Grateful
November 2010

I admit it. Life is busy and overwhelming. I seem to live at 98% time capacity, which of course, leaves no room for the rest of life that seems to always be popping up! There are days that I can legitimately cue up the violin section of the orchestra and set them to playing.

But chances are, you won’t join in the chorus. Chances are your life looks much the same way, and although a nice pity party might salve the soul, what we really need to do for one another is simply encourage one another; make the decision, with constructive words and actions, to pat each other on the back, give each other a deep and authentic hug, and then cheer each other through another day of life. We do life not on our own, but in community. It makes the bad times bearable, and gives us a community to celebrate with us in the good times.

Thanksgiving is already right around the corner. The truth is that thanksgiving – gratitude – has been institutionalized around a day of the year. It’s no less valuable for that. Even people who only take stock of all the beautiful things that are happening in and around them each year will benefit greatly. But I wonder if we’re not selling ourselves short.

I’ve been preaching on Faith’s Killer Apps this Fall, and I kicked off the sermon series with the “Gratitude App.” My insight, via Jesus, is that true gratitude is really pretty rare. When blessings start to flow, and things get good, we simply forget to stop and take stock of what just happened…that the blessings came from outside of ourselves and that in that moment of our lives we are a privileged channel for those blessings.

So maybe you’ll take a moment with me today to stop and think about all that you have to be grateful for. My list goes something like this. I am grateful for…

…the nation of my birth. I know that just by virtue of my birth in the USA, I won the lottery. I pray that I may leverage this blessing for the sake of others in this world who did NOT win the lottery.
…terrific grandparents, who in the midst of a checkered early family life were stalwart and present, a constant help and blessing, and ballast on the ship of my life.
…for my parents, who though flawed, are no more flawed than myself (I can now see). They did the best that they could, and through both their successes and failures, God has been faithful and present to me all my life.
…for Erin. She gifted me with this faith, and introduced me to grace, and gave me the gift of her family. My life’s calling has grown out of my relationship with her.
…for Erin. Because when God called she joined me in answering the call in Dolby Digital Surround Sound, and though it isn’t the life we would have chosen, has been my ever-present partner and love and companion.
…for Erin. Who shows me daily what good parenting looks like.
…for St. Mark Lutheran Church, Bloomfield, Nebraska, for calling a young, Gospel-driven pastor, trusting him, and for letting the Gospel and the congregation blossom in our work together! That community may never know just how precious and significant they are. But my family has been irrevocably blessed by them.
…for St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood, Florida, for like the congregation before them, taking a risk on this young pastor, and for letting the Spirit move us into a new and vibrant chapter in our lives together. God is at work here. I see and feel it every day!
…for St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood, Florida, for becoming so very easily a spiritual and community home for the Swenson-Reinhold’s.
…for my staff, that week after week so very diligently pursues the Gospel with me, and the development of that Gospel here in our community.

I could go on. There’s more, but I think I’m running out of newsletter space! You get the picture. Why don’t you sit down and take a few minutes and mark out the things that have impacted you for the better? Trust me, you will be blessed by the exercise.

Happy Thanksgiving, St. Stephen. God is grateful for you! And I am too…
Pastor Nathan