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The Benefits of Thanksgiving

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Posted by :pastorkelvin On : November 29, 2011

Category: Journal, Joy Notes

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Thanksgiving brings Joy

I’ve been reflecting more about Thanksgiving and thinking about all its benefits. I have observed something as I have read what my friends and acquaintances have written on Facebook.    Those who have been actively giving thanks seem very happy and joyful.   While I’m sure it is true that when one is joyful, it is easy to also be thankful, I believe the opposite is also true. When one disciplines themselves to be thankful, even when circumstances are contrary, joy rises inside and surprises us.   The more we give thanks, the happier we seem to be.  So it is not an accident that those giving thanks are also bubbling with joy. 

Thanksgiving encourages faith

This leads to a second salutary effect of Thanksgiving– a positive outlook.  As we count our blessings, enumerating the people, circumstances, and things for which we are thankful, our outlook toward the future becomes much more sanguine. When our focus is on the good things that have already happened, it is easier to expect more of the same.  Sincere Thanksgiving to God leads to growing optimism and greater faith in God.

Family togetherness

Another major value of the Thanksgiving holiday is its emphasis upon family togetherness.  In the entire year, only Christmas outranks Thanksgiving in magnetism for drawing families together.   Witness the traffic on this weekend both on the ground and in the air, and you see demonstrated the desire of people to be with loved ones on Thanksgiving.   How wonderful it is to have this holiday, one big feature of which is helping to bring families together.   There is so much in our culture that pulls in the opposite direction. Thanksgiving reminds us of the value of family, both nuclear family and extended family.

Generosity

In addition to these, Thanksgiving spurs generosity and charity.  People are moved to contribute to food pantries, church turkey giveaways, etc. because they are thinking about how God has been so good to them and they want to share. This is an attitude that we should have all year long.  Hopefully, such actions help make Thanksgiving a time of blessing for the poor also, as it should be.  

So when I think of the holidays of the year, Thanksgiving rates high on my list–just behind Christmas and Easter. 

 

Thanksgiving Sunday an important accent in the rhythm of the year

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Posted by :pastorkelvin On : November 21, 2011

Category: Journal, Joy Notes, Who Am I

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Big events

Thanksgiving Sunday is a significant milestone in the landscape of the year for me.  In my first church it was often designated as friend Sunday and it was a time of great celebration.   At Community Wesleyan Church is has always been the time for our Thanksgiving dinner, a time when the family of God gathers for one of the biggest social events of our year.   

Significant ministry

It is usually also a time of significant ministry for our church. It marks the end of the Thanksgiving message series; it is the day for handing out Thanksgiving dinners to those in need; and on it we enjoy the first contribution of the season from one of our special performing groups.  In addition, in the evening, for many years, I and others have been a part of the ecumenical Chittenango area Thanksgiving service.  This event is a unique sacrifice of praise that adds a glow to the season. The glow comes from the smooth cooperation of almost all the Christian churches in the Chittenango area joining together in praise to God as well as from the privilege of being a participant both as clergy and as a singer in the mass choir.

Seasonal changes

In our culture this is a week of seasonal change too.  Hunting season starts. Often the first significant snows fall.  In the stores, Black Friday is this week; by next Sunday everyone will be thinking about Christmas shopping. 

Liturgical year end

Liturgically, too, Thanksgiving Sunday is usually the last Sunday of the church year—not the fiscal year but the liturgical year.  In most years, the following Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, which is the beginning of the new liturgical year.   While our church does not formally follow a liturgical year, I have always observed Advent, so this change is always noted with a change of décor, the use of the advent wreath, and the beginning of a new message series.

Wood gathering

Outside, my attention turns from gardening to wood for the fireplace stove insert.   My father always said, “Wood should warm you twice; once when you gather it and once when you burn it.”  So I try never to work on wood for the fireplace insert until it’s cold outside so that it has a chance to warm me when I do the work,  even it if it’s only gathering and cutting kindling from what has fallen from the maple trees in the yard.

