"We Gather Together"

"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night," (Psalm 92:1-2 NIV).

Anticipation: the smell of roasting turkey, bringing up the folding chairs and an extra table, spreading the tablecloth and adding the centerpiece, the clatter of dishes and silverware as places are set, the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background, potatoes peeled and waiting in water, prayers for safe travels going up, unlocking the front door, listening for car doors, and the joy of "Happy Thanksgiving" as the door opens wide!

The hymn, "We Gather Together" seems by its title to be the perfect Thanksgiving song. But when reading the words it seems a bit hard to make it fit. The history of it helps us understand. This Netherlands folk hymn, dating back to 1626, was a celebration of thankfulness for Dutch freedom from Spanish armies trying to gain control. 

For us, this hymn of thanksgiving reminds us of the many ways God has guided and protected our family throughout the year. Whether it was health, safety, guidance, faithfulness, or trust in the constant presence of our God in our lives, we have so much to be thankful for. This hymn, arranged by Edward Kremser in 1877 and translated by Theodore Baker in 1917, is a beautiful tune to share on this Thanksgiving Day.

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, Sing praises to His name; He forgets not His own.  Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; So from the beginning the fight we were winning: Thou, Lord, wast at our side, all glory be Thine!  We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant, And pray that Thou still our Defender wilt be. Let Thy congregation escape tribulation: Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!"

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful," (Colossians 4:2 NIV).

Oh, God of mercy and grace, we lift our hands in thanksgiving to You everyday. But, today we pause to consider all the blessings You have given to us this year. Our hearts are full of gratefulness as we gather as family or friends to bring You glory and honor. We thank You for the great gift of Your Son, Jesus, who came to bring us the Way to salvation with His own body, sacrificed on the cross, to wipe away our sins.  Amen.

Thank the Lord for All His Love

'"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows," (James 1:17 NIV). 

Thanksgiving is almost here. It seems late this year. Iowa corn fields have been empty for some time now and the bins are full. Though it was a dry summer, the corn seemed to thrive and the harvest was plentiful. Being a farm girl I grew up loving the land. My father was a soil conservationist so we learned the ways of protecting the rich, dark soil from erosion and overuse.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving songs is "We Plow the Fields, and Scatter" written by Matthias Claudius in 1782, with music by Johann A. P. Schulz, 1800.

"We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God's almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, And soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us Are sent from heav'n above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.  He only is the Maker Of all things near and far, He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey Him, By Him the birds are fed; Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.  All good gifts around us Are sent from heav'n above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.  We thank Thee then, O Father, For all things bright and good, The seed-time and the harvest, Our life, our health, our food; Accept the gifts we offer For all Thy love imparts, And what Thou most desirest, Our humble, thankful hearts. All good gifts around us Are sent from heav'n above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love."

The Lord blesses us so abundantly! As the words of the song state we thank God for our life, our health, and our food. Too often we take these things for granted. But, this week we pause and lift our hands in praise for the blessings we enjoy. 

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful. Our hearts are full and overflowing. This week we take the time to breathe in our gratitude, reflecting on all You have done in our lives. You are such a Great God, beyond description in words. Accept our humble thanks for the greatest gift of all, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. It is in His Name we pray, Amen.

Thankful for Paved Roads

Growing up on a farm in Marshall County, Iowa, I experienced the improvements in infrastructure first hand. During my elementary years the county began the job of constructing a paved road near us. Believe it or not, all our roads began with this process.

The paved highways we now take for granted looked like this photo of a gravel road in the beginning. Unfortunately for those who live and travel this road, in rural Iowa, it still looks like this during the rainy season. 

Jesus established a straight and narrow path for us to follow. We don't have to walk through the muddy muck anymore. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior the way is guarded and smooth.

"He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path," (Proverbs 2:8-9 NIV). 

Thank You, Jesus, for making a Way for us to follow. You endured the cross so our sins could be forgiven. You alone made the path for our salvation that leads us to Glory-land. Thank You for coming to earth as a tiny human baby who changed the world. We honor and praise You. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.

 

Thankful for Family

Today I am so thankful for my family. My sisters and I became orphans in 2006 when our father joined our dear mother in heaven. Mama died in 1999. The years following were some of the hardest times I ever endured. But here I am. Though I will never get over the loss of my parents, I am blessed to have three sisters. Together we stand strong, holding each other up in love and in prayer.

On Saturday we gathered for our sister thanksgiving day. It has been a rough year. A sister's broken hip, another sister's knee replacement, my husband's cancer recurrence and treatments, the difficult adjustment to a nursing home by one sister and her husband, and the signs of dementia in another sister. Yet, we are able to smile as we gather together.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be," (Psalm 139:13-16 NIV).

Lord God, thank You for creating families. I am so blessed to share beginnings and history with my siblings. We can laugh and cry together without saying a word. That's the way it is with You, too. You know everything about us without us speaking a single sentence. We are Your children. We are never orphans. We are in the family of God. We thank You for the blessings You bestow. Be with us today as we walk with Jesus and praise You. Amen.

