Streams Mercy

The end of the year is always a time for looking back, and yesterday was the last Sunday of the Church Year and we celebrated Christ the King. While the calendar year runs from January through December and the school year August through May- there’s another sense of time through which we pass, and there’s another calendar to mark our life’s journey. This calendar is not about what we are doing or where we are going, but about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, and who we are in him.

As the church year gathers to a close, its ending merges with a new beginning, with Advent only a week away. The theme of “gathering” plays out in our lives. We gathered for worship, we’re gathering offerings of canned goods for the local Food Bank, we’re gathering groceries to prepare family recipes treasured for generations, and we’re gathering with loved ones far and near to share in Thanksgiving celebrations a few days from now.

In a deeper sense, we gather up our hopes and dreams, our joys and sorrows, our worries and struggles and difficulties. We gather up this year that is passing and give thanks for the blessings of God and for the mercies and measures of grace that have been ours along the way.

We may be lost in our circumstances of the moment, struggling with loneliness or grief; facing a financial crisis or ongoing periods of treatment and recovery. We may find ourselves dealing with difficulties in relationships, problems with addiction, and loss of jobs, positions, and confidence in ourselves. We may be overwhelmed with life itself at this very moment. But these circumstances do not have the final word.

We have not been left to our own devices, bound by what is happening in our lives. We have not been forgotten by God, for God is always working his purpose out in your life and mine and in all of creation. All of God’s purposes will be accomplished, all will be safely gathered in, and in Christ, all things will hold together. In the words of Julian of Norwich, “All is well, all shall be well, every manner of thing shall be well.”

I came across a very simple prayer few days ago, and offer it as a prayer for Thanksgiving Day that children might be involved in, pointing to eyes, ears, hands, etc.:

“Thank You, Lord, for Everything”

Dear Lord, Thank you for the breath to say

Thank you for another day

Thank you for the eyes to see the world of beauty surrounding me

Thank you for the ears to hear your message of hope loud and clear

Thank you for the hands to serve and far more blessings than I deserve

Thank you for the legs to run the race of life until it’s won

Thank you for the voice to sing

Thank you, Lord, for everything. Amen.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, together giving thanks for everything.

Elizabeth