Jazz @ Emmanuel – Humble Thanks – November 9, 2025

This month, Jazz @ Emmanuel explores the Theme of Humble Thanks. 

Reflective Readings are by:
Felipe Morales, Helen Steiner Rice, The Book of Common Prayer, Jackie Lantry, Jason Journeyman. Rounded out by an inspirational message from our Vicar, The Rev. Don C. Youse, Jr. 

Jazz Meditations by:
Dr “J.”on Piano, Benjamin May on Bass, Tom Wendt on Drums, Lou Schreiber on Reeds, and Pamela Johnson for Vocals. 

We have a shallow relationship with Thanksgiving. When things are going our way, we are thankful. When we see God’s hand, we are thankful. When we have an abundant meal, we are thankful. When we gather with friends or family and things go well, we are thankful.  And so on.  We measure our daily blessings against our own desires, dreams and ideals – which don’t always win the day. We are plagued by expectations, deservedness, entitlement, a desire for specialness, or the reverse — feelings of being not good enough. All this gets in the way of a heart of true gratitude and Humble Thanks.

When we consider Humble Thanks, perspective can be very useful. 

Even in rough times, we know instinctively that no matter how grim things are at the moment, we have known better times and will again, and surely someone somewhere is having a worse moment, or a life of worse moments. We all have every reason to be humbly thankful before God all the time!  Ah! but this is not as easy as it sounds in words. Pain, grief, fear, doubt and guilt and regret, can get in our way all too often. And our feelings can lie to us about what is true.

Perspective helps us to open up to more —to “Expect Jesus!” We will always find what we look for! Looking at everything with the eyes of faith says, “God is good, and all things work together for good. God is with us always — in everything and everyone.” This is a truth we can stake our thanks upon.

And then, there is Humble Thanks.  Humble Thanks can include all of the above. But at times, and maybe you too have at least once experienced it, there is a spirit-breathed, chest-filling, awe-inspiring presence that is so humbling that all you know is that God is bigger than everything else and he is able and oh, so good.  And you feel oh, so… undeserving in a good way.  It is a spiritual knowing that fills you with a humility, peace and over-whelming gratitude that is merely flowing through you and not from you. 

Yet, Humble Thanks too is more than a feeling or an experience.  It is a perspective, and it is based on our relationship with God.  God, asks us, with his help, to cultivate Humble Thanks as a lifestyle based on his truth. The truth is, God loves us unconditionally. We are His. This is a jaw-dropping reality we need to cling to as if our life depended upon it.

A lifestyle of humble thanks looks for opportunities to treat our fellow humans, creatures, earth, and ourselves, with respect, loving care and sincere appreciation.  To see God’s hand in all circumstances, and be thankful for even what we cannot see —to “give thanks in ALL things.” This is life-giving perspective. 

We can aspire to be that person – a humble person, a grateful person. We can long for Humble Thanks to become our go-to perspective. We can walk by Grace, in gratitude and awe, humbly before God.

Let our intention ever be, “I will, with God’s help.”

Come to Jazz ready to open up to Humble Thanks. 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 
~Micah 6:8. 

“There is no neutrality between gratitude and ingratitude. Those who are not grateful soon begin to complain about everything.”
~Thomas Merton

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of the Father for you in Christ Jesus.  
~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Expect nothing, appreciate everything!

Jazz @ Emmanuel

2nd Sunday
September through May
5:00 PM in the Sanctuary.

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“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Psalm 150:6