Today, in America, it is Thanksgiving Day. Today’s Thanksgiving looks very different than what it once was intended to be. Like so many other holidays and events, it has undergone a cultural transformation from a time of calm and rest and reflection to a day filled with parades, football, and now even some shopping. Sales and marketing events are well underway and the pressure to continue to purchase beyond our means and “keep up” is ever increasing.

For those outside of our little bubble we call the United States, Thanksgiving is based on a time of celebration wayyyyyy back in the 1600s. The pilgrims had migrated from Europe in search of a different life and landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts completely unprepared for the challenges that lay before them. They were scrutinized and challenged by the locals currently living in the area, but eventually they came to an agreement to live as peaceful neighbors. In some ways, the locals felt sorry for the new guests on their soil and offered help and support. The language barrier was, I’m sure, a challenge for both. But as time went by, friendships were forged and they became neighbors and friends. (Any of this sound familiar?)

While the newcomers and the locals gave thanks to God for his provision at the first harvest, as they were grateful to have survived the year, the first official Thanksgiving feast did not take place until probably 2 years later in 1623. In any case, the food probably looked different, but the spirit of giving thanks to God for his provision and sharing that provision with loved ones and friends was at the center of the feast.

Flash forward to current days. Many people are busy in their kitchens preparing an amount of food that could feed an army (myself included…. I’m currently waiting on the cheesecake to do its thing in the oven). It’s probably considered gluttonous the amount of food that is consumed on this day. Then there is the traditional watching of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was started as a means of ushering shoppers into the department stores to see Santa and get a jump on the gift buying. And finally…. Football games. All. Day. Long.

This morning, however, I woke with a different spirit. My heart is grateful in so ways. At this time last year, we were preparing to move from our home of 4 years to our little shop in the woods. Life was changing. Life was hard. It has been a hard year. But I’m grateful. I have wanted for nothing this year. We needed food? We were provided whole chickens. We needed heat? We bought a little heater from a garage sale that has been amazing. A/C? A good friend who knows how to hook things like that up helped us out. Much like those first pilgrims in a new world, God has blessed us with friends and neighbors that have walked with us this year as we journeyed into the unknown. Every time there was a need, it was met. All year, I heard God say “Trust Me”. Hard? Yes. Worth it? ABSOLUTELY!

So this Thanksgiving morning, I find myself reminiscing on the Methodist Church’s communion liturgy. There is a section of the liturgy called The Great Thanksgiving and it goes kind of like this:

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. 
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth.

There is more, of course, to this liturgy, but let’s pause with this for now. “It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you”. So today, no matter if your house is full or empty, no matter if you are eating at the local restaurant or enjoying a feast among family or friends, whether life is hard or life is easy, whatever your situation it is right to give our thanks and praise to God, the sustainer of all life.

Now we turn toward Advent. Advent is our time of preparation. It is a time of remembrance. We are reminded that God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

May you all have a great thanksgiving. God bless you!