Introduction
Linda went to Mrs. Teresa's house to return the container in which Mrs. Teresa had given food to Linda's family. Somewhat absent-minded, Linda came running to the house: "Mrs. Teresa, here is your container". Teresa opened the door, took the container, and waited. Linda, without another word, headed for home. Mrs. Teresa, raising her voice sarcastically said: Thank you, to which Linda replied: You're welcome!
Gratitude is something that is responded to, at least verbally with a "thank you", but in Scripture we see that there is something more we can do to be thankful.
Scripture
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. 16 Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. 17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
Biblical Foundation
If you read the whole psalm more carefully you will discover that the Psalmist had experienced God's favor and goodness in hearing his prayers, delivering him from death, healing him, guiding his steps, and freeing him from chains. The way to express his gratitude was through a sacrifice of thanksgiving, "I will sacrifice a thank offering to you" (vs 17).
The sacrifice of thanksgiving appears several times in the Old Testament (Leviticus 7:11-15). This sacrifice is known as part of the peace offering. The difference is that the sacrifice of thanksgiving is voluntary and is motivated precisely by thanksgiving. This sacrifice included an animal, bread, and grain. It was not forced or commanded by God. Once the person was aware of what God had done, this sacrifice was a way for the person to express in a very special way what God had done in their lives. After the priest and God received their portions, the worshipper could take his meat and feast with his family and friends. Let us remember that in the other sacrifices that the people practiced in the Old Testament, the animal was consumed whole and therefore the person went home with nothing. But that was not the case in this type of sacrifice of thanksgiving. So, this sacrifice expressed the gratitude of the person who presented it. That means that the sacrifice was the means of saying "thank you God." Therefore, the sacrifice signified a response and action on the part of the person towards God.
This Thanksgiving season, we encourage you and your congregation to reflect on gratitude using this four-part devotional series during your upcoming Bible studies. Each part of this series includes biblical references, theological and practical reflections and dialogue questions provided by Rev. Dr. David Rangel.
- Intro to Cultivating Gratitude: A devotional series
- Part 1: A Thanksgiving Processional
- Part 2: Grateful in Every Situation
- Part 3: To Give is to be Thankful
Practical Reflection
This brings us to a question: What do we offer to God when we thank Him? Of course, we don't have to make the Old Testament sacrifices, nor bring to the next worship service half a lamb, but we may well offer something to God as a symbol of our gratitude. There are people who express their gratitude others by taking them out to eat. Others may offer them a gift card of the famous Starbucks coffee. Others may offer their professional services free of charge as a form of thanksgiving. In some families, this is a value that is instilled in the children: to offer something out of gratitude.
It seems to me that when it comes to God, we can express ourselves in a similar way. Out of gratitude, we can offer God our professional woodworking service and make it available to his church. We can offer our time serving in some ministerial area. We can offer food to those in need. We can give a special offering to a church ministry. Or we can volunteer in some organization.
Offering our gratitude in words can also be accompanied by something else.
When there is gratitude, it is not complicated to give, serve, or do something. This was the case for a congregation I pastored. We were in the process of remodeling and maintenance, and our congregation had quite many members working in construction and remodeling. They all had a lot of work to do, and being a physically strenuous job, it was not easy to volunteer their labor for the church. However, the project started and with it, the church members began to offer their service even after having had a long and hard day of work. They did all of this because they were grateful to God and the church.
Questions
- What can you offer to God out of gratitude?
- What stops us from offering something to God out of gratitude?
Conclusion
As in the Old Testament, which is full of symbolism and rituals, today we can follow that example like the thanksgiving sacrifice. Only, instead of using the elements according to Leviticus, we can offer something according to our context. So, in addition to verbally expressing your gratitude, you may also offer something to God out of gratitude. Think of your talents and abilities, your financial resources, your time, the knowledge you have. Think of something that you could offer to God out of gratitude and offer it to him; know that God will receive it with pleasure.
Rev. Dr. David Rangel is originally from Monterrey, Mexico and is currently a pastor in the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In addition to pastoring, he leads his own Momentum coaching group which trains pastors and churches in preaching, discipleship, leadership, and ministry strategies. He also joined the faculty at Perkins School of Theology's Regional Course of Study where he teaches Preaching 324, Advanced Preaching, and Discipleship Training. Rangel is the author of several books. He has been married to his wife Liliana since 2011, and together they have two daughters, Emma Olivia and Camila Michelle. His two favorite passages are Jeremiah 29:11 and Colossians 3:23.