Category Archives: Worship

2023 – The True Story of Thanksgiving by By Pastor David Mathis

Come Thanksgiving Day each year, many of us give the nod to Pilgrims and Indians and talk of making ready for a harsh first winter in the New World.

But for the Christian, the deepest roots of our thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a story as old as creation, with a two-millennia-old climax. It’s a story that keeps going right on into the present and gives meaning to our little lives, even when we’re a half a globe removed from history’s ground zero at a place called Golgotha.

You could call it the true story of Thanksgiving — or you could call it the Christian gospel viewed through the lens of that, often undervalued virtue, known as “gratitude.” It opens up a few Biblical texts we otherwise may be prone to downplay. Here’s the true story of thanksgiving in four stages.

Created for Thanksgiving

God created humanity for gratitude. You exist to give honor and thanks to God.

Firstly, God created humanity for gratitude. We exist to appreciate God. He created us to honor him by giving him thanks. Appreciating both who God is and his actions for us — in creating us and sustaining our lives — is fundamental to proper human life in God’s created world.

The apostle Paul gives us this glimpse of the place of appreciation in the created order as he describes in Romans 1 what’s gone wrong with the world:

”Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21)

Part of what the first man and woman were created to do was honor God by being thankful. And part of what we exist to do is honor God by being thankful — and thus the numerous Biblical commands enjoining gratitude.  Humanity was created to appreciate God. But as we’ve already seen from Romans 1, ingratitude wasn’t far away.

Fallen from Thanksgiving

Secondly, we all have failed miserably in appreciating God as we should. In her book on gratitude, Ann Voskamp gives memorable expression to the failure of the first man and woman — and the devil before them — to rightly experience and express gratitude:  From all of our beginnings, we keep reliving the Garden story. Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully ungrateful for what God gave. Isn’t that the catalyst of all my sin?

Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other. (One Thousand Gifts, 15)

Satan the ingrate spawns thanklessness in Adam and Eve, who pass it along to all of us. Both before our conversion and after, we are thankless people. This is so painfully true.

Our fall was, and has always been, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more.

And we not only fail to be thankful like we ought, but we also fail to get the balance right between physical and spiritual. Two obstacles often stand in our way to God-exalting gratitude. You could call them “hyper-spirituality” and “hyper-physicality.”

Perhaps hyper-physicality is all too well known in 21st-century Western society at large. Materialists are so unaware of spiritual reality that even when there is gratitude for the physical, the spiritual is neglected, if not outright rejected. We can be thankful for the temporal, even while we couldn’t care less about the eternal.

But hyper-spirituality is often particularly dangerous among the so-called “spiritual” types, even in the church. We can be prone to mute God’s physical goodness to us out of fear that appreciation for such would somehow detract from our thanksgiving for spiritual blessings.

In our sin, we fail again and again to get the proportions right. Only with divine redemption are we able to grow toward a balance that goes something like this: Christians are thankful for all God’s gifts, especially his eternal gifts, and especially the surpassing value of knowing his Son (Philippians 3:8), the Spirit-become-physical.

Redeemed by Thanksgiving

Third, God himself, in the person of his Son, Jesus, entered into our thankless world, lived in flawless appreciation of his Father, and died on our behalf for our chronic ingratitude. It is Jesus, the God-man, who has manifested the perfect life of thankfulness. If you’ve ever tracked the texts where Jesus gives his Father thanks, you’ll know it’s quite an impressive list.

Matthew 11:25 [also Luke 10:21]: “At that time [note the context of unrepentant and unthankful “cities where most of His mighty works had been done,” verse 20]  Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will.’”

John 11:41: “ . . they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard me.’” [Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead.]

Matthew 15:36 [also Mark 8:6]: Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples . . . ” [See also John 6:11 and John 6:23 which refer to the location as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”]

Luke 22:17–20 [also Matthew 26:27 and Mark 14:23]: “He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” [And so following Jesus’s pattern, Paul in Acts 27:35 “took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all He broke it . . . ”]

  1. Corinthians 11:23–24: Our “Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it . . . ”

Jesus is not only God himself but also the quintessentially thankful human. The God-man not only died to forgive our failures in giving God the thanks He is due, but also lived the perfect life of thankfulness on our behalf toward His Father.

Freed for Thanksgiving

Christians are thankful for all God’s gifts, especially for His eternal gifts.

Finally, by faith in Jesus, we are redeemed from ingratitude and its just, eternal penalty in hell, and freed to enjoy the pleasure of being doubly thankful for God’s favor toward us — not only as His creatures, but also as His redeemed.

