observed vows of silence and the retreat was to be meditative and prayerful. Nouwen was delayed and had to arrive late on a rainy night, well after bedtime. He was met at the door by one of the brothers who greeted him warmly. The brother took his wet coat and brought him to the kitchen for a cup of tea. 

They talked late into the night, and Nouwen began to relax and feel ready for the retreat. However, it dawned on him that this monk was supposed to observe silence, and so he asked, “Brother, why are you willing to sit and talk with me?” The monk replied, “Of all the duties of the Christian faith and the rules of my order, none is higher than hospitality.”

In its original form, “hospitality” combines two separate words, one meaning friend and the other meaning stranger. So from very early on, hospitality has carried with it the idea of making friends out of strangers.

At this time, when there is so much division in our country, I wonder how that would look for you and for me…

Let us pray: We thank you O God, for people who have shown hospitality to us, even when we were strangers to them. Give us eyes to see your image in each and every person we meet, and grant us the grace to welcome them as you would welcome them,  to serve them and you would serve them, and to care for them as you have cared for us. Amen.