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Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. The celebration
originated with the Pilgrims celebrating how
abundantly God had blessed them; certainly
something worthy of celebration.
Our blessings are even more abundant than those of
the Pilgrims. But we are so used to how greatly we
are blessed that we tend to lose sight of our
abundance. Consider God’s many blessings.
Paraphrasing the Litany of Thanksgiving for a
short list:
…the beauty and wonder of His creation, in
earth and sky and sea,
…all that is gracious in the lives of men and
women, revealing the image of Christ,
…our daily food and drink, our homes and
families, and our friends,
…minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands
to serve,
…health and strength to work, and leisure to
rest and play,
…the brave and courageous, who are patient in
suffering and faithful in adversity,
…above all … the great mercies and promises
given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As with many holidays, our culture has secularized
and commercialized Thanksgiving. There is plenty
of celebration, but little attention to God and
His gracious giving.
Thanksgiving Day often leaves us tired, stressed,
and a bit overfed. A return to a greater focus on
thanking God can restore a wonderful spirit to our
Thanksgiving Day. Saying thank you to anyone
always uplifts our own spirit. Saying thank you to
God is blessing upon blessing.
Here are two ideas for Thanksgiving observations:
Start the day with your family in worship. There
is the Eucharist at Christ Church at 9 a.m. Or
observe Morning Prayer or Morning devotions at
home. Those devotions can be as simple as reading
the scripture and meditation from “Forward Day by
Day,” praying the Lord’s Prayer, and reciting the
Litany of Thanksgiving found on page 837 in the
Book of Common Prayer.
At your main meal, start with a “blessing cup”
observation. Use a simple chalice or wine glass.
The head of the household leads the family in a
brief reading of scripture, (consider Deuteronomy
8:17- Do not say to yourself, "My power and the
might of my own hand have gotten me this
wealth."). Pray together the Lord’s Prayer. Pass
the blessing cup and each person present drinks
from it. Finish with any traditional family grace.
Continue Thanksgiving every day by living your
life as doxology. Doxology means to sing glory,
honor, and praise. Remember the Doxology: “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?” How different each of our lives would be
if our actions every day, especially our every use
of our time, talents, and treasure, were doxology. |
