Sometimes a Tough Sell

AM Psalm 75, 76 • PM Psalm 23, 27
Jer. 5:20-31 • Rom. 3:19-31 • John 7:1-13

In the first line of Psalm 75, the psalmist says to God, “We give you thanks.” Twice. As if we might not get it the first time.

Forty-one years ago, when I probably should have died, some kind people said that my chances for survival would be greatly enhanced if I thanked God every day, even if all I could count for blessings was another day on this side of the dirt. Over the years I’ve been better at giving thanks and passing it forward, though sometimes this is a work in progress.

At this writing, there are people in Texas (and Northwest Arkansas, and elsewhere) who are cold, hungry, thirsty, and trying to keep their children warm. The “green pastures” of Psalm 23, also in today’s readings, must seem impossibly distant. Some of these folks still might be counting their blessings. But for others, encouragement to practice gratitude to God must be a tough sell. And there are many others elsewhere in the world for whom life is a still more unimaginable horror. For whom there may be fates worse than death.

What I keep coming back to is that the immediate question for me might not be why are so many people suffering, but rather, how can I express the gratitude I claim to have, if I love God with all my heart, and love my neighbor as myself? In the past I have sometimes attempted too much, and thus ended up by doing nothing. I have learned again and again that it is better to start small. But always to start by saying thank you.

Written by James Gamble

James Gamble joined Saint Paul’s Church in 2018. He has recently retired after having taught for forty-seven years at the secondary and college levels. He lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Laura, and their two dogs and two cats.