As I write on this American day of Thanksgiving, I’m painfully conscious of the irony of this holiday, this Holy Day! We spend massive amounts of money to celebrate it, for travel, for food, for decorations. It’s a time of family gatherings, joyous reunions, happy memory-making. But it must be said that many of these gatherings, in a valiant effort to match all the commercialized images of warmth and loveliness, are more tolerated than they are pleasurable. Table talk often veers toward the ugly, the contentious, the personal jabs, the long ago, but still remembered, sleights. In these situations, most are thankful when it’s over for another year. For the shocking 36 million in the US who are in poverty, there seems little to celebrate. Then, for those without family, the pain can be unbearable, something only to be endured. And this is in the wealthiest nation in the world! Not the most perfect nation in the world, by far, but, reportedly, the one with the greatest riches, the best opportunities, the freest freedoms. At this point you’re thinking Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, PD!
My point in dragging y’all through that depressing paragraph is to make the also shocking connection with our New Life in Christ. There, too, for many around us, much lip service is rendered, many Scripture verses quoted, many Hallelujahs and Amens raised – when it’s expected. But, once alone, that all fades away until next time. There is little joy and a lot of fear and anxiety. The poignant reality of Scripture gets submerged by the worries and cares of life. Too often, tragically, for followers of Jesus, coping is the order of the day.
But – it doesn’t have to be that way! There is life, teeming, abundant life, beyond the occasional Christian gathering. There is a contentment, an assurance, that continues to vibrate well into the lonely night hours, into sickness, into want. There is a peace so crazy good that all we can do is receive it in childlike wonderment. There is a joy delivering water, persistently, to the driest of souls. There is a love so abundant no fear, no darkness, can penetrate it. It’s in the unshakable Kingdom confidence that Paul found and shared liberally with 1st Century believers – and us – that all this reason for celebrating is unveiled. There is, truly and exclusively in Jesus, genuine cause for our giving of thanks, and so I do. PD
“Ask, and the gift is yours. Seek, and you’ll discover. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask Him?” JESUS
(Matthew 7:7,11 TPT).
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Y’ALL!
