The Friday Update - Learning to Be Grateful in All Things

— October 4, 2024 —

Happy Friday,

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

Giving thanks is prescribed in the Psalms and modeled by the apostles and Jesus. The command does not require us to be thankful for all things—i.e., we are not expected to be grateful for pains and losses. But we are to be grateful in all things. Learning to do so makes a huge difference.

Fall has Fallen: October is evident everywhere. Leaves are turning. Skeletons are haunting. Spin machines are spinning, and our nation’s largest cathedrals are packed on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 

All Hallows’ Eve: Speaking of skeletons, as much as I wish Oct. 31 was known as Reformation Day––i.e., the anniversary of Luther nailing his 95 theses on the castle door in Wittenberg––most know it only as Halloween. What does it say about us that “the night of the living dead” has not only surpassed Thanksgiving in retail heft but joined brussel sprouts, homeschooling, Patagonia vests, Snoop Dogg, and sports betting in the canon of rapidly ascending cultural forces? 

Without Comment: 1) Per this article, we’re not just dividing red and blue, nor along economic and cultural lines. Trust in institutions is a new inflection point; 2) per this report, most Americans have less in savings than they did during COVID, but more than before it hit; 3) per this study, porn is spreading, and its stigma is fading (even among Christians); 4) per this report, Gen Zers no longer aspire to work in high tech. Healthcare and government gigs now top the wish list. (Oh, and anything with a guaranteed pension); and 5) per this WSJ report, though in 1970, less than 1% of US counties relied on federal aid for at least 25% of their income, more than 53% do today. (Note: Much of the growth in government assistance has taken place in Republican counties, which tend to be older, more rural, and harder hit by economic stagnation.)

Too Late: The sermon I preach differs from the one I prepare and also from the one people hear. And, as noted before, none of them are as good as the one I give to myself as I drive home after services. Case in point, the recent Afterlife series would have been stronger with this quote, which I only recently heard: “Christians are not citizens of this world going to heaven; but citizens of heaven making our way through this world.” Vance Havner

NO! Some think that when we come to faith, we add a new wedge to the pie of life and that as we mature spiritually, the faith wedge expands – i.e.,

No. Faith is not a piece of the pie. It is the pie pan. (BTW, everyone has a pie pan. Even those who profess no belief.)

Quote Worth Requoting: “To grow spiritually a Copernican revolution must take place in the way we perceive ourselves in relation to others. When Copernicus removed human beings from the center of the universe and said we revolve around the sun, not vice versa, it sent a shock wave through Western civilization. To discover the “otherness” of a spouse, friend, boss, child, and coworker and to see them as separate, unique human beings––without losing yourself––is also a Copernican revolution of emotional maturity.” Peter Scazzero

Resources: Click here for my conversation with Collin Hansen––the VP of Content at The Gospel Coalition. Our discussion focused on the news––i.e., not as content but regarding the way it is discipling us. 

Closing Prayer: In your mercy, Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. "Say to my soul, I am your salvation." So speak that I may hear you. The ears of my heart are turned to you, Lord; open them and say to my soul: "I am your salvation." I will run after your voice, and I will lay hold of you. Do not hide your face from me. Let me see your face even if I die, for if I see it not, I shall die of longing. Amen (Augustine, 354-430)

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