As I think about Thanksgiving Day, I realize it can force a
contrived, dutiful “I am thankful for”…rather than a heartfelt thankfulness in
many of us. And if that is the case, then what is the point? Is it just a time
set aside to eat good food with family and friends?
I find great value in a Thanksgiving Day. But I have had to
wade through some thoughts to get there!
First of all, to have a Thanksgiving Day, one must have
someone to whom one is thankful. If we are gathering and not giving thanks to
God, we are merely being glad. We are glad we have health, a home, a family,
etc. Being thankful, though, is recognizing the giver of the gift. Without God,
it is a gathering to be glad – but not thankful.
Ezra 3:11 - With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a
great shout of praise to the Lord, because the
foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
1 Corinthians 1:4 - I always thank my God for you because of
his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
Notice in these verses that the thanks goes to God.
Second, it is a tradition. And traditions have value. They
are often the glue that holds things together – churches, families, even
businesses have traditions. They are the things that we count on being the
same. The things that help us be intentional with our lives – they help us
remember the past, look forward to the future, or exist in today. The Bible
is rich in examples of tradition. The Israelites celebrated the Feast of
Tabernacles (or Booths), Passover, Rosh Hashanah, The Feast of Unleavened
Bread, The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), etc. These were times set aside to
celebrate corporately, and as families, the things of God. For us, we set aside
Thanksgiving Day to celebrate God’s blessing in our lives, and to thank Him for
them. The church I attend sets aside Thanksgiving Eve to corporately celebrate
this intentionally – and I like that. We have a chance to focus on Thanking God
as His people, together, as well as in our individual families.
Thirdly, while most of us express thankfulness for the “biggies”
in our lives, I believe that God is pleased when we remember the smaller gifts
He bestows on us daily as well– the things we brush past without noticing
normally. The cardinal on the bush outside my kitchen window, adding a splash
of beauty and brightness to bleak winter landscape. Do I thank God for this?
That He knows when even one of these tiny creatures falls to the ground, and
cares – oh, the mystery and wonder of that!
Matthew 10:29 (NIV) 29 Are
not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Father’s care.
All the beauty
around us, broken down into the pieces that make it so – all are gifts from
God. We take them for granted. But they are gifts none the less, and we can
take the time to notice them and thank God for them.
Then there are
the things of God that we can be mindful to thank Him for – His love, His
mercy, His righteousness, His power, His kindness, and faithfulness. That He
would send His Son Jesus to us so that we might know Him, have a relationship
with Him and spend eternity with Him! That is the best gift of all.
So, Thanksgiving
Day, as stated above can be one more thing to get through, a day to please
others and contrive something to say about what we are thankful for. Or it can
be an attitude of the heart. An intentional observing and celebrating the
goodness and faithfulness of our great God, with those we love. I realize this
can be complicated and cannot always happen in each family, but may we
cultivate it within our own hearts.
2 Corinthians
4:15
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is
reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving
to overflow to the glory of God.
