Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
(John 8: 12)

There was an extremely old man, with a
number of health problems, to put it mildly.
He suffered from crippling arthritis. He was
losing his hearing. He needed surgery for
cataracts. He couldn't remember things.
He had high blood pressure. Disgustedly,
he said to his doctor, "I don't know why
God keeps me alive!" The doctor replied,
"I'm sure it is because He has something
in mind that He wants you to do." The old
man thought for a minute, then leaning his
full 97 pounds into the doctor and poking
his chest with a bony finger, he stamped
his foot and snapped, "Well, I'm not going
to do it!" Trouble and sorrow come into your
life. You feel defeated, abandoned, depressed.
Then someone says to you, "You ought to thank
God." "Well, I'm not going to do it, I don't feel
like it," you reply. Of course you don't feel like it.

Reflection:

How many times in your life have you had
something really bad happen to you.  You
feel angry, unforgiving, depressed,
certainly not happy.
Let me ask you something, at that specific
time in your life do you want to thank God?
How in the world can you thank God in such
troubled times. 

What we must realize, that is the exact point
and time we need to thank and praise God.
When it is the hardest for us, when it is the
costliest for us, that is when the spirit of
praise and thanksgiving can bring us into the
closest possible relationship with our Almighty
and Loving God.

His Son supplied us with the example=
Jesus' neighbors once chased Him out of town
and tried to throw Him off a high cliff. Jesus'
closest friends betrayed Him and deserted Him
in time of trouble. Jesus' body-sweat became
blood when He reflected on the sins of the world.
Jesus' compassion for the world propelled His
broken body up Calvary's Hill where He was
executed by order of His own people-and through
it all, JESUS NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER, CEASED
PRAISING AND THANKING GOD.
Jesus was the "Sacrifice of Thanksgiving" because
He knew that the Father would not abandon the
world. He knew that after the darkness there would
be light; after defeat, victory; after sorrow, joy;
after death, Resurrection.

THIS THANKSGIVING REMEMBER TO PRAISE
AND THANK GOD FOR ALL THE WONDROUS
THINGS HE HAS DONE!

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Praise:

(from Martin Rinckart's great hymn)

Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hand and voices
Who wondrous things hath done
In Whom the world rejoices
Who from our mothers' arms
Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
AMEN!

BLESSED THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!