Ethics and Religion Talk: What are you grateful for? Part 2

Happy Thanksgiving! Let’s remember what has enriched our lives during this past year. This week, the Ethics and Religion Talk panel continue to answer the question, ‘What is the one thing in your life, in your community, in the world near or far, for which you are the most grateful?’

The Rev. Sandra Nikkel, head pastor of Conklin Reformed Church, responds:

“I am grateful that by the grace God gives I have come to accept the things about my past that I cannot change. No longer do I see myself as a victim for the pain others inflicted on me in the past nor do I bear the guilt for mistakes I've made in the past. My gratitude is directly related to the work that Jesus did on the cross which enables me to be free today. ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24).”

Father Michael Nasser, who writes from an Eastern Christian perspective and is Pastor of St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church, responds:

“I hear a growing pessimism about the world today and people in general. I’m most grateful that there is so much goodness in just about everyone I know. I really don’t know anyone I would call a ‘bad person’ and am so thankful for the abundance of goodness I see in just about everyone I meet.”

Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds:

“It may be thought un-Presbyterian to comment on personal matters or concerns in public. But since you asked, I will answer as a life-long Presbyterian who knows that the end of his earthly life and pilgrimage cannot be far off. One thing that gives me great joy and satisfaction is the privilege of worshipping in a Reformed church, according to the Word of God, in the plain but substantial manner of my spiritual forbears.

“To hear God’s Word faithfully proclaimed by men young enough to be my own sons is a great comfort; the torch has been passed to a rising generation. To sing the Psalms in a version I have known all of my adult life is an ever-increasing means of grace. These inspired songs never grow old; week by week they unfold for me what it means to follow Christ in such a world as this. In all that is most important, Christ’s church should be as Christ Himself is, ‘the same, yesterday, and today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8).”

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

‘‘It is so very important to develop the virtue of gratitude. Each morning and evening as I end my meditations I take a few moments to visualize the many blessings that are so apparent in my life. It is even more important in the Hindu tradition to express gratitude for the challenges that inevitably intrude on our lives. While this may seem to be a rather daunting task, I’ve found that the more gratitude one expresses for that which brings joy, the more one acquires the ability to do the same for obstacles and frustrations. But one should never feel guilty for not being able to accomplish this if it doesn’t happen effortlessly.

“I hope I am forgiven for that extended prelude, but I find it more important than any particular event or material acquisition that I could share. That said, I will share that I was able to vacation in Hawaii this autumn. What I am most grateful for was the opportunity to swim, snorkel, and scuba-dive in that glorious ocean. But above, watching that big beautiful blue wave come roaring in.”

Ty Silzer, a former pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, responds:

“This past year has been really great in many ways, and really rough in others. And I find myself being thankful for both. Rough times can be a chance to reflect, a chance to love, or even a chance for others to love me. If God is omnipresent, then He is there, the good, even in bad times. And it really seems like His work in me, and not my attempts to be thankful.”

The final panelist, Dr Sharif Sahibzada, the Director of Islamic Center and Imam of the Mosque of Grand Rapids, was traveling and did not respond.

My response:

I am grateful that I have a diverse group of people around me, from my family, my congregation and Jewish community, the Ethics and Religion Talk panel, and the Spectrum Heath Ethics committee, to name a few, who support me, challenge me, give me spiritual enrichment, and in general make my personal and professional life interesting and rewarding.