Now Thank We All Our God

This month we celebrate Thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” An old English preacher once said, “A grateful mind is a great mind,” and the Bible agrees. There are 138 passages of Scripture on the subject of thanksgiving, and some of them are powerfully worded. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Unfortunately, few hymns are devoted exclusively to thanking God. Among the small, rich, handful we do have is “Now Thank We All Our God,” which we just sang last Wednesday night at Prayer Meeting. It is a beloved hymn written in 1636 by Lutheran pastor, Martin Rickart, who grew up the son of a poor coppersmith in Eilenberg, Saxony. Martin felt called to ministry and after his theological training, began his pastoral work just as the Thirty Year’s War was raging through Germany.

As floods of refugees from the war streamed into the walled city of Eilenberg, there was mass plague, famine, fear and death. There was tremendous strain on the pastors who expended all their strength in caring for the sick and dying. One after another, the pastors themselves took ill and perished until at last only Martin Rinkart was left. Some days he conducted as many as fifty funerals.

When the Swedes finally demanded a huge ransom to stop the siege, it was Martin Rinkart who left the safety of the city walls to negotiate with the enemy and was successful in bringing a conclusion to the hostilities. Rinkart, knowing there is no healing without thanksgiving, composed this hymn for the survivors of Eilenberg. It has been sung around the world ever since.

With the healthy birth of little Eden Marie Roberts to our beloved Abby and John Roberts, what joy and extra dose of thanksgiving we should all express to God for this precious addition to our church family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Your servant in Christ, Phillip