Gather in Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving, not because of all the wonderful food (which is very nice), but because the world pauses, at least for a few seconds (hopefully) to give thanks. We are bombarded from stores and advertisers trying to get us to buy their products. We have a culture that tries to tell us we are not complete unless we have all these material things. We may have family members or others that want this or that. We don’t have to look far to see all sorts of greed and selfishness. It is good... it is needed... to count our blessings and give thanks. The question that always comes to mind is who are we giving thanks to? Understanding that I am a sinner in need of a Savior makes it so easy to identify my blessings... everything. By His grace and mercy, we are who we are and have what we have. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, our church, for years, has had a Thanksgiving worship named “Praise and Pie”. Actually, it used to be “Pie and Praise” which sounds better but we realized the praise should be our first priority. Anyway, those that come bring a pie to share so that after a worship of Thanksgiving, we follow it with great fellowship. I had high hopes of getting a few more people out that haven’t joined us before, but the weather put a damper on that. The parking lot ended up icy from rain/snow/cold weather. I must say I was very Thankful for those who came and even more thankful that no one, to the best of my knowledge, fell or hurt themselves. We always have a time to share what we are thankful for. I’m not sure why, but some years not much is said. This year was one of those wonderful years where many people shared things - deep, personal, spiritual. It was very moving and expressed such a deep gratitude for who God is and what He has done. My challenge to you is to incorporate giving thanks into your daily lives. When somebody does something nice, like hold a door open, thank them. Those that serve in our community - council members, musicians, teachers, law enforcement, firemen, medical workers, cashiers at stores, restaurant personal, etc.- make sure you thank them. Most of all, make sure every time you stop to pray to God, give thanks for who He is, what He has done, for His word, and what He will do. Father, thank You for giving me another day to serve You. Lead us all to a more grateful heart. Thank You. Alleluia. Amen