The Month of Gratitude
Gratitude is a typical theme for November; in North America, families gather this month to celebrate Thanksgiving and the abundance in their lives. But gratitude is important this time of year not just because of the holiday season; gratitude should naturally follow the season of harvest. Nature has just bestowed upon you her most infinite blessings—another year of health and home, family and loved ones surrounding you, strong crops, and food to eat.
In the Lutheran liturgy for the month of November, the themes focus on The End Times and the end of our earthly lives. The language in the readings and imagery are about judgement. But for those who see through the lens of faith, these themes also provide hope. Yes, thank God for that – back to the gratitude theme of November!
We are entering our shortest days of the year; the news is filled with uncertainty and our tendency as humans is to focus on scarcity. Can we redirect? “Please make a u-turn!” Think of the abundance of God and give thanks to The One who creates and saves, in whom all our hopes are founded.
We are, all of us – on this side of death and on the other side of it – united in the communion of saints. We all pray for each other and we all pray together for God to heal this broken world: “Your kingdom come.”
~derived from The Book of Blessings and Rituals by Athena Perrakis and Sundays & Seasons
