Summary: How often do you say thank you? It is so easy to take something or someone for granted when we should be grateful and all we have to do is say thank you. To say thanks doesn't cost anything but it means the world in gratitude.

THE £50 WORD – Thank YOU

The Autumn is a wonderful time of the year – the changing colour of the leaves on the trees, the gathering of fruit and crops, all is safely gathered in.

And if ever there was a theme for all this when we give thanks for the fruits of the earth we think of Harvest; a time of year when surely we must be giving thanks… thank you to God for all that He has given to us to maintain our daily lives.

Thanks – that’s what Harvest must surely be all about!!

We do this visibly by bringing produce and flowers to Church to show our thanksgiving but more importantly thanksgiving must come from our hearts in the form of joyful praise and in the way we live.

But naturally thanksgiving mustn’t be confined to just one Sunday in the year, surely it must be part and parcel of our daily lives… Thanksliving.

I’m sure you have all heard of Rudyard Kipling the famous author of books e.g. The Jungle Book and Captain Courageous.

His writings not only made him famous but also made him a fortune.

A newspaper reporter once asked, "Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your books amounts to over £50 a word.”

Then the reporter reached into his pocket and pulled out a £50 note and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a £50 note, Mr. Kipling. Now give me one of your £50 words.”

Rudyard Kipling looked at the money, put it in his pocket and said, "Thanks!"

To give thanks is worth its weight in gold.

It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some people are that they can’t be bothered to say thank you when someone gives or shows them some act of kindness or courtesy.

We see this everyday from the battle of shopping trolleys in the local supermarket, stopping at a zebra crossing in the village to allow someone to cross, giving way to an approaching car, allowing someone to join the queue ahead of us at the traffic lights….

And do they say thank you.. its almost as if raising their hand is impossible – perhaps its made of lead – too heavy to lift.

Or does it cost them the earth, £50… NO on the contrary it costs nothing at all – its what we call good manners.

In my many conversations with friends and neighbours and indeed with strangers I remember being told that there are 3 essentials words to the English language and indeed to any language:

• Please

• Sorry

• Thanks – Thank you

We have a lot to learn from each other.

But be reassured Jesus had exactly the same problem!

Jesus went out of His way to cure 10 leapers… when they approached Him and asked to be cured and Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest and as they went they were cured.

But only one went back to Jesus to thank Him … where were the other 9!?

Ironically we all fall into the trap of taking our friends and loved ones for granted and most of all we take God for granted.

If you think about it - we do not appreciate something until we loose it and this is especially true of those we love, our families and friends, we take their love and friendship for granted – when we loose them we realise what we are missing and it hits us and hurts us deeply.

Do we become so self-centred, so absorbed in our own problems and concerns that we do not realise what’s going on around us?

Are we so selfish that we like taking but are NOT so keen to give? Even with little things like saying thank you.

Make ‘thanksliving’ your new rule for life and you will soon see the benefits:

• People respond and react cheerfully - some even smile

• You feel more cheerful and build up a positive aspect on life

• Everyone is happier, they even smile in return

• You can get the best out of your friends and family

• Thanksliving leads to thanksloving

In the same way it is even more important to thank God for the many blessings of this life that He gives to us day by day, which we take so much for granted.

To compile a list of these many blessing would take forever but we have help at hand from a 17th century bishop, Edward Reynolds who wrote the prayer known as the General Thanksgiving and this is a modern translation of this wonderful prayer:

Almighty God, merciful Father,

source of all holiness and grace,

we thank you for your goodness and unending love

to us and all creation.

We thank you for making and sustaining us

and surrounding us with your blessings;

but of all your gifts we thank you most

that in your love, beyond our power to express,

you gave your Son our Lord Jesus Christ

to restore and heal the human race.

We praise you, Father,

for all the channels of your grace,

and for the hope of sharing your glory.

Enlighten our hearts and minds

and show us the greatness of your love,

that our gratitude may be sincere:

not only the praise of our lips

but the offering of our lives,

dedicated and righteous in your service.

All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord,

with you and the Holy Spirit one God, now and ever. Alleluia. Amen.

There was a Scottish minister Alexander Whyte who was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit; he always found something for which to be grateful – to say thank you to God.

One Sunday morning the weather was awful and gloomy that one church member thought, "The preacher certainly won’t think of anything for which to thank God for on a wretched day like this."

But much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, Father, that the weather is not always as bad like this."

There is a saying: Every cloud has a silver lining’ When everything seems terrible, life is difficult and full of problems, the cloud is dark and dim – there is a silver lining, its difficult to find but its there and you only realise this when you look back on your life.

The letter to the Hebrews has a similar analogy in running the race of life:

‘Let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Hebrews 12:1-2)

For me, to put it simply, the race of life is a hurdle race, each hurdle a problem or disaster we have to face along the route of life.

Each hurdle being at different heights and some seem impossible to jump – so where is the silver lining to this terrible cloud?

Well the silver lining is to NOT jump each hurdle but find a solution, to pray to God for His help and direction – to run around the hurdle rather than trying to jump it.

Thank God our loving Father for His Son Jesus Christ - Thank God for Jesus!!