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Excerpt from Thanks Giving Thanks - By Murray Wylie
Introduction
The aim of the ‘Journey in Song’ series is multi-layered. First of all, the landmarks of my own journey and that of the Fellowship to which I belong, can be testified through various original songs and hymns, and these will be introduced throughout the series. Second, our current journey is also marked by new songs that are being written from week to week, and these are introduced in the series as well. And, finally, the foremost aim is that readers may be able to connect their own journey to the content of the new songs.
Thanksgiving
In the case of this current booklet, the theme of ‘thanksgiving’ is far-reaching. Of course, thanksgiving is central to all our praise and worship. However, I’d like to expand the theme to areas that we may not have previously considered. For example, it is important that we link thanks with a study of the peace offering, in both Old and New Testaments. The peace offering was a thanksgiving offering, associated with a successful harvest at the end of a season. Lev 7:13. It’s not hard to see immediately that thanksgiving is the mode in which we return to the Lord, and offer the fruit of His grace back to Him.
Now let’s note a couple of the Scripture verses that form the background of the song, ‘Thanks Giving Thanks’. ‘Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Eph 5:20.
‘For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.’ 2 Cor 4:15.
Frequently in the Scriptures, ‘thanks’ is rendered to God the Father. This is because in the unfolding of God’s purpose, the Father is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Col 1:3. Although the fullness of grace and blessing is available to us in Christ, our thanks is returned through Christ to the Father, thus completing the cycle. So we do ‘everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father’. Col 3:17.
The verse in 2 Corinthians quoted above is of particular interest to us. There we read that as grace spreads through the ‘many’, thanksgiving abounds to the glory of God. This is the keynote direction of the song, as we see in the lyrics: ‘Grace has spread through many, many sons ... [and then the last line] ... giving glory to God’. Grace spreads out, then thanksgiving is returned. This is the primary thought behind the song.