I love Thanksgiving Sunday

As I was reflecting on all this, I decided that the events of Thanksgiving Sunday have become important to me as a marker in my own calendar of the year. They help me mark the changeover of the seasons.   Thanksgiving Sunday for me has become a very important transition point from fall into Christmas.  Celebrating on this day is important to me.

More Thanksgiving Ideas

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Posted by :pastorkelvin On : November 26, 2010

Category: Americana, Journal, Joy Notes

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Thanksgiving Blessings

At our extended family Thanksgiving dinner for the Jones clan yesterday, I received a couple really neat ideas for young families.

1. My niece, Pat, and her family who hosted this year and did a great job, have a tradition called the Thanksgiving box. Each year, each member of the family writes down the thing or things they are most thankful for on a piece of paper with their name and the year. Then they put it in a special box labeled “The Thanksgiving Box” and save it. Then in following years, if the family wishes, they can look at what each person gave thanks for.   It provides a kind of family history of Thanksgiving.

2. My nephew, Doug, and his family have a different variation on the same idea. They have a designated Thanksgiving tablecloth that is only used on Thanksgiving. Each year they get out markers and each family member writes on the tablecloth what they are thankful for.   Then they have Thanksgiving dinner using that tablecloth.   This idea sounds like a real children’s delight to me.  

I thought these were wonderful ideas to help children participate in the true meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday and build family togetherness at the same time. .

Making Thanksgiving Real

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Posted by :pastorkelvin On : November 24, 2010

Category: Americana, Journal, Joy Notes

Tags:, , ,

Thanksgiving is one of the great holidays of the year.    These days when so much is determined by commercial value, it is being swallowed up between Halloween and Christmas.  I will do my best to see that never happens because Thanksgiving has so much to contribute to our lives.   

So the question is how do we keep Thanksgiving real and prevent it from going by in a blur between November busyness and Black Friday shopping sprees.    Here are my suggestions.

  1.  Know and teach the history of our Thanksgiving Holiday.   Right now you can download a short summary from http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=118.   A longer and much more informative version is at  http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=17984.
  2.  Don’t let the busyness of the season crowd out the family dimension.   Thanksgiving is still one of the holidays of the year most associated with family togetherness.  Let’s take advantage of that by sharing activities together in addition to the meal.
  3. Decorate for Thanksgiving, not just for fall or Christmas.  Even if you are starting to put Christmas things up afterwards, let the Thanksgiving table decoration remain for a few days to remind everyone.    

We also must remember the sacred dimension of the season.  Thanksgiving requires that we humble ourselves before God and honor the bounty of his hand, both spiritual and physical.    Thanksgiving is an attitude commanded for all seasons anyway so in this season we remind ourselves of those commands and we take special care to practice them.  “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Ps. 107:1 NIV).   “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (Ps 105:1-2 NIV).  This leads to two more suggestions.

  1.  Attend a service at your church that is especially set aside to celebrate Thanksgiving.   Our service is tonight at 7 pm.
  2. At your Thanksgiving Table, take time to give thanks to God by sharing things you are thankful for and then having a prayer of thanksgiving.   Many families go around the table quickly before the table grace and have each one share one thing they are thankful for.

Another dimension of true thanksgiving is generosity.  If we are truly thankful to God for all that we have, we will want to share with others.  So another great part of every Thanksgiving is giving.  I wonder if Christmas would be as powerful in giving if it were not preceded by Thanksgiving.    So more suggestions come to mind.

  1. At Thanksgiving, share with someone locally who is in need.  Many local churches give baskets to those in need.  I also highly recommend the Syracuse Rescue Mission at  http://www.rmsyr.org/Home/Main_Page.htm. 
  2. Help someone in the third world.  We in the United States have so much that our Thanksgiving should overflow to help others in our big world who suffer.  I recommend World Hope at  https://www.worldhope.org/.