Well, today, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we are, of course, putting our focus on Gratitude.
One of my favorite quotes about gratitude is on the front cover of your program today. It comes the 13th Century Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart, who said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘Thank You,’ that would be enough.”
That is the Truth! ‘Thank You’ is one of the most powerful spiritual practices.
Jesus demonstrated that throughout the gospels. Throughout his ministry, Jesus is consistently giving thanks.
For example, you remember when his disciples came to him with 5 loaves and 2 fish. They were cursing the fact that they didn’t have enough to feed everyone.
But Jesus didn’t curse the little they had been given. Instead, it said, “he blessed it.” Meaning, the first thing he did was give thanks for it. And, that expression of gratitude caused increase…the food multiplied!
Gratitude leads to abundance.
And, you remember at the Last Supper, before Jesus shared the bread and the wine with his apostles, it says: “He gave thanks for it.”
And that Bread and Wine has continued to nourish us for 2,000 year now.
You also may remember another story from the gospels where 10 people with a skin condition come to Jesus for healing. Jesus ministers to all 10 of those people, but only 1 of them returns to say, “Thank you.”
And, because of this expression of gratitude, the person is made whole.
When we practice an “Attitude of Gratitude” in our lives, we experience wholeness and abundance.
In other words, what we appreciate appreciates! It grows! It multiplies! It manifests!
Now, before Jesus, before Christianity, before Judaism, before any organized religion, our ancient human ancestors practiced a deep spirituality that was firmly grounded in gratitude.
If you study the spirituality of the indigenous people, you’ll see that they gave gratitude each day to the Sun (for providing warmth); to the Water (for quenching their thirst); and to the Plants and Animals (for providing them with food).
They were constantly giving thanks throughout the day. And that’s what I think it means in the Bible when it says to “pray without ceasing.”
It means that throughout the day that we are constantly giving thanks for all of our blessings: when we get up in the morning, to say ‘thank you’ for another day of life; when we eat breakfast, to say ‘thank you’ for our food; when we take a shower, to say ‘thank you’ for the water and our bodies.
You know, our Muslim friends stop and give thanks not just once a day, but 5 times a day they stop everything that they are doing to offer prayers of gratitude to God.
Many of us, however, often put our focus on what we don’t have, rather than putting our focus on what we do have.
The contemporary spiritual teacher, Lewis Howes, says: “If you concentrate on what you have, you always have more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough.”
So, which is it for you? Do you focus on your blessings, or do you focus on what you lack? Do you express gratitude, or do you find fault?
The National Science Foundation says that we have 65,000 thoughts a day. 95% of those are repetitive, and 80% are negative.
Most of our thoughts are negative, and we keep repeating the same negative ones!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could control our thoughts? If we can “retrain our brains”?
Well, guess what? We can!
Most people don’t know that. Most people don’t realize that. And, they suffer, but they’re servants to their thoughts, rather than masters of their thinking.
I know, because I was one of those people, but several years ago, I was healed of that through meditation and mindfulness practices.
And, one of the things that really helped me to heal was keeping a daily Gratitude Journal.
It is such an easy spiritual practice, but with such powerful results.
Simply place a black journal on your nightstand, and each night before you go to bed, write down 5 things that happened that day that you were grateful for.
Before you drift off to sleep, you are putting on mind on positive things.
Many people go to sleep with worries, fears, frustrations, and anxiety on their minds, and then they wonder why they can’t get a good night’s sleep.
It is no exaggeration for me to tell you that a keeping a Gratitude Journal changed my life.
Each day, I began to look around for more-and-more things to be grateful for, and my blessings multiplied.
And, I started to replace my negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
And, I believe, that I literally re-wired my brain…and my life has never been richer or fuller.
All because of the spiritual practice of gratitude.
Scripture tells us in Romans 12, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Which means, when you change your thoughts, your life will be transformed.
Or as Jesus says in the gospels: “It is done to you as you believe.”
And, so, my friends, on this “Thanksgiving Sunday,” may an “Attitude of Gratitude” help all of us to see things more clearly, love one another more dearly, and to follow the Way of Jesus more nearly.
May it be so. Amen.
Here are some follow-up questions for reflection and journal writing:
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Where in your daily life do you most easily fall into focusing on what you lack—and how might intentionally practicing gratitude in those specific moments begin to “renew your mind”?
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Think of a time when gratitude multiplied something in your life—your peace, your joy, your sense of connection, or even a relationship. What changed when you shifted your focus to appreciation?
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If you were to begin a daily gratitude practice this week (such as a gratitude journal), what five things do you imagine might show up on your list tonight—and how might noticing these blessings shape the way you see God’s presence in your day?