Shout praises to the Lord! He is good to us, and his love never fails.
You should praise the LORD for his love
And for the wonderful things he does for all of us.
To everyone who is thirsty, he gives something to drink;
To everyone who is hungry
He gives good things to eat.
Psalm 107: 1, 8-9
Reflect on the word THANKSGIVING for a few moments.
I stand before you, God, in wonder!
You created the heavens and the earth. You created humankind to experience the richness of relationships with each other and with you
Alone by choice or circumstance, I realise that there is power when breaking bread at a table. My table is always laden with food and often surrounded by family and friends. Sometimes I don’t pause long enough to give thanks for your provision and goodness to me.
I wonder if into all your goodness we have introduced greed and need. Have we created economic structures that drive people to be lonely, hungry and isolated? Is it hard to give thanks when someone has so little or nothing to be thankful for?
I take so much for granted when I walk through a supermarket with a laden trolley, when the huge malls lure me with dazzling buys, when Internet shopping makes it so easy for me. I am thankful for the resources I have and yet, sometimes there is a nagging doubt in my mind. How can I offer the gift of thanksgiving to those who seem to have so little?
God of Broken Bread, I stand with thanksgiving and love for all you have given me. May I not lose sight of those who have been pushed to the edges of society.
© Ranjini Wickramaratne-Rebera
For a number of years, our dear friend Ranjini Rebera wrote Biblical reflections for the use of Gungahlin Uniting Church and others, usually for Advent and Lent. We were privileged to receive these, as Ranjini had a working history of writing and teaching on a global stage. Each time she completed the considerable work on one of these studies for us she would announce firmly, ‘That’s it. That is the last one I’m writing. No more. End of story!’ But as Advent or Lent came around again she would start hinting that she’d had an idea for a reflection – and she would write another one.
When she completed a Reflection for Lent 2021, we were not to know that this really was the last one. Ranjini died on 13 October 2021. We miss her intellect, her leadership, her vivid personality, her artistic gifts, her deep faith and her pastoral heart. We have lost some colour from our world.
The Gungahlin Uniting Church Worship Team, where Ranjini served for several years, offers Ranjini’s study material, first produced in 2015, as we give thanks for her life shared among us.