“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:6-12

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you, I’m praying that it will be restful and you’ll each enjoy time with friends. I’m always aware at the holidays, that for some it is not a happy time and that it might feel difficult to be thankful. Sometimes it takes some introspection to identify what we have to be grateful for. But this brings up, for me, two points, one psychological and one spiritual.

The psychological point deals with letting go of resentment. Each of us has been hurt in our childhood and in our lives, some much worse than others. By the time we’re into our twenties, it becomes incumbent on us to let go of the continuing sense of violation or we end up in a perpetual state of being victims. Staying in a place of resentment and victimhood is the perfect recipe for misery. Jesus tells us to forgive those who have violated us – maybe for their sakes but much more for our own. The emotional recipe for happiness entails living in the present without our old baggage. It also entails adopting an attitude of gratitude – being thankful for the things and people we have. It’s easy to think that the crowd who has more is happier. It’s not the possessions that make for fulfillment and happiness, it’s the purpose and the attitude. And when we adopt that attitude, people begin to be much more attracted to us. It creates a positive context for our lives with other people.

The spiritual point is that the very God who created us did so with the intention that we would be centered in our relationship to God and, for that reason, solid and stable. Those who are strong in the faith know that God loves them and that sets them free to care about other people. And they are not subject to constant changes of opinion, tossed around by every whim or recently fashionable idea. Paul talks to the Ephesians about achieving unity and maturity in the faith, saying “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). All of this points to focusing on Christ, God living in bodily form and, like kids who’ve been reunited with their family, giving thanks freely to the One who truly knows us and truly loves us.

As we grow in our faith, the big picture comes progressively more into focus. God didn’t put us here to crave material possessions, to scratch and fight to get ahead, to resent others who have more than we have. God put us here to relate in love to this Creator who made us each unique but also gave us so much in common. God placed in us the ability to immensely care for others, to rise above pettiness, to heal others by our contact with them. We’re all wounded but each of us has been richly blessed and together we’re abundantly blessed. As we give thanks freely for what we have and who we are, we open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit to heal us from within and to touch others. The restoration of the human spirit comes through vertical interaction with God and horizontal interaction with each other. Give thanks this week for who you are, who you love, what you have, but also for your struggles, those who get in your way, the past pain. The God who has begun a good work in you will continue it till the day of completion. Give thanks with a grateful heart and know that I give thanks for each of you, Amen.

Nick