Thankfulness. It is should be the natural outflow of hearts that have been transformed by the Gospel. If we are captured by Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, brought into newness of life, destined for life eternal with the God who loves us . . . how could we not be overflowing with thankfulness?
But what does genuine thankfulness look like? Is it about saying grace over meals? Certainly it might include that. Is it an attitude of heart that expresses appreciation for all God has done for us? Absolutely. Thankfulness must be rooted in that. There must be some kind of expression appropriate for thankfulness; without expressing thanks, I am not sure that any “thanksgiving” is really offered.
I stumbled upon a passage in Paul’s letter to the Colossians that bumps up against the way I typically think of thanksgiving. There is a dimension to thanksgiving that may be overlooked in my life.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:15-16)
Paul’s call to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” is not merely an invitation to “feel peace” in your heart in your relationship with Jesus. It is a call to let Christ’s peace to so capture our hearts that we live well in relationship with others. Notice the rest of the sentence; Paul turns attention to “the one body” to which we are called. This is peace that overthrows the dissension and division that we bring into the life of the church so that we can experience, together, real unity in love. (Which is Paul’s point in the immediate context; notice Colossians 3:12-14.)
But notice what Paul attaches to this ruling peace that leads us into oneness with one another–”and be thankful.” Thankful? About what? In this context, it seems that the thankfulness is our thankfulness. The peace is to rule in “our” hearts–the “your” is a plural you; not just you, individually. It is “all of you” (a plural “you” again) who are called to one body.
Along with this Paul calls us to “teach and admonish” one another. The word of Christ is to dwell richly within “us”–again, a plural “you;” it is not just a call for each of us, individually, to be shaped by the word of Christ. We, together, collectively, are to be singing and making melody to the Lord.
And notice what Paul attaches to this ministry of the word of Christ in our lives–”singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In this context, it seems that the thankfulness is our thankfulness. The thankfulness rises from “our” hearts (the “your” is plural you; not just you, individually).
What does this all imply? At this point I only have a suggestion.
Genuine Gospel-anchored, grace-infused, God-honoring “thankfulness” looks like a giving of glad thanks that arises from us collectively. Without the “us”–the recognition and embracing of our unity and togetherness in the Gospel–then we are not letting Christ’s peace rule in our hearts and we are not letting Christ’s word richly dwell in us. And if we are not leaning fully into Christ’s peace and Christ’s word–allowing that to change us–the expression of thankfulness that arises from my heart (individually) is not all that God wants.
Genuine thankfulness–pictured here in Colossians–is an expression of the body, not merely the expression of one member of the body.
