Pastor's Corner
“Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good.”
-Prayer of Thanksgiving, LSB pg. 200
In a few weeks Thanksgiving will be upon us, and along with it, a lot of work. Thanksgiving means picking up family from airports , car rides, large meals, family gatherings (maybe many family gatherings) food shopping, and soon enough, planning for Christmas. Your list could probably go on and on.
Sometimes the “busy-ness” of our holidays and lives is unavoidable. But we do not have to harbor in our hearts an unrelenting “busy-ness.” During this time of year, especially as we prepare for Advent, we should remember the story of Mary and Martha. You may remember, Martha was running around preoccupied with all her busy preparations while Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. Jesus told Martha that it was Mary who had chosen what is best (Luke 10:38-42).
It is inevitable that we will have busy moments in our lives. That is normal. However, as Christians, we do not have to allow the busy moments to take our focus off Christ. As we begin our celebrations of Thanksgiving, let’s remember the One to whom we are giving thanks, Christ Jesus our Lord. As we take the leap into Advent and Christmas, let’s not forget the reason for these celebrations; our Lord is coming to do great things for us! Like Martha, it can be so easy for us to get wrapped up in OUR plans, and all the work WE have to do, that we can completely forget that this time of year our thoughts should especially be turned to our Lord Jesus who has worked so hard for us.
The quote at the beginning of this article comes from a portion of our liturgy. We say it immediately after we have received the Lord’s Supper, “Oh give thanks unto the Lord for He is good.” We say this because our Lord has just given us a foretaste of the feast to come in heaven through the Lord’s Supper. As we begin our preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas, may we always remember the preparations our God made for us in the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
The Lord be with you,
Pastor Grimenstein
