A Stretch

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”
Luke 22:19

It’s a stretching time. Our church is being stretched by growth and a vision for the future. The staff is being stretched as we seek to be obedient to the call of the Lord on each of our lives. As a writer I am being stretched to find new perspectives on being thankful as we being the season of thanksgiving. Facebook is being will with words of thanksgiving and there is nothing wrong with that to be sure, but I couldn’t help but ask myself whether or not we were just scratching the surface of what thankfulness is. I scoured scripture looking for something that would challenge my perception of giving thanks. I got the concordance out to check the original languages for clues of the true depth of what it means to be thankful.

Scripture, especially the Old Testament often speak of thanks as a sacrifice and an offering – when we give thanks are we making a sacrifice or bringing an authentic offering to God? Then I read a familiar passage and saw something I never saw before. That passage is the block that this week’s devotion is written on. I know it’s a stretch. I study and prayed a lot to get to a point where I feel like I can express what I am feeling – but it’s still a stretch. This passage comes from Luke’s rendering of the Last Supper. Jesus and His disciples are sharing the Passover meal – when Jesus does something that must have seemed odd to those at the table with him. He took bread, gave thanks – said a blessing over it and then broke it. Then Jesus handed it to them and told them it was his body being given, being broken for them. As I read this, a question flashed through my mind – did He really just give thanks for His soon to be broken body? Did He give thanks for a body that would be broken to bring healing and restoration to our lives and souls? A body that would be broken to build a bridge over the chasm that separates us from God? It’s a stretch, but I think He does.

So how do we express our thanks for such an extravagant gift? How do we throw ourselves at Jesus’ feet like the woman in Luke 8:47 or the Samaritan leper, healed in Luke 17:15-16? How do we acknowledge that all that we have, all that we are and all that we are called do comes from a God who willfully and thankfully sacrificed Himself so He could hold us close and call us friend, call us his sons and daughters?

The answer is a stretch. It may be easy to say, but it will be a stretch to actually do it. The answer is to “love others” the way that God loves us. I told you it was a stretch – will we willingly and thankfully sacrifice ourselves to love someone into the Kingdom?

It’s important to gives thanks for everything, the big stuff and the small stuff. This week, this year I want to challenge all of us, as we approach the table of Thanksgiving and race toward Advent to take giving thanks to a new and deeper place in our hearts.

It’ll be a stretch, but a good one.

A Prayer
Father, so much to be thankful for because of your generosity, because of Your Son’s sacrifice. Show us how to be so thankful that we love others to you. Stretch our perspectives on what looks like. In the name of Jesus, we pray – Amen.