James and John are interesting brothers. Some might call them a bit brash – overconfident. We see them in today’s Gospel reading when things don’t go their way: “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? Remember they were the ones that tried to corner Jesus – “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” We wonder how they became so brash – until we read Matthew’s version of this event: The mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons. She got down on her knees before Jesus to ask something of Him. She said, “Say that my two sons may sit, one at Your right side and one at Your left side, when You are King.” Compare this to the writer of Psalm 84 who wasn’t concerned about sitting at the right or left hand of God but was just thankful to be a door-keeper in the house of the Lord I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
As we celebrate thanksgiving Sunday it is very easy with our human nature to lose our thankfulness to God for all he has done for us and to show ingratitude when things don’t go our way. To be full of expectations of what we believe we deserve and fail to see how God has blessed us. To become unthankful because of what others have rather than seeing the abundance of blessings that God has enriched us with. Paul talks about this tendency in our 2nd reading: He says: Live by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; He lists the types of behaviours shown by those who are unthankful and warns: Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast he lists ways in which we can show our thankfulness and he calls them “the fruit of the Holy Spirit” Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let’s have a closer look at these and see how we can show thankfulness when we live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit:
Love: The Foundation of It All
The first fruit listed is love, and rightly so, for love is the greatest commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself. In 1 John 4 John says – “God is love” This love is not merely an emotional response; it is an active choice that seeks the well-being of others. Paul describes that love in 1 Corinthians 13 – Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. If we want to show our thankfulness to God then we can do this by loving those whom God loves – our neighbour. Love isn’t just a feeling; it is care for others—even when it’s hard. It’s love that changes hearts, forgives mistakes, and holds everything together. True thankfulness comes from love.
Joy:
Next comes joy, a delight that does not depend on our circumstances. We might not be happy with our circumstances, like James and John, but we can still show joy to one another. We don’t ask God rain down fire on people that we disagree with. Joy is knowing that God is with us and that he delights in us.. And so, our joy is founded in our relationship with God.
Nehemiah reminds us that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). This joy is because we are loved by God.
When we face trials, remember that joy is not the absence of sorrow, but the presence of God in our lives. And it’s for that reason that Paul says we rejoice – we are thankful, even in our suffering because it produces hope.
Peace
In Philippians 4:6-7, we are reminded not to be anxious, but to bring our requests to God, and His peace that goes beyond understanding will guard our hearts and minds offering us reassurance amidst the chaos of life. When we are thankful for what God has given us rather than what others have or what we don’t have then we have peace in our lives. We are not concerned about what the world says about what we need in order to have comfortable lives. As I near retirement I keep seeing articles and getting emails about what amount of money I need in order to survive in retirement and live in comfort and peace. That can be quite unsettling. Those that have everything often find they are not thankful and therefore don’t have peace in their lives.
Patience
Patience is often the hardest fruit to cultivate in our fast-paced world. Paul says love is patient and kind. And so, in our thankfulness to God we are reminded to “bear with each other and forgive one another.” Patience holds back anger. Just think or the outrage when your stuck in traffic – stuck on hold – stuck in the line that’s not moving while everyone else’s line is. It’s hard to be thankful in those times because of our impatience. In a world that thrives on impatience and quick judgments, let us be vessels of patience and be thankful that God is with us.
Kindness:
Again, love is patient and kind. Ephesians 4:32, we are called to be kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving.
Kindness is at the heart of thankfulness that guides our loving actions. Your acts of kindness reflects your thankfulness of God, bringing light into the dark corners of the world. As Jesus says – whoever gives a glass of cold water to a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. As much as you did it to one of the least of these – you did it unto me.
Goodness:
When we are thankful to God then we look for ways that we can honour him. As John says in his Gospel – Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. What better way to show our thankfulness to God than to do things that we know please him. As Paul says in Romans – Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Faithfulness
Faithfulness is a fruit of thankfulness for all that God has done for us. Maybe we don’t have all the things the world says we should have but Jesus says – seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you. Faithfulness is trusting that God provides us with what we need and we thank God especially for the gift of eternal life through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. How much more thankful can we be when we embrace that we are saved by grace through faith.
Gentleness:
Gentleness is often misinterpreted as weakness, but it is, in fact, strength under control. Philippians 4:5 urges us to let our gentleness be evident to all. It involves humility and a consideration for others. In our thankfulness for God’s compassion to us, let us choose gentleness over harshness, reflecting the character of Jesus, who described Himself as “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
Self-Control:
Finally, self-control—the ability to manage our desires and impulses—brings us back to the core of our Christian walk.
And that’s what Paul was saying in our 2nd reading. Live by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh – that takes self-control. The Holy Spirit urges us to exercise self-control over our thoughts, words, and deeds, leading to a life that honors God. This is true thankfulness to God that instead of our own selfish desires we choose to show our thanks to God by showing our love to him and neighbour in all we think and do.
So as we consider these fruits of the Holy Spirit, let us reflect on our own lives in thankfulness to God. The world around us is in desperate need of love, joy, peace, and all the beautiful fruits that testify to a life thankful to God for all God has done for us in his Son Jesus Christ.
