12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people. 16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.
Reflection
Today is Thanksgiving. What better day to ask, “What does it mean to “be thankful?”
Medieval theologian Meister Eckhart believed, “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You,’ that would suffice.” According to Merriam Webster “thankful” means “to be glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, etc. According to Harvard Health, thankfulness helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with adversity, and improve their health.
When the author of the letter to the Colossians said “be thankful people” he was encouraging us to be happy with life as a member of the body of Christ throughout the world. Thankfulness and happiness seem to go hand in hand. If you were listening to Pastor Joe preach on the book of Jonah during the past few weeks you heard about how miserable Jonah was. All I could think was “Jonah was one of the least thankful and least happy figures in scripture! Jonah was inward focused! He only cared about himself, and he was miserable.
Being thankful and happy requires these feelings to be focused outward, not inward. The letter to the Colossians speaks of one body with a message to the whole, a unified body, not to individuals. Have you noticed that it’s difficult to be thankful all alone? When we spend a lot of time in front of a screen rather than with other human beings, we may dwell alone in despair rather than find laughter and joy with others. Families, friends, children, and even puppies are wonderful companions for sharing happiness and thankfulness! As we enter the season of Advent, let the candles, the music, and all the festivities remind us this is the season of JOY! Any time is a good time for celebrating and giving thanks.
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
This past week I noticed that the 2025 World Happiness Report was recently released. The USA is ranked 24 th which is its lowest position since the report was first published in 2011 after it was adopted by the UN General Assembly. I was curious to know how happiness is measured. Is there something scientific about happiness and what part, if any, does thankfulness play? As I dove into the very lengthy report, I found that what it is really focused upon is how an individual ranks his or her own feeling of well-being. Gallup World Poll collects the data throughout the year, taking into account religious observances, pandemics, war, and other local factors. The ranking is based on a single life evaluation question, the Cantrill Ladder, using data collected from over 140 countries. The respondent answers the question “Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.
**On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?
When I first read through this scripture passage the phrase that leapt out at me was verse 3:15 “The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people.” Be thankful people as if you are wearing a ball cap or a team jersey with the word “THANKFUL” on it so that everyone knows you are on the Thankful Team. Be a cheerleader for thankfulness.
**How do people know whether or not you are thankful?
Prayer: Creator God, As we gaze upon the falling leaves and feel the temperatures drop, we
give you thanks for this world that you have breathed into being. Your Spirit rests within every living thing, every star in the sky, every drop of water that flows throughout this planet upon which we dwell. The changing of the seasons reminds us that you have created a world that will never end. Thank you, Creator God. Amen and Amen.
