I have witnessed a rather interesting adjustment in my life-time. As a child, I remember distinct phases from October through January: Halloween (a minor blip on the radar) with Thanksgiving and Christmas (major blips) followed by New Year's (somewhere between minor and major). Now, we have two distinct phases: Halloween, which has grown in significance through advertising, and "the holidays," which really are centered along the 25th of December and 1st of January.
I am not going into a bemoaning of Halloween and whether Christians should or should not participate; however, I will talk about the one holiday that is largely forgotten -- Thanksgiving. When this word is mentioned, do you know what the most popular associations are named? I will rank them in order that I have discovered: turkey, football, black Friday, and family. How in the world is family the last of the top four? That shows just how much we have forgotten about this holiday that will arrive in less than a week.
The original feast was about sharing what you had willingly with someone else. It was a celebration of the harvest and survival that could occur during the approaching winter. It was an opportunity to reflect upon the blessings of the year EVEN THOUGH that year contained many hardships. It was a time of personal journey through the past as you considered how little of the year remained.
Now, Thanksgiving is a time to eat, watch some football, spend time with family, get off of work, and get ready for the Christmas shopping. We have allowed this season to disappear and the root of that allowance is greed 0 it may not be our own greed but that of corporations as they seek to entice us to purchase their goods to give to others.
You may be wondering where this came from? Well, II Corinthians 9:15 is a short verse, only 8 words, but they are packed with power -- "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." As the season of Thanksgiving comes upon us, let us ponder the true meaning of Christmas -- the birth of Jesus Christ. We need to be thankful all throughout the year for this birth, but we should really start those thoughts now.
Without this baby, we have no opportunity for eternity with God. Without this baby, we have to fear death. Without this baby, we have no power to live because temptations are unconquerable. Without this baby, we have no example to follow. Without this baby, we have no hope!
Behind this baby, though, is the gift of the Father. He did not have to provide anything for us, but He chose to do so. God gave out of His "generosity" not out of "obligation" (II Corinthians 9:5). As we enter the season of Thanks, stop and really think through all the blessings you have been given. Further, follow His example and choose to give to others out of your generosity not obligation. After all, God loves a cheerful giver.
Happy Thanksgiving....
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