It is fitting for a creature to be in a continuous posture of gratitude toward his Creator. And it is even more fitting for a redeemed rebel to be in an ongoing posture of gratitude toward his Redeemer. The kind of life that flows from such amazing grace is the life of continual thankfulness. This is the kind of life in which the born-again Christian is being continually renewed; progressively being made more like Jesus. 

THE APOSTLE PAUL ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS TO HAVE LIVES CHARACTERIZED BY THANKSGIVING

Colossians 1:11–12: May you be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Colossians 2:6–7: “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Colossians 3:15–17:“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Ephesians 5:20: “ . . . giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  1. Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Only in Jesus, are we able to become the kind of persistently thankful people God created us to be and fulfill the human destiny of thanksgiving. For the Christian, with both feet standing firmly in the Good News of Jesus, there are possibilities for a true Thanksgiving which we otherwise would never know.  By David Mathis @desiringGod.org

From Steve and R.K.’s Corner

This article by Pastor David Mathis was published in the 2019 Thanksgiving issue of The Bridge Report, the reason being that I had for some time been reflecting on the alarmingly shifting negative tone in the discourse between people in our public square. The right to free speech was being used as an excuse to engage in personal attacks on others with different points of view. Restraints had been cast off in the back and forth dialogues, especially in social media, which has become the virtual reality by which many measure their lives and values, resulting in divided families, broken friendships, destroyed reputation and livelihoods.

Realizing the focus of this article, Thanksgiving, a concept almost forgotten, is far more relevant to the growing intensity of our culture war today than then, I decided to reprint the total article.  Those of us who belong to Jesus Christ are the counter culture, and as such, should demonstrate a different attitude. Let us pause in the midst of our busy lives, meditate on these Scriptures as we count our blessings, and openly give thanks to God for all His marvelous gifts… even life itself!

Would you consider, as an act of Thanksgiving, sending an extra gift toward our Harvesters abroad who labor to bring His Love and Light to those who have not yet heard the Good News!   THANKS!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

     

 

2022 Bridge Christmas Greeting

TO ALL OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD:

We wish you a merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! May the many descriptions of Jesus Christ mentioned in the Scriptures captivate your hearts during this season and bring you a fresher and deeper awareness of His transforming love and power – He is indeed Immanuel “God with Us” (Isaiah 7:14) and the Light of the World (John 8:12)! From Steve and R.K. Ulrich

2023 – The True Story of Thanksgiving

Written by PASTOR DAVIS MATHIS @www.desiringGod.org

Come Thanksgiving Day each year, many of us give the nod to Pilgrims and Indians and talk of making ready for a harsh first winter in the New World.

But for the Christian, the deepest roots of our thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a story as old as creation, with a two-millennia-old climax. It’s a story that keeps going right on into the present and gives meaning to our little lives, even when we’re a half a globe removed from history’s ground zero at a place called Golgotha.

You could call it the true story of Thanksgiving — or you could call it the Christian Gospel viewed through the lens of that, often undervalued virtue, known as “gratitude.” It opens up a few biblical texts we otherwise may be prone to downplay. Here’s the true story of thanksgiving in four stages.

Created for Thanksgiving – God created humanity for gratitude. You exist to appreciate God.

First, God created humanity for gratitude. We exist to appreciate God. He created us to honor him by giving him thanks. Appreciating both who God is and his actions for us — in creating us and sustaining our lives — is fundamental to proper human life in God’s created world.

The apostle Paul gives us this glimpse of the place of appreciation in the created order as he describes in Romans 1 what’s gone wrong with the world:

”Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  Romans 1:21

Part of what the first man and woman were created to do was honor God by being thankful. And part of what we exist to do is honor God by being thankful — and thus the numerous biblical commands enjoining gratitude.  Humanity was created to appreciate God. But as we’ve already seen from Romans 1, ingratitude wasn’t far away.

Fallen from Thanksgiving – Our fall was, and has always been, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other.

Second, we all have failed miserably in appreciating God as we should. In her book on gratitude, Ann Voskamp gives memorable expression to the failure of the first man and woman — and the devil before them — to rightly experience and express gratitude.

From all of our beginnings, we keep reliving the Garden story. Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully ungrateful for what God gave. Isn’t that the catalyst of all my sin?