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Praise Him

When I was growing up in the church one of the first songs I learned was the "Doxology". It was sung every Sunday after the offering plates were passed and presented. This was before the time of contemporary worship; services were uniform and traditional. Repetition is a great way to learn and it has been said that the "Doxology" has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theology books ever written.

Praising God is necessary as we maintain an attitude of thanksgiving this month, especially. The "Doxology" was written by Thomas Ken in 1709. The music was called "Old Hundredth" tune. Ken was an outspoken Anglican bishop whom King Charles II appointed as one of his chaplains. An historian said, "He came as near to the ideal of Christian perfection as human weakness permits".

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord," (Psalm 150:6 NIV)

The "Doxology" words will have many of you singing instead of just reading, and like me you probably won't need the words to follow.

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

Dear Father, we lift our hands in praise to You as we begin a new day. Thank you for all the blessings You present to us daily. Open our eyes to see and our ears to hear the things around us that You have given. You are so good to us! 

A Day of Honoring Our Veterans

Veterans Day is observed every year on November 11 as a federal holiday in the United States. It honors all military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. November 11, 1918 is regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars". Cease fighting of World War I went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. In November 1919 President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day. The United States Congress passed a resolution in 1926 that included:

"Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations;".

John's Great Grandfather was a veteran of the Civil War. John Hower Stewart enlisted as a private in Company H of the 4th Regiment Army of the Iowa Infantry and was drafted for a one-year term of service in October 1864 in Davenport, Iowa. He enlisted as a substitute for a wealthy man who paid Stewart so he could stay out of the draft.  He served in campaigns in Georgia and battles in Columbia, South Carolina and Bentonville, North Carolina, and the march with General Sherman to the sea.

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free," (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV).

O, God, we lift up our Veterans today and thank them for their dedicated service. We ask that You touch their lives and bring healing to their hearts today for all the horrifying things they experienced in war. Only You, Lord, can restore their wellness. Help them feel honored today, and help us show the respect they deserve. We thank You, Lord, for Your presence. Amen.

Mindful Blessings

It is the season of thankfulness. I like to start focusing on my blessings as we enter the month of Thanksgiving. I like to follow Ann Voskamp's example in her book, "One Thousand Gifts". Ann begins listing the gifts God has bestowed on her life. Starting with small things that she doesn't even realize are gifts until she writes them down. 

I can do that too. It is the perfect time to do that. Looking outside: the trees begin to bare their branches, the flowers have been frosted several times, and the ground is covered with leaves damp from the rains we have received. The beauty of fall is fading and winter is peeking around the corner.

1. The musty smell of wet leaves

2. A warm house

3. A cup of hot tea

4. The iMac on my desk that still works at 13 years old

Each morning I wake up there are gifts from God that overwhelm my heart. The little things I take for granted and don't even notice most days, I now see.

5. Hot water from a faucet

6. A toothbrush

7. Hair on my head, though thinning it seems

8. A sweet "Good morning" from John

Blessings surround us everyday. There is a beautiful contemporary Christian song by Matt Maher and Seph Schlueter called, "Counting My Blessings." The words speak to me so deeply. If you get a chance to listen to it I hope it touches your heart, too.

In the book of Joshua, the people gathered as the Covenant was renewed as Moses the servant of the Lord had instructed to bless the people of Israel.

"Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law--the blessings and the curses--just as it is written in the Book of the Law," (Joshua 8:34 NIV).

Lord and Father of all that exists, thank You for today. Help us to be mindful of our blessings throughout the day. Keep our minds on You; be our focus, our center each moment. Remind us of Your Son Jesus and His gift of Salvation. We thank You for each and every blessing You give us. We pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Decisions

Just two more days and the political commercials will be finished. I don't think I'm the only one who is ready to have the ads stop. Tuesday, November 5 is Election Day. Many people have already voted by absentee ballot or in person at the election office in their home county. 

General election day is held the first Tuesday of November. That is a United States federal law established in 1845. Presidential elections are held every four years for all qualified voters, no matter your party affiliation, your gender or your race. Each of us has the power to elect. It is a privilege to complete one ballot for all United States citizens, 18 years old on or before election day, not convicted of a felony (unless voting rights have been reinstated), or "incompetent to vote" as deemed by a court of law.

The scripture as written by Joel prophesied to the people of Judah to turn their lives back to God and receive forgiveness for their sins. They had a life-changing decision to make.

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision," (Joel 3:14 NIV).

Our votes will not be as life-changing as the decision we make to follow Jesus. Our decision to be like Jesus is reflected in our lives, our actions, our love, our integrity, our honesty and our kindness. That is indeed life-changing. God wants us to please Him in everything we do, including every decision we make.

Dear Lord, We desire to follow Your Will for our lives. You have entrusted us with the ability to make decisions and You allow us to make mistakes. Help us, Lord, to follow You in all we do or say. Heal our broken and hurting country, and give us peace. We trust in You alone, Lord. Guide us and love us through whatever lies ahead. We pray in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.