This year for Thanksgiving we did something a little different. Instead of looking at the normal bible verses, we dove into a psalm. You know one of those passages that looks like a poem and acts like a poem but sometimes doesn’t feel very much like a poem?
We all know that we have things in our life for which we can and should be thankful. From the family that surrounds us and the friends who challenge us to the house in which we live and the car we are able to drive – there are things all around us for which we can be thankful! And if we’re being truly honest, we are probably not as thankful as we should be nor as often as we should be.
Enter the three words of Thanksgiving. And no we’re not doing one of those cheesy thanks-living kind of deals either. These are three words that actually help us see the world around us with a more thankful heart. If you’d rather listen to this one, you’re welcome to scroll to the bottom to grab the link to hear this message instead of reading it.
Joy is where we start. If you begin your thanksgiving with joy, you won’t regret it! Psalm 100 starts by telling us to make a joyful noise. This isn’t about happiness. It’s not about our circumstances but it’s despite our circumstance. Our happenings can not determine our level of joy! Joy is more a way of looking at life. It’s about character. It’s about watching for God to show up, not focusing on the days when I felt alone. Regardless of my circumstances, I know God is still present. That’s what joy is all about.
The second word for Thanksgiving is gladness. Since gladness isn’t something we talk about all that often in our daily lives, another way to look at it is to burst out in laughter. Could you imagine a life where you just found so much enjoyment that you simply crack up in random spouts of laughter. When we have great gladness in our hearts and we live with joy and exuberant laughter, we can’t help but find something for which to be thankful.
Finally, our thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without leaning on God. It’s all about dependence. When we truly find ourselves dependent on God and not taking matters into our own hands, worrying continuously about the struggles in our lives, wonder if anyone will love us, fret over whether or not we will make it through this terrible situation – then we’ll be able to see life through a different lens. When we lean on God and rely on him to provide for us, thanksgiving comes naturally.
The three words that should guide us in how to be thankful: joy, laughter and leaning. When we have these three things working together in our lives then thanksgiving will be all around us. It will change our perspective and help us see the wonders of how great we already are blessed in spite of the troubles we face.
Be thankful! Find joy! Laugh out loud. Lean on Jesus.
What in life gets you going? What brings you energy and passion that can’t be silent? What are those things in life that just put a smile on your face even when you’re not trying to smile? When these things happen in our lives it’s like we break out in a happy dance without even knowing it. 
Since there are only so many weeks to celebrate Christmas and there are some pretty great Christmas songs, I thought it’d be good to take a few weeks of our #musicmonday this year and celebrate Christmas. Christmas this year is a song that talks of the transition between fall and Christmas. The message is one of anticipation. 
Yesterday was a pretty fun day! I have to be honest that I don’t say that very frequently. Yesterday was Sunday and at the church I serve, we held worship outside. And it was just plain fun. We had a great time just enjoying each other’s company. The weather was hot but when we thought we’d burn up the breeze blew through our worship pavilion. We sang some songs that to some might seem a bit silly. We did motions that forced us to raise our hands and even dance a little. And if you don’t know anything about the church tradition to which I belong that’s a fairly big deal!