Thanksgiving Lists
"Give thanks to the Lord."
Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
As the calendar turns to November, my heart turns toward Thanksgiving. “Family, food, fellowship, and fun” are the words that come to mind when I think of my favorite holiday. But Thanksgiving is also for a time of lists, lots and lots of lists.
We usually host my husband’s extended family so there’s always the “Who’s coming for dinner?” list of attendees. There’s also the menu list; a grocery shopping list; a master chore list for pre-Thanksgiving tasks-what to do and when to do it, and even an after-Thanksgiving “early bird” sale list. But the season’s most important list is my Thanksgiving “gift” list. Unlike Christmas, however, this isn’t a list of things to be given; instead it is an “already received” list of God’s good gifts. The Thanksgiving season serves as an annual reminder to remember all the many ways that God has blessed us during the past year.
Most of us could probably make a 2020 “challenges” list. The Covid pandemic has resulted in mandated social distancing and isolation. We also continue to experience the temporary loss of some personal and corporate freedoms; civil protests; uncivil discourse; intense political division; and economic uncertainty. But just as importantly we are experiencing the joy of re-gathering as a Church Body. We’ve been blessed with technology as a means to stay connected. It hasn’t replaced community and fellowship, of course, but the pandemic has given most of us a deeper appreciation for community, fellowship, hospitality, and Body Life. God has given us faithful pastors, elders, and leaders who have (and are) shepherding us through this present distress.
We are not the first generation to face a “present distress” and we won’t be the last. Psalm 107, the text for today's verse, was probably the text for Governor William Bradford's first Thanksgiving celebration with the Pilgrims. Those 43 verses contain over forty blessings or benefits that are very specific to God's character (who He is) and deeds (what He has done). There is no "sloppy agape" in these verses. Instead, we get a detailed account of God's miraculous deliverance from the desert, darkness, doom, distress, and death. And we gain insight into the Psalmist's heart. He specifically remembers being:
Desperate for God (v6)
Dependent on God (v6)
Delivered by God (v6)
Delighted in God (v22)
Deliverance always demands praise. And worship is the "thank you" that won't be silenced. (v32)
So what about us? Before we make our shopping, grocery, errand, and "to do" lists for the upcoming holidays, why not make our thanksgiving gift list remembering who God is and what He has done and is doing in our own lives?
"When we tell others how God has delivered us, we give thanks and honor to Him. We also plant a flag in the public record: God did something here...and later, when we are tempted to forget, we can look back at that small flag, fluttering in the breeze of memory, and remember that His deliverance was real."
Ellen Vaughn, Radical Gratitude
Give thanks!
Donna