giving thanks for the church

I never thought of Ezra as the place to turn for Thanksgiving, but I was reading in that book a couple of days ago and was struck by this song (3:11) "With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. "

The "they" in this passage are the Levites and priests, leading the first worship service at the building site for the new temple. After a long period of exile, the Israelites were rebuilding Jerusalem, and worshiping again in the promised land. In fact, in verse 12 it says, "But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy."

Like everyone else, my Thanksgiving list often tends to revolve around myself. Things like good health, my family, or my work make it onto the list most years.

I'm trying to remember if I ever rejoiced on Thanksgiving that God's church is healthy and strong and growing, that God's people gather and worship. That's kind of a background thing. It seems more like context than blessing; life has always been this way. But there are Christians around the world whose first concern is exactly what I take for granted.

So today I'm praying that God will help me see the church as those faithful old priests back in Ezra's day saw it. I want to be so moved by the great blessing and privilege of gathering with my brothers and sisters in worship that tears come to my eyes.

And I want never to forget that this great gift of the church is one of the most wonderful of all the blessings that I thank God for.