The application of group emotions of gratitude to life is called "ethics". We live in a society as Christians as members of a Grateful Society. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount-the Christian 10 Commandments laid it all out for us in Matt. chapter 5. Jesus spells out that the outcasts of His then society were included in God's Blessing: The poor, the widow, the hungry, the Gentile, the stranger, the women, those grieving and those who show mercy are all Blessed. If speaking today, Jesus would probably bless: the uninsured, the LGBTQA people, the immigrants, the refugees, the minority faith groups, people of all races and the outsiders.
The simple lesson is that Jesus Blesses the losers of His day and our day! Sadly, the prosperity gospel as well as the secular society blesses by giving recognition to: the rich, the powerful, white people, the sexy ones, the famous, and the 'go-getter'. However, Jesus still Blesses the unjustly treated!
We give Gratitude for this just treatment from God. We are not forgotten and are included in love. This gratitude is "Transformative" in our lives. We matter and we form a Blessed community. This is a free gift from God. For it we give thanks together. We are changed and empowered! We sometimes confuse the cultural idea of Gratitude with the Christian vision of thanksgiving. Cultural is tit for tat-I give to you & you in turn give me. It is called "transactional gratitude". Christian gratitude is very different as it is freely given with no expectation of giving back.
This frees us to be engaged with grateful acts of love, kindness and life without any expectations. We avoid powerplays, priviledge and expectation of status. We as a community give in in freedom and love which is a priviledge and a Blessing from God. It is a place of living “Heaven on Earth”!
