Martin Rinkert was a minister in the little German town of Eilenburg some 350 years ago. He was the son of a poor coppersmith, but he managed to work his way through one of the finest educations of the day. In 1617, after years of study and hard work, he was offered the post of archdeacon in his hometown parish. A year later, what has come to be known as the Thirty-Years War broke out, and his town was caught in the middle of the conflict. In 1637, a massive plague that swept across the European continent hit Eilenburg; people died at the rate of fifty per day, and the man called upon to bury most of them was Martin Rinkert. In all, over 8,000 people died, including Martin's own wife. His labors finally came to an end just one year after the conclusion of the war. His ministry spanned 32 years, all but the first and the last overwhelmed by the great conflict and plague that engulfed his town. He endured some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable in his time…they were certainly difficult circumstances in which to be thankful. But he managed to give thanks to God nevertheless, and he wrote these words for his time and for all time:
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom his world rejoices.
It takes an incredible, grace-filled spirit to come through such hardship and yet express such gratitude to God. However, Rinkert never lost sight of the “wondrous things” God has done in and through His Son Jesus Christ; deliverance from sin is indeed something for which followers of Christ around the world can always give thanks, regardless of personal circumstances. Brett Blair writes, “Here is a great lesson. Surrounded by tremendous adversity, thanksgiving will deliver you...with heart and hand and voices.”
As this season of Thanksgiving winds down for another year, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, bless you, and “deliver you… with heart and hand and voices.”
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