Sunday Sermon Summary

Our sermon this morning was entitled "Learning to Give Thanks." Our pastor, Ken, discussed the fact that as children giving thanks doesn't necessarily come naturally....our parents had to teach us and remind us to say "Thank You." I thought about what he said and realized that was really true. I wonder if my parents had never taught me, as a young child, to say "thank you" if and when I would have ever learned to do that. It's funny to me....because it's sort of a habit, as a mother, to encourage my children to say thank you. As a matter of fact when we arrived home after church, my little newly turned 2 year old, said "shoes off"; and I gladly complied. Then before she toddled off after her siblings, she said "thank you mama." We can learn at any early early age to SAY "thank you", but when do we really learn to BE thankful?
When I became a mother, I really began to learn what it meant to be thankful....thankful to have this wonderful blessing given to me, thankful to have so much love to give, thankful as my babies have grown to have so much love in return. As my relationship with Jesus grows and deepens, I continue to learn to be thankful.... thankful for all we can have through Him, thankful for the little things, thankful for His mercy and grace. As I hear the often startling and frightening events of our world, I also continue to be thankful....thankful that God blessed me by letting me live in America, thankful for a home, water, jobs, church, schools, car, clothes, freedom of religion.
During the sermon, we were asked to write down 5 things we were thankful for. Drew wrote the following: Family, Friends, Pets, God, Love. Addi wrote the following: Family, Friends, School, Church, Pets. Bryna Mae dictated the following: Food, House, Grass, Vacations, Family. Pastor Ken then gave the following statistics....there are one billion people who don't have access to clean water, there are 1.6 billion people with no electricity, every 7 seconds a child under the age of 5 dies from hunger....that is devastating. He followed it up by saying that there probably weren't many folks, who had written down, that they were thankful for clean water or electricity; because we take these things for granted....which is so true. It's hard for me to comprehend not being able to go into the kitchen and get a glass of water, or turn on the heater when it's chilly in our house, or wash our clothes, or use my range. I imagine it's even harder for our children to comprehend that, because they have really never done without. Sure they have done without many many wants, but they haven't done without needs; and for that I am also so very thankful. As I was sitting down to write this post, Addi was sitting at the table creating a magnificent painting; and she said, "You know how Pastor Ken said probably nobody said they were thankful for clean water? Well in SS (which she attends after church) my teacher asked us to say some things we were thankful for, and I said clean water." I don't know if she comprehends the enormity of one billion people not having clean water, but I do know that she was listening; and I do know that she is truly THANKFUL!