Thanksgiving Day: Let us give Thanks to the Lord Our God!

Thanksgiving is an extremely important part of the Christian life, and one which, in my daily praying, often gets little attention. So it is good for us to have this holi-day to remind us to stop and give thanks to God, that, in doing so, he may form us into thankful people.

Here is a wonderful little quote from St. Athanasius:

"For the Apostle Paul, who gave thanks always, urges us to draw near to God in the same way. He said 'Let your requests, with thanksgiving, be made known to God (Phil. 4).' Desiring that we would always continue doing this, he says, 'At all times give thanks; pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5).' For he knew that believers are strong while they give thanks. And, while rejoicing, they pass over the enemy's walls..." (NPNF2, vol. iv, p. 515).

And here is the prayer of General Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all, for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer [1979] p. 101, and The United Methodist Book of Worship, #550)

The trends in Eastern Orthodoxy

While "mainline" Protestant Churches are shrinking and many Evangelical groups are beginning to stagnate, Orthodox Churches in the US are growing faster than their leaders expected. A large portion of their membership are converts from other churches: disgruntled Roman Catholics or Evangelical Protestants seeking deeper historical roots in their church experience. Check out the source article at Christian Century.

The trends in Evangelicalism

I just read this really interesting article at ChristianityToday.com. It is about the trends of changing beliefs and attitudes among evangelical pastors. I guess I might fit well into this trend for a more comprehensive, discipleship and Kingdom-oriented understanding of the gospel (rather than simply a conversion-oriented understanding). There is an increasing stress on sanctification and spiritual formation. A greater emphasis on cross-shaped service, especially to those on the margins of society. People are focusing more on the Gospels in their preaching and teaching and not only on the Pauline epistles. The description of the changes among these evangelical pastors left me with two thoughts: 1) they are taking a very Wesleyan direction (whether or not they realize it), and 2) it looks like lots of people have been reading N.T. Wright.

Good news at both points, I think. I can't help but wonder if The United Methodist Church, the institutional child of the original Wesleyan movement, will get on board. Here is a quote from the article:

Scot McKnight, professor of biblical and theological studies at North Park University in Chicago and popular blogger (JesusCreed.org) said that he considers the survey results "very good news. The shifts have actually been going on for maybe 25 or 30 years. There has, though, been a surge in the last ten years. Evangelicals rediscovered the Gospels, and began to reframe their understanding of the gospel in terms of the Kingdom and not just justification."

Israel, Palestine, and the elusive peace

I recently read this editorial in the Wall Street Journal by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. You should read it carefully, because it seems to reflect exactly what I saw on the ground there in the Holy Land when I visited over two years ago.

Both sides say they want peace, but neither seems to actually be willing to do the hard things that make for peace. Israel, being by far the stronger party, especially has hampered the process by continuing to build walls and settlements on the Palestinian side of the borders (that is to say, the state of Israel, despite repeatedly agreeing not to do so, continues to steal the best and most fertile of the precious little land left in the Palestinian territory).

It seems clear to me that the United States can and should apply far sharper pressure on Israel to end this process than we so far have done. Israel is, after all, dependent upon us for military support and aid. We should attach some more concrete conditions to our continuing to supply it. However, we do not yet have the political will to solve this thing - perhaps due to the wide influence of ardently (even blindly?) pro-Israel segments of our population (many are devout Christians and Jews). But what does it truly mean to be pro-Israel? To give the state of Israel support, even as it commits human-rights abuses, is not to truly help or care for that nation - since such actions must eventually have negative consequences of one kind or another for that people.

I must point out to my fellow believers in Christ the special consideration that we owe to our own family of faith: virtually all of the Christians in the Holy Land are Palestinians and we in the American Church have too often been willing to see them (and treat them) as enemies. And if one part of the body suffers, we all suffer - even if we don't yet percieve how.