Giving Thanks, Together
We often think of spiritual disciplines in individualistic terms. I should read my Bible. I should pray. I should give thanks.
This is certainly important. Some neglect personal habits and only study Scripture or pray when they gather with other believers. But neither extreme is healthy. We need to prioritize seeking to know God on our own as well as with and through others.
This applies to the practicing of thanksgiving, and maybe especially so. As we thank God together, it not only exalts God and emboldens our own faith but encourages other believers.
COMMUNAL RHYTHMS OF GRACE
Kyle David Bennett brings out the communal aspect of these rhythms of grace in his book Practices of Love. He writes,
“Spiritual disciplines are practices for a community to reform its way of life together—the thoughts, attitudes, practices, and behavior of individuals, and the general lifestyle or way of living in the community.”[1]
We see this throughout the Bible, Psalm 95 being one example. The first seven verses of the psalm use the collective terms “we,” “us,” and “our” ten times. “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving” (95:2). The psalmist is calling us to give thanks to God with one another.
Paul offers a similar command: “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” (Colossians 3:16).
We meditate on the Bible for personal growth and so we can encourage and admonish one another in songs and speech. But notice the last phrase of this verse. It’s thanksgiving that seasons our words. Gratitude begins in our hearts to God but moves to our lips as we give thanks together.
GIVING THANKS, TOGETHER
The Christian life is lived in community. We need the body of Christ to pray together, share burdens together, confess sin together, apply Scripture together, and give thanks together. Continue to give thanks to God on your own. Record reasons for thanksgiving on your phone or notebook to look back on and feed your faith. But it’s also good to build up believers by sharing why you’re thankful.
This Thanksgiving, don’t just pass the potatoes, share some reasons to praise God. Don’t settle for being thankful for “friends and family.” These are wonderful blessings, of course, but we can be much more specific about why these people point us back to God and fill us with gratitude.
If you’re in a Bible study, small group, or discipleship group, give thanks together. Cultivate this as a normal practice, so you share and hear examples of God’s faithfulness, blessing, provision, and power in one another’s lives.
Do this as a family by sharing at least one thing you’re grateful for, maybe as you eat together or before bed. Include reasons you’re thankful and a spirit of gratitude in everyday conversations with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and classmates. And leverage Thanksgiving Day by starting conversations about thankfulness, not just what you’re thankful for but who you’re thankful to.
WILL YOU SPREAD GRATITUDE OR GRUMBLING?
Psalm 95 (mentioned above) continues its focus on how others shape our spiritual life. Verses 7-11 draw on two episodes from Israel’s life where a generation of Israel displayed their rebellion and unbelief against God through grumbling (see Ex. 17:1-7; Num. 14:21-35). It wasn’t that one Israelite hardened their heart and murmured against God; the people as a whole did so. God refers to them as “a people who go astray in their hearts” (Psalm 95:10). Ingratitude took over Israel like crabgrass takes over a lawn.
Both gratitude and grumbling spread because they’re interpersonal practices. They’re not just communal; they’re communicable. We can pass on a spirit of gratitude or grumbling, either building up or breaking down the community. We will either share life-giving gratitude that honors God or soul-sucking griping that dishonors Him.
Don’t underestimate how much you can influence others through simple words and actions. By giving thanks, sharing about God’s goodness, speaking God’s promises, or affirming others, you can be a source of good that helps others grow. Or you can discourage others through gossiping, complaining, venting in discontentment or jealousy, tearing people down, seeing and talking about the worst in others, and grumbling when you think life (or God) is unfair.
Spread the gift of gratitude and be on guard against the infectious gangrene of grumbling.
REVERBERATIONS OF THANKSGIVING
Ingratitude multiplied when Israel chose to gripe rather than give thanks to God. Instead of having hearts receptive to God’s gifts, their hearts became cold and calloused until even blessings were rejected. Like a devastating wildfire, grumbling spreads from one person to another through one disgruntled conversation at a time.
Gratitude does the opposite. As our words speak about God’s goodness—his attributes, his work in our life, his blessings, what he’s teaching us or doing in us, and where we see his hand around us—we stir up more faith and thankfulness in one another. Joy and worship reverberate out from small expressions of gratitude, much like water ripples out from a small drop in a bucket.
Give voice to God’s goodness. Practice thanksgiving together. Invite others to do the same by asking questions like, “What’s one thing you’re thankful to God for today?”
Just like turkey at the table, Thanksgiving is best enjoyed with others. Savor God’s gifts and blessings with gratitude, but also share them by giving thanks together.
[1] Kyle David Bennett, Practices of Love (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2017), 21
Dustin Crowe serves as the pastor of discipleship at College Park Church Fishers in Indiana. You can follow him on Twitter or visit his blog.