I sat down this morning to begin work on a new arrangement of Now Thank We All Our God. As I wandered through my convoluted composition process, the wonderful words “with hearts and hands and voices” continually scrolled through my consciousness. I was reminded of the story of Martin Rinkhart and his remarkable ministry in a time of plague and crisis.
When the Thirty Years’ War engulfed northern Europe (1618–1648), German Christians suffered the horrors of war, famine, and plague. During this time, Martin Rinkart served as a pastor in the walled city of Eilenburg, where many sought refuge and safety. By 1637, Rinkart was the sole remaining pastor in the city. All the others had either fled or died. At the height of the plague, he held funeral services for 40 to 50 people per day. Among the 8,000 deaths during this time was Rinkart’s own wife. It was during this war that he penned the words to Now Thank We All Our God:
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
In this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given;
The Son and Him who reigns
With Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.
—Martin Rinkart, c. 1636
I often marvel at the depth of Rinkhart’s faith. His ability to continually show love and compassion amid such massive death and devastation was a true gift in a time of tragedy. The text of this hymn is both responsive and inspiring, leading us to be grateful for the gifts God has given us while also challenging us to search out opportunities to share this bounty with those around us.
There are many ways to express gratitude for the abundance of God’s grace – one is by remembering how others have done so in the past. Rinkhart did this through providing pastoral care to those experiencing sickness, grief, and loss. He ministered to their immediate and eternal needs simultaneously. Another way to express gratitude for the abundance of God’s grace is to look at the abundance that is present in the world around us. I am writing this article a few short weeks after nearby communities experienced the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Amid all of the flooding and wreckage here in North Carolina, we have witnessed an abundance of gratitude from all walks of life as neighbors and friends have come together and given freely of their resources to assist those in need.
We can also recognize and celebrate God’s abundance in our own lives. One of the ways we do this is through the holiday of Thanksgiving, a time we set aside to acknowledge this bounty. It is an expression of gratitude for life, friendship, family, health, work, food, and so much more. At its best, Thanksgiving is a time to strengthen bonds with family and friends as we come together to celebrate God’s goodness.
It has been our family’s tradition through the years to gather at my parent’s home to celebrate Thanksgiving. A few years ago, my parents moved into a condo; we shifted our tradition to meeting in the clubhouse of their condo community. Due to freezing temperatures the previous December, many in the condo community, my parents included, experienced burst water pipes and resultant flooding on Christmas Day. Most of their community had to be relocated while workers came in to repair and rebuild. Last year, as my family gathered at the clubhouse, we were grateful to be together and experienced a wonderful meal and great fellowship. During our meal, my dad disappeared for ten minutes. He came back to the clubhouse accompanied by a line of repair workers who were working on the condo repairs – on Thanksgiving Day! – and we all shared our meal together. Thanksgiving encourages hospitality and generosity both within our families and our wider communities. We hope to find ways to be hospitable and generous throughout the year, and not just at Thanksgiving – but of course, Thanksgiving is a great place to start!
These are just a few ways I have recognized God’s abundance in my own life today. In the weeks ahead, I challenge you to be on the lookout to recognize and acknowledge God’s gifts made evident in your life in ways big and small. From stunning sunsets and magnificent mountains to the unbridled laughter of a child. From psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that peel back the clouds and show us a glimpse of glory to the handwritten note from a grateful friend. God is great and God is good. God is gracious and God is at work in our world. My personal response is one from another of my favorite hymns, For the Beauty of the Earth: “Lord of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.” What will your response be?
