Turkey. Parades. Mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes. Stuffing. Cornbread dressing. Pies. That green bean casserole you either love or hate. Football games. Family times around the table, the yard, the TV, the fireplace. What is your definition of this American holiday we know as Thanksgiving? My children love the Peanuts version where the kids are sitting around the ping pong table, eating pretzels, popcorn and toast.
As far back as the early 1600s, white settlers and Native Americans would feast and celebrate and be thankful with the bountiful crops of the year. Or so that’s what we hear and think of when Thanksgiving rolls around the fourth Thursday of each November.
In thinking about giving thanks, I am reminded of what Jesus did “on the night He was betrayed.” Matthew’s Gospel says, “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.’” (26:26-28)
In both this account about the Lord’s Supper and in Matthew 15 about the loaves and the fish, the word “thanks” is used to mean “being thankful.” The word is actually eucharist. The next time you approach the Lord’s Table to commemorate His death and resurrection, remember the words of Jesus Himself.
We ask a blessing before we eat a meal around the table. We give thanks. I pray these traditions are more than just what is common to do; I pray they are heartfelt prayers of thanks for the new life God has given you in His Son – and for the abundance of blessings God has given you. By remembering where we come from as a physical nation and a spiritual nation, we can’t help but be thankful. God bless you and yours on this special day. And if you are apart from your loved one due to deployment or other separation, I pray He pours out an extra measure of His grace to comfort you and give you strength.
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. Amen.
