Thanksgiving, a time of national gratitude for the blessings of God. A time to remember collectively and personally the gifts of the Lord.

Nationally, Thanksgiving will be celebrated across the country. Airports and roadways will be crowded with holiday travelers. Families will gather for a shared meal. Some will have turkey, duck, or ham, with all the fixings. Others will enjoy tamales or enchiladas. Still others will have their own version of a feast. And, sadly, too many will have nothing.

Yet, there are those who will spend the day serving up a Thanksgiving meal for people who cannot afford one themselves. Or working to get food into the hands of people through food banks, such as the one at First Methodist Bridgeport. But the most important part of Thanksgiving appears to be vanishing from the overall American festivities. Unfortunately, too many have lost the joy and gratitude that comes from the traditional celebration, which is the providence of Almighty God in our lives. The best feast our money can buy cannot taste as good as a truly grateful heart can feel.

The national event of Thanksgiving has taken a sporadic path, which has often been during extreme difficulties. In the middle of the American Revolution, when the war was not going in our favor, an American victory at the Battle of Saratoga prompted a one-time National Day of Thanksgiving. After the American victory and our nation was established under the U.S. Constitution, George Washington, working with the Congress, proclaimed a day of public thanksgiving. These were celebrations of God for the deliverance of our nation and were important dates in our history. But the date that strikes me more than any other is when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a yearly Thanksgiving in 1863. It was in the middle of our Civil War, a tragedy that is still considered the deadliest war in our history, when he recognized the blessings from God that the nation had received. Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a “Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the heavens.” Thus, established the tradition of our annual celebration even in a time of our greatest struggle. We are to remember and give thanks to God who is with us in our joys and struggles.

From the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we read a reminder of how important it is to care for one another, treat one another with respect, seek to do what is good for one another, and always give thanks to the Lord our God.

“See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Thessalonians 5:15-19.

As we gather this holiday, let us remember with thanksgiving to God for all the goodness in our lives. May we not quench the Spirit God has so graciously given to us. And may our thanksgiving be a healing balm for our hearts as we recall the love we have shared over our lives and rejoice that we are a people of The Resurrection, and the everlasting love of God is with us today and always.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick