I once had the privilege of meeting Alistair Begg, the Scottish pastor who came to America in the 1980’s and faithfully preached the gospel in Chagrin Falls for 40 years, before retiring this year.  His ministry changed my life.  When I met him, he gave me a copy of one of his books and inscribed it with the message, “To Dan, With gratitude to God for your encouragement in the gospel.”

At the time, I thought it a little strange that he would thank God for my encouragement.  Why not thank me?  But over time, I came to realize that it wasn’t Alistair whose perspective was off, but rather my own.  I recalled Paul’s question to the Corinthians: “What do you have that you did not receive?” and realized that gratitude, in the end, makes no sense at all unless it is gratitude to God.  For, whatever I had to give had been given to me; and anything anyone received from me—even my encouragement—they really received from God.

Joseph Stalin’s invective, that “[g]ratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs,” makes perfect sense coming from the mouth of a man who also said, “You know, they are fooling us, there is no God.”

This Fall, the walls of Founders Hall at Columbus Classical Academy were emblazoned with artwork and quotes to remind our students, faculty, staff, and guests of what we’re doing here—of the nobility of our mission and of the humility it requires.  Perhaps the most important of these is the quote from Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation 97, in which he laments that Americans, “[i]ntoxicated with unbroken success, [ ] have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

May we never become so intoxicated.  Indeed, our dependence upon your faithful generosity has always been a healthy check against any illusions of self-sufficiency, against any tendency to forget God’s abundant provision.  We are daily reminded of the blessings of extraordinary facilities, uncommonly good people, an unmatched curriculum, and the resources to serve our students and families well—all of which have been made possible by others like you.  We truly have nothing that we did not receive.

And so, in this season of Thanksgiving, I will conclude my note to you as Alistair did to me—with profound gratitude to God for your generosity and continued support of Columbus Classical Academy.