The grammar of giving thanks – daily theology

Written by Dr. John Tweeddale , vice president of academics and professor of theology. For those of us who live in the United States, the season of Thanksgiving is one of the most enjoyable times of the year. Families and friends gather to revel in time-honored traditions, share stories of family lore, watch corny movies, cheer on our favorite team, and eat copious amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie.

What Paul did instead was direct all thanks to God. He had a peculiar grammar of giving thanks.

The greatness of Thanksgiving is not ultimately measured by the traditions we value but by the gratitude we are called upon to express. The answer, of course, is nothing. As Christians, we understand that the notion of individuals, families, churches, and communities gathering to express thanksgiving did not originate in colonial America but in the Bible.

Thanksgiving is fundamentally a Christian activity. The Apostle Paul makes this point in his letter to the Colossians. Paul gives five reasons why Christians are called to be grateful:. We are called to thank God for our redemption in Jesus Christ Col. In these verses, Paul grounds our thanksgiving in the gospel.

The Grammar of Giving Thanks Last week I hosted a study break for students in my residence hall and screened “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” This was the first time many of them had .

If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you have been taken out of the domain of darkness and transferred into a kingdom of light. You now share in a divine inheritance with all the saints. You have been forgiven. You have been redeemed. These are permanent truths that can never be taken away.