Thursday of Thanksgiving is a timely reminder to the
faithful of the Church that our righteous deeds of fasting and prayer over the
last three days of the Rogation of the Ninevites, the repentant prayers and
beseeching that we made before the Lord to have mercy on us sinners, should not
be forgotten. Instead, in the passing shadow of the fast, we should be more
mindful of the sins we have committed and besought forgiveness from God for. We
should be reminded of the great mercy and forgiveness that God has offered us
through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son; our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ and continually be encouraged by the faith that our ancestors demonstrated
to us through their repentance.
St. Paul exhorts believers to offer thanksgiving to the Lord
for showing us His gracious mercy everyday by offering our lives as a living
sacrifice to God:
“Therefore I
urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship. 2 And
do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable
and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2
The Apostle draws upon the typology of the Old Testament
ways of worship, where an animal sacrifice was commanded of the Israelites to
be given to the temple as an offering to God for the sins of the people. Today, as we live in the grace and forgiveness of Christ -
our one and only sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:11-14), we are commanded by
St. Paul to offer ourselves
as a living sacrifice to God.
This is seen as true spiritual thanksgiving and worship and is what is
acceptable to God.
In this post-fast time of our walk, let us continue to offer
our lives to God as a living sacrifice in order to thank Him for the great
mercy, love and forgiveness He has bestowed upon us His unworthy children. Let
us not so easily forget the great spiritual fruits God has grown within us
through the fasting and prayer we offered to Him over the last three days. And
let us continue to live repentantly and in thanks to our mighty God as we
meditate on the power of His mighty Cross daily, always being mindful of what
He has offered us (John 3:16) so that we can always be thankful to Him.
This week’s Song: Psalm 95 – Sons of Korah
