Dear St. Luke’s,

Every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I have chapel with the Day School students, and in chapel we put two different types of prayers on the altar. In one prayer we ask God to help one person, and we hold that person in prayer. In the other prayer we think of one thing that we are thankful for, and put that prayer on the altar to give to God. When I think of prayer I usually focus on the petitions, and ask God for help with all of the broken things in the world. This is a good and holy thing, but we should not forget that being thankful to God is prayer within itself. Guilt, confession, redemption, and petition all have their place, but thankfulness needs a prominent place in our souls as well.

If you teach a carpenter to only use a hammer, they will only see nails, and if we only give petitions, we will only see the problems around us. By putting thankfulness in our toolkits, we can see the things that are working in our world that often go unnoticed. When I am well, I focus on my undone tasks, but when I am sick, I long for feeling well! When we have good around us, looking for what is wrong can be a tempting trap, even though the good persists all around us.

We have much to be thankful for at St. Luke’s. As I write this, the two Richards are finishing smoking a hundred pounds of pork butts that will go to feed those staying at the hypothermia shelter. They are only two people on a large team that supports that worthy ministry. Our new parish hall is all but done, and I cannot wait to see the parties and events that will happen there. We are worshipping in person, and we are seeing new faces. Our online services are only getting smoother and more popular. It looks like we are going to have a large and committed confirmation class. We can afford a part-time sexton that will make everyone’s life easier. The boiler is working….better than last year.

In our community and the world, there is much to be thankful for. The shopping center across the street has one of the best hardware stores I’ve seen, and we have public transit here that works! Do you know how rare that is? Being able to walk across the street and get good General Tso’s Chicken earnestly fills me with joy, as long as I don’t let it become background noise. The world will always have conflict and worthy causes to support, but celebrate the victories when they happen. Personally, I am thrilled that our son could be vaccinated soon.

I believe that God calls us to be students of truth, which requires us to see the good and the bad. If you find yourself only seeing the bad, consider sitting in on the Day School’s Chapel service, or go get some Roseina's butternut squash soup. Those things are rare treasures that most will only miss when they disappear, so don’t forget to give thanks.

Blessings,

Nick