November 24, 2024
BLESSINGS OF LIFE
MACK WILBERG
Conductor
RICHARD ELLIOTT
Organist
DERRICK PORTER
The Spoken Word
O CLAP YOUR HANDS
Music: John Rutter
Text: Based on Psalm 47
HALLELUJAH CHORUS
from Christ on the Mount of Olives
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven
Text: Based on scripture
GUIDE US, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH (CWM RHONDDA)
(ORGAN SOLO)
Music: John Hughes
Arrangement: Paul Manz
ALLELUIA, AMEN (AIR IN G)
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Music: Johann Crüger
Text: Martin Rinkhart; trans. Catherine Winkworth
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
THE SPOKEN WORD
“Blessings of Life”
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF SHEEP
from White Christmas
Music and Text: Irving Berlin
Arrangement: Michael Davis
ON GREAT LONE HILLS
Music: Jean Sibelius
Text: Amy Sherman Bridgman
Arrangement: H. Alexander Matthews
BLESSINGS OF LIFE
The Spoken Word, November 24, 2024By: Derrick Porter
Blessings come in numerous ways. Many are recognized immediately, while others seem to unfold slowly over time. Anything that contributes to our true happiness, well-being, or prosperity is a blessing, and these blessings come from God.1
Some of God’s blessings feel extraordinary, leaving little doubt that we are the recipient of divine favor. Yet others seem, well, ordinary. But gratitude for the ordinary blessings of life can give us extraordinary power to transform our lives!
Melody Beattie shared: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. . . . It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” 2 In a way, gratitude can grow our blessings. It’s not that the blessing itself changes, but gratitude expressed for the root blessing causes our perspective to grow and expand, leading to an increased appreciation for our blessings.
Jennifer Sabin and her dad, Gary, are good examples of this. The night before Jennifer would have a double-lung transplant at age 16, she leaned over to her dad and said, “Don’t worry! Tomorrow I will wake up with new lungs, or I will wake up in a better place. Either way will be great.” After the surgery and upon taking her first breath unaided by a breathing tube and ventilator, Jennifer began to cry. Seeing the concern on her family’s face, Jennifer quickly exclaimed, “It’s just so good to breathe.”
Witnessing this, Gary himself found new appreciation for the ordinary blessing of breath. He said: “Ever since that day, I have thanked [God] morning and night for my ability to breathe. We are surrounded by innumerable blessings that we can easily take for granted if we are not mindful. Conversely, when nothing is expected and everything is appreciated, life becomes magical.” 3 He continued, “[I have determined that we] will never be happier than [we] are grateful.”
For Jennifer and Gary, the ordinary blessing of breath became extraordinary! May we all develop what some call an attitude of gratitude, not only for the extraordinary but also the seemingly ordinary blessings of our lives.
References
1. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Bless, Blessed, Blessing,” Gospel Library.
2. Melody Beattie, “The Language of Letting Go: A Meditation Book and Journal for Daily Reflections” (2003), August 1 entry.
3. Gary B. Sabin, “Hallmarks of Happiness,” Liahona, Nov. 2023, 58.