In All Things Give Thanks!

Psalm 107:1 “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Hello OCF’s and welcome to Thursday as we get ready to begin our study of The Advent of Glory! Today is a special holiday here in the United States of America. Many of us are celebrating Thanksgiving. A time to gather with family and friends. Families have different ways to celebrate. Some watch football games together, start holiday shopping (with deals and specials to be on the lookout for), lots of good and Thanksgiving specific food to share and eat (especially pecan pie), quality time spent with loved ones, and several other traditions families and friends have for this special day.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Aside from all the delicious food and time spent with loved ones, spending a large portion of my adult years in the Kansas City metro area, I always looked forward to attending the Plaza Lights lighting ceremony. The Plaza has been a major shopping destination for years, and the Plaza lighting tradition has been going on for over 95 years. Each Thanksgiving evening, the switch is flipped, the lights come on and the entire shopping area is aglow in color. I have had the privilege of attending this ceremony many times in the past. My most memorable lighting ceremony was the year that Oleta Adams sang Go Tell It On The Mountain. There is nothing more beautiful than close to 100,000 voices singing “Jesus Christ is born!”

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that seems to be skimmed over these days. Once July hits, the stores are full of Halloween decorations and candy. We celebrate fall, but how do we tangibly celebrate thanks or thankfulness? And once the food has been eaten and before the table has been cleared, we are diving headlong into Christmas. Trees go up Thanksgiving night, and we are online shopping for the best holiday deals and consumer devices to fill that emptiness we sometimes feel around the holidays.

Thanksgiving Day harkens back to 1621, when the Pilgrims had a harvest celebration to thank God for his provisions. The holiday we now embrace and celebrate became official in October 1863 under President Lincoln, when he set apart the last Thursday of November as a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise”. Prior to that, each state (mainly in the NE and other Northern states) had scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times. It wasn’t until 1941 with a joint-resolution that the fourth Thursday in November was officially declared Thanksgiving Day. Before then, each president had chosen a date, usually the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

Psalm 107:1 reminds us that everyday should be a day of thanksgiving and praise. When we take the time to reflect and meditate on all that the Lord has blessed us with, thankfulness and worship should naturally pour out of our mouths and hearts, spilling over to the world around us.

As we head into this Advent season, I invite you to join with me in a spirit and posture of thankfulness and praise! “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son!”

What is one way you can show your gratitude to God for all He has done for you?

Full of thanks and giving,

Tami