Advent Devotions

Today’s author is Prince of Peace member Carol Swanson.

I share with you Marjorie Suchocki’s opening paragraph to her chapter “Prayers of Thanksgiving and Praise,” from In God’s Presence: Theological Reflections on Prayer.

“In the deepest sense, all prayers are prayers of thanksgiving and praise.  When we confess our sins, whether individually or corporately, we are grateful for the character of God whose very nature is a will toward the well-being of all creatures, including us. When we bring prayers of intercession to God, we acknowledge with gratitude God’s transformative guidance for us and those for whom we pray. Liturgical prayers likewise express with thanksgiving the unity God provides for the community, which is an echo of the great unity of God. Prayer is thanksgiving, for no matter what specific thing or person may be the subject of our praying, the very fact we can bring these matters to the one who is God bathes the praying in the overflowing gratitude that is praise.” (pp115-116)

Later in the chapter, to share her thoughts on our relationship with God, Suchocki shares a personal story:

“There is a peculiarity introduced into the God-world dynamic when we know that God experiences us as we are. …God feels the pains we experience and inflict, from every standpoint. But there is another side as well—God also experiences our joys, and the sheer goodness of existence from all of its perspectives. I remember a night during a time of my life when all seemed like despair. My whole world had fallen apart, and the pain seemed almost beyond endurance. The night I remember was during the full moon in midwinter, the ground all covered with snow. Some friends invited me to go coasting on the hills, for the night was bright, despite the lateness of the hour. So we gathered the old sleds, and went through the woods till we came to the hill. Breaking through the woods into the clearing, I suddenly saw the sky filled with subtle changing lights. It was one of those rare occasions when the northern lights could be seen even as far south as Ohio, where I lived at the time. I could not move from the wonder of the scene—so much unexpected beauty! And it seemed to me then that there is a joy of beauty deeper than any pain, and a glory to living and experiencing beauty, no matter what the hardships. And just as my pain and despair had been experienced by God, even so my joy was experienced by God. Sometimes—and I do not think it irreverent to imagine it—it seems to me that in the midst of my joys—whether sharpened by the contrasting pain as on that night, or simply in the goodness of relishing the love of family and friends—I feel a divine whisper of ‘thanks’—even for me! And I joyously fling back to the God who is always present a happy, ‘You’re welcome!’ Isn’t it a holy thing, this giving and receiving that takes place between God and the universe, that not only our pains, but our joys are God’s as well? We can indeed say ‘You’re welcome!’ to God, who also says “You’re welcome!’ to us. The whole is the fullness of relational thanksgiving.” (pp122-123)

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.

For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.

For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind’s delight,
for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above; for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.

For each perfect gift of thine, peace on earth and joy in heaven;
for thyself, best gift divine, to our world so freely given:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise this our sacrifice of praise.

(ELW #879)