Thanksgiving is More Than an “Attitude of Gratitude”
This is the first in an ongoing “Youth Group at the Holidays” series. We will do our best to publish these articles a few weeks prior to the holidays to give you time to prepare. Enjoy!
“Alright, let’s go around the circle and everyone share something that you are thankful for!” And off we go.
I rarely ever pay much attention to the first few responses as I try to think of a good answer, myself. If my turn comes early then I can choose one of the more obvious answers, like my family or my friends or good health. But if my turn is towards the end, then I’m going to have to think outside the box. Inevitably, just a few friends before my turn, someone blurts out my thoughtful (and theoretically unique) answer, throwing me back into a scramble for a new one!
Growing up in church, I’m not sure a single year ever passed by that didn’t include this yearly Thanksgiving ritual, usually followed by a challenge to be more mindful of our blessings and to have an “attitude of gratitude!” Although I’m making light of my memories of this seasonal practice, it is good to lead young people to pause, reflect, and give thanks publicly, especially in a culture that increasingly exalts entitlement and consumerism.
But even as a kid, something about this annual tradition felt shallow. I always felt as if the practice of thanksgiving had to contain much more depth than how it always seemed to be presented. I am grateful now for how a deeper understanding of the gospel has filled in some of that missing depth through the years.
Blessing and Thanksgiving
My fear is that for many young people, even in the church, the essence of blessing is found in anything that we consider good: wealth, relationships, professional success, intelligence, etc. But is that the true essence of blessing?
A proper theological foundation for thanksgiving not only looks to God as the rightful recipient of our thanks but as the very essence of our truest blessing, himself. When we grasp this, it will begin to rediscover what really is good, and it will shape our thanksgiving in some surprising ways. We may discover that some things that appear to be blessings but are actually the very things pulling us away from God’s presence.
This is why we remind students of how easily we can make good things (like material possessions, relationships, and abilities) into god things and drift into idolatry. So we continually lead students to Jesus, rejoicing for the gift of conviction and repentance, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Seeing God’s presence as the essence of true blessing totally reshapes our paradigm for evaluating what truly is good, and thus what really should elicit our giving thanks.
Thanksgiving is Focused on the Gospel
In the Scriptures, thanksgiving is rooted more deeply than our attitude towards the temporary goods and experiences of this life. It is anchored in the eternal gospel realities that are ours, even if all worldly blessings are stripped away. In light of the coming judgment when all that is temporary will fade away, the writer of Hebrews expresses this truth when he proclaims, “let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (12:28a).
With this perspective, our thanksgiving becomes more durable, joyful, and contented, because it is intimately connected to the eternal gospel promises that are ours in Christ. The grounding of our gratitude makes all the difference: it is either grounded in this world or the world to come.
Notice how the gospel is the context for Paul’s thanksgiving throughout his letters:
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge…” (1 Corinthians 1:4-5)
“I thank God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:3-5a).
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-5a).
Are we highlighting and celebrating these gospel realities and guiding students to behold and embrace them, too? Are we helping them cultivate durable thanksgiving that is primarily rooted in what is eternally true for those who are in Christ – or have we relegated the gospel into the domain of cliches to be avoided? It is the gospel, after all, that reconciles us to God and restores to us the true essence of blessing, the abiding reality of his presence. If this gospel isn’t worthy of our rejoicing and thanksgiving, then what is?
Thanksgiving Is A Mark of Spiritual Maturity
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul prays that his brothers and sisters would “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (1:9-10a). He then clarifies one of the distinguishing marks of such a walk, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (1:12-14). A little later, he writes, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (2:6-7).
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul exhorts them, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (5:4). To the Philippians, he challenges, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God” (4:6). Similarly, he urges the Colossian church to “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (4:2).
For Paul, increased thanksgiving reveals the internal work of the Holy Spirit especially as it focuses more and more on his formative work within us, which is often cultivated through difficult circumstances.
We want to help students offer thanksgiving for things that do not naturally appeal to their flesh, like the current struggle in the classroom, failing on the playing field, getting cut from a desired role, or receiving difficult news concerning a family member. It is the reality of the gospel alone that allows us to “Rejoice always” and “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Thanksgiving Calibrates Our Hearts for Christmas
When we focus on God’s presence as the essence of true blessing, we are reminded of how God condescended to us despite the sin that banished us from fellowship with him. Instead of giving us what we rightly deserve, he came to rescue us and reconcile us to himself. And where does that cause us to focus: on a lowly manger in Bethlehem!
As thanksgiving flows out of recognition of all that is ours eternally in Christ, it cultivates a desire deep within us to respond to the inestimable worth of God’s presence with adoration, praise, and worship.
During this Thanksgiving season, let’s help our students see how their gratitude for this inexpressible gift should calibrate their hearts to celebrate Emmanuel, God with us.