Satan the ingrate spawns thanklessness in Adam and Eve, who pass it along to all of us. Both before our conversion and after, we are thankless people. This is so painfully true.  And we not only fail to be thankful like we ought, but we also fail to get the balance right between physical and spiritual. Two obstacles often stand in our way to God-exalting gratitude. You could call them “hyper-spirituality” and “hyper-physicality.”  Perhaps hyper-physicality is all too well known in 21st-century Western society at large. Materialists are so unaware of spiritual reality that even when there is gratitude for the physical, the spiritual is neglected, if not outright rejected. We can be thankful for the temporal, even while we couldn’t care less about the eternal.

But hyper-spirituality is often particularly dangerous among the so-called “spiritual” types, even in the church. We can be prone to mute God’s physical goodness to us out of fear that appreciation for such would somehow detract from our thanksgiving for spiritual blessings. In our sin, we fail again and again to get the proportions right. Only with divine redemption are we able to grow toward a balance that goes something like this: Christians are thankful for all God’s gifts, especially his eternal gifts, and especially the surpassing value of knowing his Son (Philippians 3:8), the Spirit-become-physical.

Redeemed by Thanksgiving

Third, God himself, in the person of his Son, Jesus, entered into our thankless world, lived in flawless appreciation of His Father, and died on our behalf for our chronic ingratitude. It is Jesus, the God-man, who has manifested the perfect life of thankfulness. If you’ve ever tracked the texts where Jesus gives his Father thanks, you’ll know it’s quite an impressive list.

Matthew 11:25 [also Luke 10:21]: “At that time [note the context of unrepentant and thankless “cities where most of His mighty works had been done,” verse 20] Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.’”

John 11:41: “ . . . they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard Me.’” [Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead.]

Matthew 15:36 [also Mark 8:6]: Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples . . . ” [See also John 6:11 and John 6:23 which refer to the location as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”]

Luke 22:17–20 [also Matthew 26:27 and Mark 14:23]: “He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, and when he had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” [And so following Jesus’s pattern, Paul in Acts 27:35 “took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all He broke it . . . ”]

  1. Corinthians 11:23–24: Our “Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it . . . ”

Jesus is not only God himself but also the quintessentially thankful human. The God-man not only died to forgive our failures in giving God the thanks He’s due, but also lived the perfect life of appreciation on our behalf toward his Father.

Freed for Thanksgiving – Christians are thankful for all God’s gifts, especially for His eternal gifts.

Finally, by faith in Jesus, we are redeemed from ingratitude and its just eternal penalty in hell, and freed to enjoy the pleasure of being doubly thankful for God’s favor toward us — not only as his creatures, but also as his redeemed.

It is fitting for a creature to be in a continuous posture of gratitude toward his Creator. And it is even more fitting for a redeemed rebel to be in an ongoing posture of gratitude toward his Redeemer. The kind of life that flows from such amazing grace is the life of continual thankfulness. This is the kind of life in which the born-again Christian is being continually renewed, progressively being made more like Jesus.

The apostle Paul thus encourages Christians to have lives characterized by thanksgiving.

Colossians 1:11–12: May you be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Colossians 2:6–7: “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Colossians 3:15–17:“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Ephesians 5:20: “ . . . giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  1. Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Only in Jesus, are we able to become the kind of persistently thankful people God created us to be and fulfill the human destiny of thanksgiving. For the Christian, with both feet standing firmly in the Good News of Jesus, there are possibilities for a true Thanksgiving which we otherwise would never know.

FROM STEVE AND R.K.’s CORNER

This article by Pastor David Mathis was published in the 2019 Thanksgiving issue of The Bridge Report.  The reason was, I had for some time been reflecting on the alarmingly shifting negative tone in the discourse between people in our public square. The right to free speech was being used as an excuse to engage in personal attacks on others with different points of view. Restraints had been cast off in the back and forth dialogues, especially in social media, which has become the virtual reality by which many measure their lives and values, resulting in divided families, broken friendships, destroyed reputation and livelihoods.

Realizing the focus of this article, Thanksgiving, a concept almost forgotten, is far more relevant to the growing intensity of our culture war today than then, I decided to reprint the total article.  Those of us who belong to Jesus Christ are the counter culture, and as such, should demonstrate a different attitude. Let us pause in the midst of our busy lives, meditate on these Scriptures as we count our blessings, and openly give thanks to God for all His marvelous gifts… even life itself!

Would you consider, as an act of Thanksgiving, sending an extra gift toward our Harvesters abroad who labor to bring His Love and Light to those who have not yet heard the Good News!

