November 12, 2025
Dear friends,
Is it possible to thank God fully?
I’m sure I don’t know how. How do you thank One who has given so much – given, in fact, everything?
When the Holy One has given us an infinite Universe, how do finite creatures give thanks for it all? It’s a logical impossibility.
Nevertheless, it’s a good thing to try.
So for the most distant star I give thanks, and for the air moving deep in my lungs I give thanks. For the deep embrace of the planet I give thanks, and for the precious sensation of a child’s grasp of my index finger, I give thanks. For the great love of a self-giving God, and for the tender love of a sibling, I give thanks.
I give thanks for the blazing sun and for the gentle moon. I give thanks for the warming fire and for the chilling ice. I give thanks for the bee that swoops among the flowers and for the hawk that soars above the trees. I give thanks for the anemones waving in the pool and for the honu napping in the sun.
I give thanks for the faithful people over centuries who heard the word of God and wrote it into books. I give thanks for the faithful people who heard our still-speaking God and did the good things that they heard. I give thanks for the faithful people who paused, not understanding, and waited until they were more certain what was right and good and true. I give thanks for a God who has never left us alone.
I give thanks for loss that reveals love. I give thanks for love that risks loss.
I cannot give thanks enough, but it’s worth a try.
Happy Thanksgiving!
With aloha,
Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Pastor
Photo of a (grateful) ‘apapane sipping nectar from an ohi’a blossom by Eric Anderson.
