Live In A Posture Of Thanksgiving

– Ponderings:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1

If you attend church, odds are that the Sunday before Thanksgiving you will sing or hear the choir sing the hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

The words to the hymn were written by twenty-nine-year-old Folliott Sandford Pierpoint (that’s quite a name!) on a spring morning in Bath, England in 1864. According to legend, Pierpoint wrote the first words as he sat atop a hill, taking in God’s creation. The beauty before him stirred his soul to write one of Christianity’s most beloved hymns of gratitude.

The hymn was first associated with Holy Communion but later became particularly beloved during the Thanksgiving season in America, with autumn harvests and changes in the color of the leaves. Its lyrics draw our hearts to the wonder and beauty surrounding us daily—the sky, the trees, the flowers, and the love of family and friends. It reminds us that every gift we experience reflects God’s goodness.

In a world filled with distractions and worries, it’s easy to overlook creation’s simple but profound blessings. Yet, each sunrise, the fragrance of rain, the laughter of loved ones, and the kindness of strangers are glimpses of God’s presence and care. But this hymn also points us beyond creation to the deeper reality of God’s love. The refrain—”Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise”—invites us to live in a posture of thanksgiving, offering not just words but our lives as a gift back to God.

I suspect many of you are caught up in the frenzy of preparing for Thanksgiving. The grocery stores are packed, menus have been finalized, and baking has begun. For those traveling, packing is well underway. We get so busy running in circles that we forget why we’re doing it in the first place. So, I invite you to pause for a couple minutes and answer these two questions. What aspect of creation fills you with awe and gratitude today? This Thanksgiving, when and how can you pause for a moment and offer your own short “hymn of grateful praise” to God?

Prayer: God of all creation, thank you for the beauty of the earth and the countless blessings you have given. Open my eyes to see your hand in creation and teach me to live with a heart full of gratitude, offering praise to you in all that I do. Amen.