Sights and Insights
Devotion for Nov. 24, 2020
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” – Mark 14:22-24 (NIV)
Thanksgiving is upon us. Yet with so many of our plans cancelled and celebrations altered, what does it look like to give thanks this year? Not only are our usual ways of giving thanks not there, but there are so many things to be concerned about as well. Instead of images of comfort, so much of my brain is filled with concern for those who are sick, those who are full of anxiety about keeping safe, and those suffering financially. What does it look like to give thanks in the midst of all these troubles?
On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks. Too often we skip past this part of the scripture passage. The night in which he was betrayed – a night when he knew that everything was falling apart and that he was headed into great suffering – Jesus gives thanks. It was not a lavish display of gratitude, but it was deeply authentic and central to the Last Supper. Even when times were clearly difficult and the pressure was high, Jesus was centered in giving thanks to God as the source of life. Life rooted in thanksgiving was central to Jesus’ promise to be with them in the bread and the cup. In fact, the word “Eucharist” comes from Greek for “to give thanks.” Simple but deep gratitude is the beginning to seeing the presence of God in the world.
Even as we long for when we can return to receiving the Eucharist together again, we can still be in the practice of celebrating the foundational act of giving thanks. Indeed, this may be a year for a renewed practiced of returning to small ways of thanksgiving. It may be a year for taking up a practice of a quiet moment to start the day, giving thanks to God as the fountain of life. We can begin to see God present with us in good times and bad, promising to always be there, even when we don’t see it. That is something worth being thankful for.