Thanksgiving

                I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 116:17-19)

                As poetry and song, the psalms are sometimes (often?) dramatic. Even when they’re about level ground, there doesn’t seem to be a level ground. Things are either on mountain tops or in the valley of the shadow of death. They emotion of this psalm is gratitude, and when the psalm was written, one of the ways to express gratitude was to sacrifice. It might be said that they’re to throw an inclusive party. In addition to the animal sacrificed, which had to be eaten the same day, they had to make several different kinds of bread to share with the congregation.

                I’m not sure how this was handled once they reached the Promised Land, but consider the fact that people go on vacations to other parts of the country or world to have parties. There’s inconvenience involved, money spent, etc. Can we be so sure that people in the ancient world considered it impossible to “vacation” in Jerusalem for a celebration?  I don’t know, but I suspect that what we consider an unacceptable inconvenience is not the same thing they did.  But let’s get back on the topic.

                How do we express gratitude? We can say, “Thank you.” We can tell others about what a good job someone did. We can give someone money, a present, or a hug. We can also recommend someone or give them a good review. And, we can return to them for more business. This idea came to mind today, but it runs counter to my thinking. It’s sort of like the sparrows and pigeons that keep coming back to my birdfeeder. Greedy things. But they return, and I feel as though I am doing something good by feeding them. (I know there’s some debate about that.) When I see customers return to Stan’s to buy more, or to ask questions, it tells me that Stan’s matters to them. They might go elsewhere, but they come back to Stan’s. They may not say they’re grateful, but again, I feel as if we’ve done something useful to them and we both know it.

                Now, if someone came in and got advice, then returned to complain about a dead plant when they had clearly not taken the advice given, or repeatedly came to us but badmouthed us to customers. Being ungrateful could involve treating the one from whom you’ve received something as a slave, and oneself as being entitled to what was given, and more.

                One more tidbit that comes to mind. The verse mentions “sacrifice” as part of the thank offering. This reminds me of David’s protestation that he would not offer a sacrifice that cost him nothing. (II Samuel 24:24) True gratitude must at least be willing to put something under or behind the feelings and words of gratitude. I’m not making a rule – I’m just giving you something to think about.