Like many others, I enjoy the fun
and blessings of the holidays.
These special days serve as a
welcome break from the everyday
routines that describe our lives.
Along with a brief respite from our
regular responsibilities, these
holidays focus our attention on
some specific subject, or opportunity,
or experience, or event. Oftentimes
the parts of these holiday
times that we enjoy the most
are the celebrations that we share with those we love.
While there are some really important holidays,
each one is unique with its purpose, traditions, and
memories. Having had the privilege of experiencing a
growing number of these annual holiday cycles I truly
do appreciate them all. And I’d have to say that each of
them are attached to many cherished memories of
past celebrations.
One of my earliest holiday memories revolves around
Thanksgiving. When I was young my dad was a farmer,
and like all the other farmers in our community, he was
very aware of the seasons – planting, growing, and harvesting.
And since we lived on a dairy farm, calving
season was truly a time when our lives were busy as
we focused on ‘new life’.
Every aspect of these seasons reminded us that the
most important component in the success of our efforts
was really the blessing of the One Who created every
living thing and creature. So, as Thanksgiving was
celebrated, it was done so in the context of praising
God for His faithfulness and thanking Him for His
provision and protection throughout another year.
Our little church family was made up of folks just like us
and Thanksgiving Day was a very important time for all
of us as we ‘gathered together’. On that day there was
much attention to the necessary details: preparing
wonderful dishes of food to share, setting up a massive
table with lengths of plywood atop saw horses long
enough for all the food, and placing tables and chairs
around the church grounds to share this meal together.
When most all the preparations were in place, our
church family moved into the sanctuary for a powerful
and moving worship service. We read psalms and sang
hymns, told stories and shared testimonies of God’s
faithfulness. In the words of Paul we were “singing to
God with gratitude in our hearts…in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
Him.” (Colossians 3:16-17)
Our worship service concluded with a powerful
reminder that we were truly thankful for this special
meal, for all these precious people, but mostly, for our
faithful God. Happy Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Pastor Phil
Recent Comments