“Almighty God, Thou art from everlasting to everlasting; unchangeable in Thy being, unbounded and incomprehensible. Thou didst speak into being this vast fabric of the Universe. We adore and bow before Thee in reverential awe, and acknowledge our sins and misdeeds, for Thou hast promised to heal our backslidings and love us freely. Look down from Thy Holy Habitation and bless us with Thy approbation. Teach us to praise Thy Holy Name aright, for Thou art the God whom we fear and to whom we bow with humble submission. Lord, hear our prayer and accept our sacrifice of thanksgiving. Amen.”
In every regular and well governed council an assembly of Royal Masters is opened with a particular prayer. And while we may have heard this prayer on so many occasions that the words no longer garner much attention, the prayer does end in a unique way “Lord, hear our prayer and accept our sacrifice of thanksgiving.” But what is a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” and why would we wish to offer one unto the Lord?
Referred to as a “Korban Todah” in Hebrew, sacrifices of thanksgiving take varied forms in scripture, but they are understood to be either the fulfillment of a vow or freewill offerings, given in addition to whatever particular sacrifice may be due, and fall into the broader category of peace offerings. Leviticus offers us a specific way in which a bread offering can be used as a sacrifice of thanksgiving, but it is in reading the Psalms that we begin to understand why one might want to make such an offering. In Psalm 50 we are told that when God saved the people of Israel from whatever perils of nature that befell them, he wasn’t particularly interested in another animal sacrifice. He certainly didn’t need them after all. What he was looking for was thanksgiving. The arrangement was clear: “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” – Psalm 50:14-15 (NIV)
Today, bread offerings are found most commonly in the celebration of the Eucharist and in that way, Christians continue to make them, but that’s not the only way to make a sacrifice of thanksgiving. In modern Judaism the sacrifice of thanksgiving is fulfilled through a thanksgiving blessing called the “Birkat Hagomel” recited in the presence of a Torah scroll along with 10 other worshippers. The concept of a verbal sacrifice of thanksgiving is also found in Nehemiah 12. In it singing is placed in the list of other great sacrifices, and where we find the lyrics to such songs is in the Psalms. And in going back to the Psalms, we find in Psalm 30 a great example of a verbal sacrifice of thanksgiving. We are told the various things God did for them and it is through that lens that we find the sacrifice of thanksgiving in our Royal Master opening prayer.
Like the Psalmist, we say in our opening prayer what God did for us. He spoke into being this vast fabric of the Universe. Like the Birkat Hagomel, we recognize we are undeserving. Despite our sins and misdeeds, he promised to heal our backslidings, and love us freely. Those are the facts that we are thanking him for, and this acknowledgement of God’s hand on our lives along with our praise of him is our sacrifice of thanksgiving.
As we come to Thanksgiving Day, I challenge every Cryptic Mason in Michigan to make your own sacrifice of Thanksgiving, unique to your own tradition and experience, because if you’re reading this, you’ve made it farther through peril of a global pandemic than many, and as such, God is due your thanksgiving.
In thankfulness,
Brandon Mullins
Illustrious Grand Chaplain
Grand Council of Royal &
Select Masons of Michigan