“Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
to God the creator triumphantly raise,
who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God’s banners are o’er us, God’s light goes before us,
a pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.”
“Let All Things Now Living” ELW #881
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the hymn above there is a call for ALL living things to sing a song of thanksgiving to God the creator. This is NOT just a song that should be bland and without feeling. The song is a call for us to sing a song filled with a triumphal celebration! God has created all things! The wonderful trees that are turning beautiful colors before our very eyes were designed by God’s hand. The mountains we gaze upon every day from the Denver area are reminders of God’s magnificence! We are to sing for the One who formed us, knows us, protects us, hangs with us and guides us!
The idea of thanksgiving in this hymn is one we, as a nation, have lost over the last sixty years. More and more the idea of “Thanksgiving” having anything to do with God is almost non-existent. It has become about a meal… about family… about football… about a break! Yet we, as members of the body of Christ, are called on to remember to give our THANKS and PRAISE to God! God is to be the focus! God is to be the One we revere!
This fall we have been called to focus on the Presidential election. People are looking to make a decision… to vote for one who will be the voice of our nation. Never has there been a feeling of such unrest. It seems as though the world around us is unraveling and everyone thinks they have an answer… while at the same time, NO ONE has an answer at all. It almost feels as though we are hanging,… hoping,… wondering,… who will be our ANSWER. I will say, “Take a deep breath and pray! Pray for God to guide you! Pray for God’s hand to move!” Some believe it is one answer, while others believe it is a different answer. There is division and struggle, however, in the end God is still God. We pray for justice, peace and God’s hand to move!
If it feels as though it is a dark time in our history, remember God gives us light in the time of darkness. The reference in the song takes us back to the people of Israel leaving Egypt, a land of sadness and slavery, only to walk through a desert for forty years. God’s presence went with them, and even though God was unhappy with their foolishness and forgetfulness, God NEVER left them. By the pillar of cloud during the day and pillar of fire by night God led them through the desert and the sea to a wonderful new land.
It is the same with us. We have had our moments of being bound to things rather than to God. Many times we have chosen to turn our backs on God and chosen to live in foolish ways, forgetting God’s love for us. We have been cornered and have struggled. We have looked toward other gods (money, time, work, sports) and allowed them to control us, and YET God is still there with the light of all lights leading us, Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Barb
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