“All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Psalm 145:10-13

In Thomas a Kempis’ work titled The Imitation of Christ he speaks of God’s creation giving praise to its Creator. Throughout scripture we see evidence that all of creation is intended to give thanks to our Lord – even our verse for today begins with, “All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord…” This is such a striking thought to me, that all of creation will give thanks and praise. Kempis points out one glaring idea in midst of all of this – there is nothing unique about our praise or service to God. In fact, our praise and service to God ought to be the most predictable feature about who we are. But this is so rarely the case, isn’t it?

In Kempis’ view, our service should be of little surprise – instead, it is the invitation to live and serve alongside our Creator that ought to bring us awe. In this season of Advent we would do well to take note of the significance in the action of God coming to earth to live among His people. The story of God’s love for his people is one of Him constantly reaching out, and our constantly turning away. This was the case long before Christ came to earth, and remains true even today.

We’ve crafted patterns that tend to ‘pat ourselves on the back’ when we give anything beyond the minimum to God, and we’ve created the belief that our praise is somehow unique and extraordinary. How different would your life look if an enduring praise and service to God became predictable, even expected? My guess is the list of things that would change would be much larger than the list of things that would stay the same.

So, for today, break loose from the patterns that bind your praise and service to particular times of day, days of the week and seasons of the year. Praise and serve in all that you do – join in creation in speaking glory of the kingdom, make known the mighty works of God. Take note of the significance that Christ has come to live alongside each one of us, and make praise your most identifiable quality.