Rejoice
always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:
16-18
When I was a child,
I remember Thanksgiving as the day when daddy went squirrel hunting. I never
saw the correlation between squirrels and Thanksgiving. Maybe it was my dad’s way of taking the
day, doing something that afforded peace and quiet, a luxury that he
rarely enjoyed as a dairy farmer.
In the mornings,
the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade streamed its way across our 16” black and
white television. My brother, Gerald and I laid on our bellies with our chins
on our hands and watched every turn and tilt. We appraised every step, every
band, every float, waiting as anxiously as the children on the crowded New York
City streets for Santa to signal the end of the parade with his generous toss
of candies to the good children. It was glorious to watch the giant balloon
figures being hoisted, guided, and held down by the street walking anchors.
My older brothers,
Troy and Eric, were off somewhere doing whatever big brothers did on those
Thanksgiving days, their passion of parade watching long past. Mamma was
cooking. Occasionally she would call me into the kitchen to help peel the eggs
for deviling, or smash the potatoes for creaming, or to taste the whipped
topping for the pumpkin pie. What lusciousness was Thanksgiving! Except for
Tom.
The barnyard turkey
(Tom) that cooked silently in the oven had the previous day strutted around the
yard like plumed royalty. I had to admit that I would miss that hateful old
bird and his run-at-you meanderings. But the old fellow’s skinny legs, dry “un-Butter-balled”
breast, and stringy neck suckered us all that day, and the following days in
soups, salads, and anything else my mother could think to make out of the husky
25 pounder. If it had not been for Mamma’s giblet gravy, we would have all succumbed
to the wrath of Tom.
I don’t remember any
special prayers or other exacting reminders of gratitude. Thanksgiving seemed
more of a feeling than any kind of activity or ritual. Thanksgiving’s
specialness came from the wonder of food and being together, away from the
barn, off from school, and out of the field. There was no thought of Black
Friday sales. There was no rush to finish dinner to watch the big game. There
was not even any resistance in taking a nap. Wal-Mart had not come to town; computers
were not invented; and our phone was on a wait-your-turn party line.
The world has
changed a great deal in my lifetime. I imagine all old people say the same
thing. I know my grandmother, who never got to high-school, said it…during her
life she saw the invention of cars, the A-bomb, and rockets that shot men into
outer space. Throughout all of time, things have been changing. But that is
okay with me. I choose to be grateful for change.
We move forward in
time, but I don’t worry about that, because God is here and God is in the
future. Before I sat down to write this meditation about Thanksgiving, I
hastily counted the number of times the word “thanks” shows up in God’s word.
Well, a lot, over 100 times. To give thanks is commanded throughout the Bible. Jesus
did it. Paul did it. Peter and the apostles did it.
I believe a grateful heart doesn’t have
time to be otherwise. A grateful heart can’t be filled with the ugliness of
hate, the corrosion of bigotry, or the decay of greed. When we are being
thankful, we are being our best. When gratitude holds our center, we are free
from many things that would hurt us.
May God help me to
have a grateful heart. Amen.
Of course we start out with supper, which is usually 10 to 15 crocks of homemade soup, chilies and luscious grilled cheese sandwiches. After supper it's to the sanctuary for a rollicking round of Christmas carols, and usually a special guest. Now you may think that the special guest is Santa. Not so. Every year we have a different Christmas guest. The theme of the Old Fashioned Christmas this year was The Polar Express, and it turned out that a grand old conductor dropped by to tell the story of the first gift of Christmas.
But I think my favorite part of Old Fashioned Christmas is the beautiful Christmas tree that we decorate with scarves, gloves, hats and toboggans, blankets and pajamas. The items from this tree go to our local outreach ministry. This year the tree looked beautiful with the lights, the grand star atop the tree, and best of all, the love for others that glistens from its green boughs. 
