Thanksgiving: A Way of Life

Thanksgiving: A Way of Life

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

Micah 7:8b NIV

          Thanksgiving is so many things to so many people. It’s part of our call as Christians. Not just this week . . . not just tomorrow . . . but every day of every year we’re charged with being thankful for God’s bounty, which even includes those often unwelcomed challenges that push us to grow. It’s a day on the calendar in November. It’s a prayer, silent or aloud, when we feel particularly blessed.

Thanksgiving, the day on the calendar, is marked by food, gathering, and remembering. The whole landing at Plymouth Rock thing wasn’t a big deal in our family. Yes, we visited that rock when I was a kid, but a rock beside the shore wasn’t a significant player in our family stories. My father’s family came to this country early in the 20^th century from Germany. I still remember visiting one of Dad’s aunts who only spoke German. Needless to say, it wasn’t an exciting visit for a ten year-old. Our Thanksgiving dinners, often around my grandparent’s table in Enhaut, were very much about thanks for God’s blessings of family, friends and countless cousins.

As the years have accumulated since that little ship hit the coast of Massachusetts, that story has moved further into the mist. So what do we do with Thanksgiving now? Should we read the historical research that reminds us that those first Pilgrims weren’t all very nice people and that their arrival wasn’t necessarily a hit with the native peoples? What about all the other people who arrived on these shores at different times and in different places? It’s certainly wonderful that they survived the trip across the pond and set up housekeeping in this strange, unfamiliar place.

I think Thanksgiving, just before the season of Advent, is a wonderful opportunity to sum up all the gifts of the year, to celebrate what we’ve learned about being good stewards of the world we live in and to open our hearts to more learning about how it all works and what we can do to be good citizens of the world.

It should be a day to look at the people that have historically had itchy feet and a passion for exploration and those who were passionate about their own piece of geography, with no desire to go anywhere else. What gifts do they bring to our understanding of each other? How can we learn from each other’s ways and longings? How do their stories inform our thanksgivings?

No, Thanksgiving should be more than a day. It should be a way of life. The day gives us a chance to collect all the pieces of our gratitude and share those stories with friends and family around a table. But the day should also remind us to be thankful for all the blessings and challenges God gives us every day. It’s not just about the turkey!

For those of you who will be worshiping at the Mt. Laurel Church of God this coming Sunday, December 1, God’s message through Pastor Dale will be from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13. Consider reading this Scripture before coming to worship or before watching on Facebook so your heart is ready to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice.

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.