Are You Thankful?

Quote: “If the church is in Christ, its initial act is always the act of thanksgiving, of returning the world to God." --Alexander Schmemann

ARE YOU THANKFUL?

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6 NIV).

The following is by an unknown author. . . .
Thanksgiving is lot more than a nice meal to kick off a whirlwind of Yuletide activities. It can be one of the most meaningful holidays of the year...if given the right focus. Keeping our hearts in an attitude of surrender helps us recall God's acts of mercy and grace. "O, give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples." (1 Chronicles 16:8).

The first recorded Thanksgiving took place in the winter of 1610 at Jamestown, Virginia, but it wasn't a feast! Supply ships had encountered storms and shipwrecks causing starvation and disease to reduce the group of settlers from 500 to 60. In desperation, the colonists ate whatever they could get their hands on, including snakes, snails, rats, sod with water and their own horses, cats, dogs and boots.

The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. It arrived in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, and a prayer meeting was held, giving thanks to God!The most well known Thanksgiving is of the Mayflower's Pilgrims who set aground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating and by fall they had lost 46 Pilgrims of the original 102. The harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one and the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast. After counting all their blessings and giving thanks to God, the Pilgrims, Chief Massasoit, and 90 Indians joined in a three-day Thanksgiving feast of Indian corn, barley, waterfowl, wild turkey, cod and bass fish and five deer.

As you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year, remember to keep hold of the original gratefulness to God that has always been the spirit of this oldest of all American holidays. Pride has no place in our lives. We can take no credit for our salvation. We cannot depend on our good works, our superior intelligence, nor our personal righteousness. All we can offer God is thanksgiving that in His mercy He saved us!

There are some in our society who don't have a clue why Thanksgiving exists. A fair number of people seem to think the day honors either a large bird or the biggest newspaper of the year. There's a reason why somebody thought Thanksgiving would be a good idea for a holiday -- it's because thanksgiving is a good idea in general. "How about you? How regularly do you acknowledge what you've been given?" How often do you hear people talk about sacrifice around the Thanksgiving dinner table? The Bible teaches us to turn "thanksgiving" into "thanksliving" by offering "Sacrifices of Thanksgiving."

Love, Jerry & Dotse