Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4, 5 (KJV)
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:4, 5 (KJV)
Ingloriously crammed between two demonstrations of American excess lies the pious but lonely Thanksgiving holiday. In comparison to the billions of dollars that are spent on Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving often seems like an insignificant intermission. Sure, there is a brief flurry of interest concerning Butterballs and cranberry sauce, and visually there are some tired images floating around of Pilgrims getting along with Native Americans and Rockwell's grandmother holding the pumpkin pie, but on the whole there doesn't seem to be a great deal of excitement. The whole idea just seems like some lame motivation for getting family members together. (And what if you don't like your Uncle Walter all that much to begin with?) No big deal. Let's just get it over with and proceed quickly to Black Friday, right?
WRONG!! WRONG!! WRONG!!
Everything we own, every beautiful scene we see, every gorgeous set of notes we hear, every silky material we touch and every delicious thing we taste, every good moment that we experience, we owe to God. Our very existence and the world that spins around us, we owe to God. His gifts are astonishing. Do you realize, do you have any idea how blessed we are? Think about it! What can you list in 30 seconds - THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR? How about these:
How much of the world's population would cry to have indoor plumbing for just one day?
How many Asian refugees would like to vote for a representative government just one time?
How many children on this earth would be overjoyed to have just one cornmeal muffin dripping in butter as their entire day's meal?
How many sons in Africa would like to step outside their home, get into a $25,000 car and drive 100 miles to visit their mother, their mother that the soldiers took away after those same soldiers shot their father dead?
Oh yes, we need to be thankful every day, and the fact that there is a holiday specifically designated for this purpose makes the day all that more important. Thanksgiving should not be spent just raking leaves in the morning and then watching the Cowboys game in the afternoon with bloated bellies while Uncle Walter snores in the corner. Please: Volunteer at a soup kitchen or deliver canned goods to a food pantry or share some turkey with a shut-in. This is a great and awesome holiday, worthy of wondrous praise; as important as Christmas and a zillion times more important than Halloween; a holiday where we should all stand on our tippy-toes and sing at the top of our lungs with arms outstretched:
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Contributed by Donald
Sunday November 22, 2009
Liturgical Year B Week:
52
Sunday Gospel Readings: Lectionary 34 (Proper 29)
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost