Thanking God...Really!

It's been a long time since I've posted here; too long really. Thanks to my Dad I now own a small treasure of bulletins and brotherhood publications from years gone by. It is my hope to begin posting some of the timeless articles from these publications here. That will not only free up space in my office but allow others to share this knowledge and information. I hope you enjoy them and find them beneficial.

This article entitled "Thanking God...Really" is from the paper "Plain Talk", Volume 10, Number 6 published by the Oaks-West church of Christ in Burnet, Texas in August of 1973.

It is not uncommon to hear small children confuse "Thank you" with "You are welcome" sometimes asking which is which and I suppose it is to be expected that beginners in public service will also get confused. But it seems that after a few years of practice grown men should be able to thank God for the Lord's Supper.

Jesus, "took break, and blessed it, ...and He took the cup, and gave thanks".(Matt. 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-23) "And He took bread and gave thanks...Likewise also the cup". (Luke 22:19-20) "Took bread, and when he had given thanks, He brake it...After the same manner also He took the cup." (I Cor. 11:24-25) Is there any lack of clarity in this information and instruction? The blessing and the giving thanks amount to the same thing, as seen by a comparison of passages. In any event, if Christ blessed in any efficacious sense, we could do no more than give Him thanks for it. Are we not united in the knowledge that we should give thanks for the bread and for the fruit of the vine?

Then why do so many fail to do it? Listen carefully to the wording of prayers at the Lord's table. We ask God to "make us worthy" or "aware of the signifigance" or "help us partake in a worthy manner" or even "forgive us of our sins as we partake" but more and more frequently I listen in vain for "Thank you for this bread."

The problem is not lack of knowledge but lapse of attention and that is why this article is on the front page. We urge you to enter into worship with a prepared mind and to sing, pray, etc. purposefully. How else can our worship be sincere? How else indeed can it be worship?

This is not a plea for a particular formula or memorized prayer. We do suggest that before you pic up that plate you say to yourself, "I was helplessly lost in sin but Jesus died for me." Then look at that bread and fruit of the vine as the body and blood of your Saviour, a memorial of His sacrifice and I think you will have no difficulty in praying, "Oh thank you Lord, thank you."