Thanksgiving may have passed, but I am not done with it yet. My leftovers may be gone, but my gratitude should not be. I keep thinking about how we say “Thank You” to God for all He has done and continues to do. From the dawn of creation to the present day, God’s people have been called to “give thanks in all things.” Psalm 147:7 says, “Sing out your thanks to Him; sing praises to our God.” I doubt the psalmist meant we should only do that once a year, right after the pumpkin pie. As Christmas approaches, my thoughts turn toward the greatest gift ever given—the gift of Jesus Christ. The turkey may be gone, but the tune of thanksgiving should linger. Christmas carols, in that sense, are just Thanksgiving hymns with tinsel.
As it was for Israel in the Old Testament, it is for the Church today: we are a worshipping community called to make our gratitude audible. Paul told the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16) Singing is not filler between sermons—it is theology with a melody. Psalm 100 invites us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Gratitude turns the ordinary into worship, and worship turns the weary heart into joy. Deep within every person is a thirst for God, a longing that nothing else can quench. The psalmist said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.” It is that longing which finds satisfaction only in communion with Him. Psalm 16:11 explains it perfectly: “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The joy of gratitude is not found in what we possess, but in the One who possesses us.
But let us not mistake motion for emotion. Singing thanks to God must come from the heart, not just the hymnbook. John Piper once wrote, “Without the engagement of the heart, we do not really worship.” It is possible to sing every verse of “How Great Thou Art” and still miss the point entirely. Jesus warned, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8) True gratitude sings not because the tune is familiar, but because the heart is full. So even as Thanksgiving fades and Christmas draws near, may our songs still rise—not out of habit, but out of joy. After all, the manger was the beginning of a melody that never ends.