ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 10, 2026
The next two Sundays, I will continue with the theme of gratitude. We are approaching Thanksgiving, and so it might appear obvious. However, gratitude is not something simply associated with this time of the year, and equally important, I do not believe we do gratitude very well. President John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live them.” Yet wanting to live them and actually living them are two very different things. We need to practice gratitude. As I mentioned a few days ago in an Etching, I was a gymnast, and then later, a gymnastics coach. One of the basic tumbling tools is a roundoff, followed by a back handspring. It required practice and different learning techniques. Especially as you moved to a back flip, or maybe even a full twisting layout back flip, the back handspring had to be pretty good. In fact, you need to get to the point where the back handspring requires no thinking. It just happens. It is muscle memory. It may not be a perfect illustration, but what would it look like if gratitude was part of our muscle memory and just happened? When Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians, “…give thanks in all circumstances,” I imagine the assumption was that gratitude was so well practiced that it just happened.
You invite us to rejoice always and to give thanks in all circumstances, Giver of All Good Gifts. I pray for the capacity to find that spirit of thankfulness not only when it is easy, but when everything around me is pointing elsewhere. Amen.
