Thanks Be to God

This Sunday my sermon is entitled “Thanks Be to God” and the scripture lessons are Second Corinthians 9: 6-15 and Mark 12: 41-44. The focus is on how we express our Gratitude to God, and I’ve been pondering the meaning of Gratitude for us in our life together at church. I’m capitalizing Gratitude because it is indeed a very Holy and special attitude. So, I invite you to ponder along with me as I share some of the words that others have expressed about gratitude:

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
– A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.”
– Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

“When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves–that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.”
– N.T. Wright, Anglican bishop and Biblical scholar

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us–and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of Hi love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefor takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”
– Thomas Merton

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou