Church
Sun, Nov 20, 2016 St. Paul's
lectionary
- make us good stewards
- provide for us
- a wandering Aramean was my ancestor
- rejoice in the Lord always
- whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- I am the bread of life
What we "ought" to do
At a young age I remember being taught that I ought to be grateful -- for any number of things. I ought to write thank you notes. I ought to appreciate all that my parents -- or teachers -- or ?? did for me.For the most part I don't think it worked very well.
On the other hand, I am curious to figure out when did I learn actually become grateful? At what point did I exercise gratitude?
Being grateful
It had to be connected with receiving a gift and knowing that I didn't somehow deserve it. Had earned it or it belonged to me.When I got good grades I figured I had worked for them. When I got them without working for them -- English honors in senior year -- I just figured it was something like good luck.
Being lucky isn't really related to gratitude.
Possibly it was when my first born was raised above our heads by the delivering physician and he asked me what his name was? I cried uncontrollably.
Perhaps it was a little earlier when I was rock climbing and fell. I was caught:
- my friend held the rope
- the piton held in the rock
- the rope held
It was quite a bit later in life that I learned about a teaching of the Rabbis -- the goal of offering 100 blessings / day
Question: I once heard that there is a certain amount of blessings we should attempt to say each day. How many is it, and what is the source of this idea?The Hebrew word for "what," mah (מָה), is phonetically similar to the word me'ah (מֵאָה), which means 100. In other words, the verse can be understood as saying: "Now, Israel, a hundred does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you"—one hundred blessings.
Answer: There is indeed such a teaching. We are to recite 100 blessings each day. The Talmud1 extrapolates this from a verse in Deuteronomy:2 "Now, Israel, what does G‑d, your G‑d, ask of you? . . . to walk in His ways . . . and to serve Him."
chabad.org
Guides
- thanking someone who doesn't usually get thanks
- Know the value of small things
- learn the value of giving thanks for small things
- Cultivate being grateful
- make it a minimum goal to offer it 100 times in a day
There are countless articles out there touting the value of gratitude. But is that really what's going on here? Is it -- this is good for you -- ?
That's not the reason for doing it."Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." -- Oprah Winfrey
Habakkuk: giving thanks even when the fig tree withers
3:17 Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights. To the leader: with stringed instruments."Sing as if no one can hear; dance as if no one is watching; dream as if there are no impossibilities" (Annie)
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart
End of Church year -- begin of new
- This Sunday is the last of the church year
- gift of last 50 years, that we get to hear from each of the gospels over a 3 year cycle -- this next year gospel of Matthew
- Like other "new years", it gives us a chance to look back and take stock and to gird our loins for the upcoming year. or
- For all that has been, Thank you. For all that is to come, Yes! Dag Hammarskjold
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