Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
I grew up in a suburb of Detroit. The local dairy company in the area was Twin Pines Dairy. I remember the milk trucks with the logo on the sides of the trucks. To promote the company, there was a weekly show on TV called “Milky The Clown” brought to us by Twin Pines Dairy. The show was a typical 1960’s kids show with children in the audience playing games and singing songs with Milky the Clown. My brothers were once in the audience when they went to the show with their Boy Scout troop.
Milky was also a magician! And when he would do a magic trick, he would have everyone in the audience, as well as those of us watching at home say the magic words – “Twin Pines!” A great way to promote the sponsor, yes? Name recognition and repetition. And it worked! Maybe too well, as I will share.
My mother and I went across the street to visit a neighbor who had been ill, so Mom wanted to check in on her. My older brothers were at school, and I was home in the afternoon after a morning at Kindergarten. So, Mom took me with her to make the visit.
We entered the home and were greeted by our neighbor, who was feeling better. She welcomed us in, and we sat down in the small living room of her house. She turned to a table and picked up a small bowl with chocolates, and offered one to me. Of course, I was quick to grab one.
Mom turned to me and, to make sure I minded my manners, asked the question, “Charlie, before you eat that, what are the magic words?” Her HOPE was that I would say, “Thank you!” Nope. I shouted out, as Milky had trained me, “Twin Pines!”
I still got the candy…and a talking to, once we got home.
Thank you. For what do you give thanks?
There is much for us to be thankful! In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther writes these words in the First Article of the Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
What does this mean?
I believe that God has created me together with all that exists. God has given me and still preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and all mental faculties.
In addition, God daily and abundantly provides shoes and clothing, food and drink, house and farm, spouse and children, fields, livestock, and all property—along with all the necessities and nourishment for this body and life. God protects me against all danger and shields and preserves me from all evil. And all this is done out of pure, fatherly, and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all! For all of this I owe it to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true.
For what are you thankful today?
May we respond in giving thanks to God today.
Let us pray:
Dear God, thank you for …. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
