Living in a country where Thanksgiving day is just like all the other days makes it a challenge to put together all the fixens. We may not enjoy a turkey meal but we are reminded of all we need to give thanks for.

In Spanish the word for thanks is gracias and is closely tied with the word, gracia, which in English is grace, or God´s favor bestowed upon us. In the past we used the word grace to express our thanks to God, as in “Let’s say grace.” The connection between the two words is also seen in the greek form. Thanks, or gracias in greek is charis. The greek word eucharist also contains the word charis and means gratitude or thanksgiving. This word is also used in Spanish for Eucharistía or communion. Communion is a celebration of thanksgiving. Jesus gave thanks for the bread and wine in preparation for giving up his life for us. Communion or the eucharist has become more solemn now but in the early church it was a celebration for the grace that God showed upon us. Thus we can see that gratitude and grace have the same essence. Gratitude is the result of grace.

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated on what was unique to the Christian faith. They continued debating until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room and asked what the rumpus was about. His colleagues said they were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

The Apostle Paul uses grace and gratitude together when he writes in II Corinthians 4:15, “As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory.” The grace he is talking about is God’s gift of salvation, or the gospel. Salvation is not something we can earn, it is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)

Each November there is a procession of people walking from the capital city of Quito to the basilica in the town of El Quinche. The same takes place in August in the city of Loja. Some do it on their knees as if to earn merits or favors from God to gain their salvation. The Bible is clear that “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) We can never earn our way to heaven, even if we pertain to this church or that, and complete this requirement or that. So why is Paul so thankful? In his prior verse he says, “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you.”

The fact that we can know that we will go to heaven is what separates the Christian faith from all others. The Apostle John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. Paul continues in chapter 5 saying “we know . ..” or “we are confident.” Unfortunately, as Paul writes in verse 4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Our hope for you this Thanksgiving is that you are able to give God thanks for the gift of his grace and eternal life in order to bring him the glory.

Thank you for your generosity and grace in allowing us to serve God here in Ecuador. May the Lord return all the blessings.