“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

The person who taught me about thankfulness the most was not a pastor or seminary professor, but a young mother of two. As a new pastor, I visited this young woman who learned that her cancer had returned. It would lead to an ongoing battle with cancer for many years - a battle to which she eventually succumbed. However, she would often say “Cancer has been a blessing.”  Rather than angrily asking “Why me?” she saw cancer as leading her and her family to lean on Christ and His grace. Her journey with cancer was a long one and it led to a deepening faith and a thankful heart.

When St. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances, such gratitude comes from faith that trusts that God indeed works in all things. Even when bearing the cross through sickness or sorrow, Christians can be thankful that God is faithful to all His promises. This means that Christ is with us always, regardless of the circumstances. This means that God’s grace is sufficient for every trial and tribulation. This means that God uses suffering as a tool to teach us to rely on God in all things.

Dr. Luther describes that there are three things that make a theologian – oratio (prayer), meditatio (meditation), and tentatio (translated as tribulation or suffering). In the Heidelberg Disputation, he wrote, “God can be found only in suffering and the cross.”  Suffering teaches the Christian to cling to Christ and His cross. Therefore, we can give thanks over a lost job, a cancer diagnosis, or even the death of a loved one because we remain God’s beloved children and find our strength in Christ. Thanksgiving is, therefore, not a day on a calendar, but a way of life for Christians, regardless of the circumstances we face.

Prayer – Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan