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“Patrick could put himself—imaginatively—in the position of the Irish. To him, no less than to them, the world is full of magic. One can invoke the elements—the lights of heaven, the waves of the sea, the birds and the animals—and these will come to one’s aid, as in the incantation of the “Breastplate.” The difference between Patrick’s magic and the magic of the druids is that in Patrick’s world all beings and events come from the hand of a good God, who loves human beings and wishes them success. And though that success is of an ultimate kind—and, therefore, does not preclude suffering—all nature, indeed the whole of the created universe, conspires to mankind’s good, teaching, succoring, and saving.

Patrick could speak convincingly of these things. He could assure you that all suffering, however dull and desperate, would come to its conclusion and would show itself to have been worthwhile. He could insist that, in the end, you too would hear the words “Your hungers are rewarded:  you are going home. Look, your ship is ready.”  He could speak believably of the superabundance of a God who in response to humble prayer feeds his lost and wandering people with heavenly manna—and a crew of lost and starving sailors with the herd of very earthly pigs.” (How the Irish Saved Civilization p. 131)

“The key to Patrick’s confidence—and it is the sort of ringing, rock-solid confidence on which a civilization may be built, an unmuffled confidence not heard since the Golden Ages of Greece and Rome—is in his reliance on “the Creator of Creation,” the phrase with which the “Breastplate” opens and closes.  Our Father in heaven, having created all things, even things that have since become bent or gone bad, will deliver us, his children, from all evil.  But our Father is not only in faraway heaven, but lives among us.  For he created everything by his Word, which was with him in the beginning, which became flesh in the human Jesus, and flames out in all his creatures:

I see his blood upon the rose

And in the stars the glory of his eyes,

His body gleams amid eternal snows,

His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower;

The thunder and the singing of the birds

Are but his voice—and carven by his power

Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn,

His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,

His  crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,

His cross is every tree.

This magical world, though full of adventure and surprise, is no longer full of dread. Rather, Christ has trodden all pathways before us, and at every crossroads and by every tree the Word of God speaks out. We have only to be quiet and listen, as Patrick learned to do during the silence of his “novitiate” as a shepherd on the slopes of Sliabh Mis.” (How the Irish Saved Civilization p. 132-133)

When you feel like just shutting it all down, closing the doors (imagining of course they’re mine to close).  People are so ungrateful, so selfish and self centered, i see it so clearly in myself and even more clearly in others.  Humanity is so lazy when it comes to all the right things and so zealous and motivated when it comes to all of the wrong things (or so it seems).  If i am able to see it, if we are like that towards those we can see and physically interact with then how much more severe is the problem when it comes to the One we cannot see, we cannot always feel, or cannot physically interact with (or so it seems).  This complacency is a cancer destroying us from the inside out.  This lack of satisfaction in the One Thing.  The One Thing that matters, the one thing that has any weight of glory or worth.  This is the One Thing that constantly goes unnoticed, goes purposely ignored.

We are such a stiff-necked, rebellious people.  We revel and pleasure ourselves inside our houses like filthy swine rolling around in the filth we eat and have eaten and will soon eat again.  We demand that our entire existence and the surrounding universe revolve around those pleasures.  The only problem is our existence and this universe thankfully cannot ever, not even for but one moment, facilitate those pleasures.  The moment we think we have manipulated the order of the universe, that we have ‘got one by The Man’, is the moment that we sowed our corruptible seed and we immediately reaped our corruption—our conflict began. We will always reap death and destruction; it makes no matter how beautiful the seeds we sow look like, how pleasant they feel or smell or even how wonderful they taste.  It doesn’t even matter what they sound like accompanying the music in their hollow homes.

We are dying of starvation and malnutrition while we sit at a banqueting table.  Are we blind or are just not willing to see?  Does the answer to that make any difference?

We often don’t like what we see and assume we are just reading the wrong script.  ”Um, excuse me, stop everything, I believe I have the wrong script, I must have picked up someone else’s part.  This couldn’t possibly be my role.” We’re pretending to be in an imaginary theater all the while sheepishly standing on the stage (the only stage) as the extra, the casualty, the butt of the joke wanting nothing more than to simply run off the stage, escaping the spotlights and hide behind the curtain in the shadows.  But escaping the stage isn’t going to be as easy as you may think, go ahead and try but you will soon find that the stage transcends you because the story transcends you.  You’re always in front of an audience.

N.D. Wilson observes from a tilt-a-whirl:  Complain.  Whine.  Be a fusser.  The story needs those as well, because every butt needs a joke, and the audience must laugh.  Whether they (and God) laugh at or with is up to you.

The curtains have already been torn away revealing the stage.  There is no other theater and no alternate scrips to be the wrong ones to read.  There is one stage—one story.  You are a part whether you like it or not, all of creation is.  You can kick and scream but you are here now and the story needs that too, consequently the author cast you even though you didn’t make the audition—you didn’t even sign up…

Just read a great article on Christmas here and thought i would pass it right along.  If it is any incentive, i highly recommend it, especially if you or anyone you know refuses to celebrate this joyous season (or certain aspects of it) because of the supposed pagan roots…

“Some object to the celebration of Christmas on the grounds that it used to be a pagan holiday. But that’s ok. We used to be pagan too.”—Douglas Wilson

“Since the Savior’s advent in our midst, not only does idolatry no longer increase, but it is getting less and gradually ceasing to be. Similarly, not only does the wisdom of the Greeks no longer make any progress, but that which used to be is disappearing. . . . On the other hand, while idolatry and everything else that opposes the faith of Christ is daily dwindling and weakening and falling, the Savior’s teaching is increasing everywhere.”— Athanasius

When we talk about thanksgiving we can’t get very far before we must define our terms.  In society, the understanding and interpretations of definitions tend to evolve with culture and especially so in a post-modern society.  As believers we don’t take our cue from the outside, from the society, we base everything on Scripture, believing that it is the absolute authority on everything it addresses and that it addresses everything.  So the Bible is our absolute, universal standard, it defines everything for us and therefore our definitions don’t evolve, because the Author doesn’t evolve.

Paul in Ephesians begins his letter pointing to God and thankfully affirms He has ‘blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,’ (Eph. 1:3) and continues to affirm not only the sovereignty of God but also the Almighty’s degree of interaction, that is He ‘works all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Eph. 1:11).  This is going to be a helpful preface as we look further.  Ephesians 5:4-5,  “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

A temptation may arise from carelessly looking at these two verses, which is a very superficial thankfulness—lip-service (Is. 29:13), but we see in what is shown to be ‘out of place’ in this passage as well as from other Scripture (Mt. 12:33-37) that we speak out of the abundance of our heart.  Essentially, our words are the litmus test to the character of our heart.  Foolish talk and crude jokes come from a foolish and filthy heart that worships idols, thankfulness comes from a heart that was given as a gift from God.  Paul affirms this again in Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Paul goes on in his letter to the Ephesians with a word of caution to be wise and not foolish because the days are evil (note: he is probably at least partially referring to divisions, and deceit from within the body of which he spoke earlier), and to be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another with spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with our hearts, giving thanks always and for everything to God.  He ends his letter with a call to put on the armor of God, and we all know why one would be advised to suit up.

When we look at instances in Scripture of thankfulness, what we see from beginning to end is first and foremost that it is given to God.  We all ‘know’ this very basic and obvious truth but as we examine what the characters in the Script are specifically thankful for it may shed light on why.  Here are a few examples.

His love that endures forever (1 Chr. 16:41, etc.)

Due to His righteousness (Ps. 7:17)

Wonderful deeds (Ps. 9:1) & Faithfulness (Ps. 138:2)

He is our strength, shield and help (Ps. 28:7)

For [us] hearing the words of His mouth (Ps. 138:4)

For he was angry with us but now he comforts us (Is. 12:1, Is. 51:3)

He establishes us (Jer. 30:18-20)

For wisdom and understanding (Dan. 2:23)

For food and drink (Mt. 15:36, Mt. 26:27)

To God for ‘you’ (1 Cor. 1:4) & That ‘you’ have become obedient (Rom. 6:17)

Deliverance (Rom. 7:25) & Growing faith (2 Thes. 1:3)

His inexpressible gift (2 Cor. 9:15) & Grace extending to more (2 Cor. 4:15)

Qualification (Col 1:12) & Sanctification (2 Thes. 2:13)

For everything (Eph. 5:20)  & In all circumstances, for it’s the will of God (1 Thes. 5:18)

All of the things that we just reviewed have eternal implications, that is to say that all things are of Him, through Him and to Him, so we thank Him!  Our food, drink and wisdom, our qualification and all our circumstances; it is the gracious will of God.

Let’s look now to 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 and this is where we will finish up.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence.  For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

This is a pretty straight forward passage and one that should be know well by all believers.   It goes without saying, we are the jars of clay, He is the treasure.  But the fact that He possesses the surpassing power and it does not belong to us is something that is often ignored or interpreted poorly.  This is so incredibly important to understand literally, if we are to ‘abound in thanksgiving‘.  For if we are in control and something doesn’t go the way we want and believe it should, even must, a thankful response is impossible.  We are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, always being given over to death, but we are not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, not destroyed, we carry the death of Jesus so that the life may also be manifested in our bodies—in our mortal flesh.  This is belief, this is faith, this is the why and the how for abounding in thanksgiving.  We have the same spirit of faith that brought us to resurrection in Christ.  So as His inexpressible gift spreads to more undeserving souls  so grows the confession of thanksgiving.  As one frenchman put it, “Faith is the mother of confession”.

Paul is saying this is why we don’t lose heart, we have won, we have success, we have eternal life, what can man do to me!  The fact that our outer self is wasting away and we are experiencing this light, momentary affliction does not diminish the fact that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, that He possesses the surpassing power, it is for our good because these afflictions are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.  So we go therefore and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all His commands, for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Seen and unseen, transient and eternal.  If we misplace our thankfulness—essentially our faith, upon the seen and transient we are not worthy of Christ, we cannot be His disciples.  Luke 14:26 says. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  I may be thankful to God for my health because God is preserving me, i know it is good, but if He takes it away my thankfulness is not diminish in the least because it wasn’t established in it but in God, and whatever happens is going to be for the good (cf. Job).  Believers are always thankful, for true belief and true repentance and every grace that brought us nigh (cf. Ps. 73).

Yesterday i picked up a book and randomly opened the page to find a quote by St. Augustine that said, “Love God and do as you please.”  As is my custom when something strikes me, i tweeted it.  I understood that this could be perceived as shocking and low and behold it caused quite a stir (and when i say quite a stir i really only mean double digit comments on this tweet and this tweet.)

I think that it is interesting and honestly i love the quote even if it is scandalous, it makes me think of how scandalous grace is.  This scandal that is grace however cannot be avoided and if we try to avoid it we have left the foremost tenet of the Christian faith. Our salvation is a gift – grace.  It reminds me of another quote, “For a legal heart, everything is law. For a gracious heart, everything is grace.”