Let all your thinks be thanks.

When you stop to think about it, What do you have that you did not receive? How dreadful it would be not to believe in God or even a god and see a beautiful rainbow or sunset and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude but have no one to thank. One of the things that marks a follower of Jesus Christ is our spirit of thankfulness. We have been chosen but it is not because we are special but because the One who chose us is special. In his sermon last Sunday we were reminded that we are all called to be Christlike. To be Christ like we must be a thankful people. "Does the unfathomable wonder of calling grip you like a grand compelling you can never satisfy or shake off?" Os Guinness

White Tailed Deer

Last fall I was driving home and as I came around a corner I saw a herd of deer grazing by the side of the road.  I immediately pulled over and stopped and soon a number of cars had stopped.  People got out of their cars and were taking pictures and talking in low quiet voices.  People were in awe of the sight that was before them.
Why do we stand in awe when we see wild animals or whales but when we come into worship we do not seem to have that same awe?  After all we are coming into the presence of the One who made these beautiful creatures. 

Spiral Tunnels

As we drove through the mountains last week we stopped at Yoho National Park to see the spiral tunnels.  These tunnels were built 100 years ago to reduce the grade for the trains from 4.5% to 2%.  You could not help but marvel at what they accomplished 100 years ago.  As I thought about the accomplishments of those men I had to stop and think about the Creator.  Men may be able to build tunnels through the mountains but it was God who created the mountains.  Man can be creative because he is made in the image of God but man's creativity is limited while God's is unlimited.  It is a good thing to think about the accomplishments of these people but let us not forget the marvel of what God did.

Grateful but who to thank!

Imagine seeing a beautiful sunset and being filled with thanks but having no one to thank.  If you don't believe in God then who do you thank for your blessings.  Do you thank your lucky stars?  I don't think so, in fact, I know you don't.  So who then do  you thank.
This past weekend we were driving through the mountains of western Canada and we stopped at the most beautiful lake in the world, Lake Louise.  I had been there forty years earlier with my new wife and this time I was there with my son and daughter-in-law.  The lake fills you with awe and you cannot help but think of the One who created it and then hid it away in the mountains where few would ever see it.  Isn't that like our God.  I was so glad that I knew the Creator and was able to be thankful to Him for His beautiful creation.  Below are a few pictures of this magnificent lake.  The first is from forty years ago the second is from this past week.

Telescope

A couple of Christmases ago my son gave me a powerful reflector telescope.  Though I am not very good with it I have taken time to study the moon and a few stars.  As I looked at the moon I was filled with wonder and  it got me thinking about what ever happened to wonder.
First we have the wonder of creation.  "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."  Colossians 1:15 - 17  Do we wonder at creation or has our scientific knowledge made it seen ordinary? 

Second there is the wonder of the church.  Some people may look at the church and say that it is anything but something to wonder about.  "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:18.  The church is the body of Christ.  If you want to know truth then you need to look to Jesus Christ.

Then there is the wonder of the cross.  We have made the cross so ordinary.  We wear it as jewelry, we put it on bumper stickers, we wear it on t-shirts.  I wonder if this cheapens the cross?  If we want wonder unwrapped in our lives then we need to have a fresh look at the cross. "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant." Colossians 1:19 - 23

Just a few questions:  What robs us of our sense of wonder?  What gives us a sense of awe?  How do we regain that sense of wonder?  What do we learn about wonder from the cross?