What is Worship? By Mark Medley

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

Ulrichs 11-14“Hi, R.K., how are you?  This is Mark, Medley.  Melissa and I are in town, we would love to take you out for lunch.”  The happy voice at the other end of the phone and the subsequent lunch was a special love gift from my Heavenly Father— an unexpected touch from the mission field!

On August 25, my husband Steve, who had experienced increasing pain which had become unbearable, underwent hip replacement surgery.  Caring for him have kept me homebound, unable to visit the mission field this year — but the Lord knew my heart’s desire!  After the surgery, Steve was placed in a rehab facility—and what do you know—the majority of the staff are immigrant from a number of different nations! They are professional, diligent, and have given Steve excellent care.  It has been a wonderful experience for us both!  Since we did not go to the mission field, the mission field came to us!   Steve returned home the day after his birthday—September 17!

Seeing Mark and Melissa was also part of that love gift!  We have been field partners for a number of years; he is presently ministering in Russia and the Ukraine.  As we were talking about the things of the Lord, I asked Mark if he would share with you his thoughts on Worship. One of the therapists at the rehab is a Haitian believer, she is also giving her thoughts on one aspect of worship – giving thanks to the Lord!

Medley Worship Group 09-15WHAT IS WORSHIP?

“…but an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth…”  John 4:23-24.

The student of church history recognizes a consistent pattern through the ages. The vibrant life of God in the lives of believers and in the church at large has often been dampened when the church becomes institutionalized and formalized.  I am not saying that organized religion cannot be a vehicle for an individual to be able to worship, but worship is not merely what we do in a church service – worship is a lifestyle. My life is my worship!

I believe that a Biblical definition of worship can be understood in this way: worship is a revelation, and a response that leads to an ever-growing relationship with God.

Medley - Worship Communion 09-15Worship is a revelation because it starts with God opening our eyes to see who He is. Our worship is only as deep as our revelation of Him.  The depth, quality and level of passion in our worship is directly proportional to the way we view God.  We cannot worship big when we have a small God. 

Understanding God as he has revealed himself is crucial.  He is utterly other than we are.  Consider the fact that He is both the Sovereign Lord of the universe (transcendent, unknowable, immutable) and yet, he also reveals himself as a Father (knowable, loving).  He has impeccable character.  He is astonishingly gracious, fiercely holy and unchanging in His truth.

Theology is simply the study of God, and we all have ideas of what He is like. It is important to seek to know who God truly is, not just the concept of God that our culture espouses.  These ideas of God must be informed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God for true worship to happen. 

This is crucial, because we worship him only to the extent that we have seen him.  Many of us do not worship fervently because we have not seen him clearly enough.

Medleys 09-15A real understanding of the nature and character traits of God will always lead us to a response in our actions and our life.  This response may be formal congregational worship, but it is more than that. Jesus said in John 4:23-24 that true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Our response to seeing God as He truly is involves our heart and our way of life.

Responding means living out what we see and know about God.  If we see his holiness, we begin to act holy according to his revealed standard.  When we see his covenant love for us, we begin to act in compassionate ways toward others.  When we see his sovereign authority, we yield our hearts, our actions, our way of life to him and his purposes. 

All of this is important because, in truth, we are all created to worship.  It is in our DNA and we cannot help but worship someone or something – sports, entertainment, money and career, our own lofty ideals – we will give our lives for something! God’s plan is that we give our lives to know Him and to make Him known.  We were created to know him, therefore we will never be fulfilled until we live in a way which demonstrates true worship of Him.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

Medley - Worship Poor 09-15We are created to have fellowship with God and with others.  Paul reminds us in this chapter that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is a reasonable response to the mercies of God.  Paul then spends the rest of that chapter unfolding what it looks like to practically live out worship: using our gifts to bless others, loving good and hating evil, honoring people and serving God, empathizing with others by rejoicing and weeping with them, being humble and peaceable, overcoming evil with good.

Medley - Prayer with BibleThe ultimate purpose of worship is relationship. Like a good friendship or a good marriage, our worship of God is to be a never-ending process of progressive intimacy with the Almighty.  This relationship involves walking faithfully with God and with others.  It is talking with God, listening to the Word of God, knowing what pleases Him, and then doing what pleases Him.  

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”  Revelation 5:11-12

As we grow in our worship relationship with God, we are aligning ourselves with truth and joining with the throng of elders, angels and the redeemed around the throne who intimately know what we all need to know: Only Jesus Christ is worthy of our all!