St. Luke's Blogs

I recently found myself humming the chorus of this song, Blessed Be Your Name, by Matt Redman.  The song came to mind as I was just reflecting on the importance of the act of gratitude.  Since I first heard this song, it has always been an anthem of what it means to give gratitude and praise to God in both the good times and the challenging times.  It means to “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” – 1 Timothy 4:4-5

When we gather around the dinner table, it’s a wonderful time. Jesus did so much of his ministry around the table. There is something special about sharing a meal together. One of the most important parts of enjoying a meal together is first offering a prayer. It is important that we offer thanksgiving for our daily bread.

We have many ways that we give thanks to God for our meal and God’s many wonderful gifts. Sometimes at our house, our daughters argue over who will be the one to offer the prayer. Because of this sibling rivalry, we taught them a way to sing grace… one they all could sing together. The song our family sings is one Aimee and I learned at church camp many years ago. I since learned the prayer is from a Walt Disney animated film from 1948, Johnny Appleseed.

I love hearing my daughters sing this verse, often at the top of their lungs.

The Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
The sun and rain and an apple seed
Yes, he’s been good to me

It is so important to say grace at the beginning of each meal. To stop and say, “Thank you” to God for all that He has provided. This time of prayer reminds us that God is present at the table. God is worthy of our thanksgiving.  We should express our gratitude to God. We can do so by spoken word or song, but we should say thank you for the good that God has given to us.

– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship

Fanny Crosby was known as the Queen of Gospel Song Writers. She wrote so many songs that publishers often would reject her songs because they thought they had too many of her hymns in their collections. She often had to use a pseudonym so that she could continue publishing her beautiful words. Amongst her many songs were, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior, Rescue the Perishing, All the Way My Savior Leads Me, and Blessed Assurance.  Her contributions to the world of music still influence worship in churches some 100 years after her death.

Crosby had an exceptional gift. Her ability to write powerful words and music has helped congregations sing praise to God in truly mighty ways. Beyond her gift for writing is the fact that she overcame a significant obstacle in her life. As a baby, Fanny developed an infection in her eye. A local doctor tried an ill-advised remedy on her eyes. This treatment caused Fanny Crosby to lose her eyesight.

“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

Psalm 9 was written by David. We know so much about David and we understand that God did much for David. It was appropriate for David to express his gratitude to God. David was the youngest child of a family who did not have great political power. In ancient Israel, the youngest son had little to no authority, power and responsibility. When we first meet David, he has been taking care of the sheep… not really a glamorous job. When David’s brothers went to war, David stayed home with his father to care for the sheep. The only reason David was present to fight Goliath was because his father had sent him there, as a messenger, to bring back word of the battle with the Philistines, and to deliver food to his older brothers. Although David is successful in many battles, he finds himself on the wrong side of King Saul. He eventually must run and hide from Saul. And famously, we know of David’s failure when he gives into temptation and selfishness with Bathsheba. He even has her husband, Uriah, killed to cover his transgression.

David had many struggles, but he also had many wonderful triumphs.

Our “Women of Faith” Bible study has been reading a book called 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path by Liz Curtis Higgs.  Each of these short chapters looks at a different proverb and the wisdom we can learn from each of these selected verses.  This last week, we studied one proverb from chapter 14, verse 30, that addressed envy: A heart a peace gives life to the body, but envy rots to the bones.  The author described envy as a spiritual osteoporosis of sorts.  As many of these proverbs do, there’s a strong contrast between one action or attitude and another.  So instead of the “wasting away of bones” that we can get from envy, we could have a “peaceful heart.”

This past Friday, I learned of the death of a teacher who made a special impact on my life. Rev. Dr. William Abraham was one of my professors in seminary. I was privileged to have several classes with Dr. Abraham. He was a challenging teacher that demanded significant academic effort from his students. He was also a devoted disciple of Christ and lived out his faith by helping others connect with God. In my final year of seminary, I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Abraham. Each Tuesday morning, I would join him and a few other students for breakfast…

Corrie ten Boom is a wonderful example of a person of faith who lived their life in gratitude. She is the author of The Hiding Place. This novel is the story of her life under the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Corrie and her family did all in their power to resist the Nazi occupation by hiding and smuggling Jewish citizens to freedom.

In the winter of 1944, a local informant betrayed Corrie ten Boom and her family. They were arrested, separated, and sent to various prisons and camps.