Christmas is again encroaching on Thanksgiving, long time ago we had 4 days to celebrate Thanksgiving, then retailers learned that the well fed with a day off can be turned into shoppers. Thanksgiving became a three day shopping spree beginning on Friday. In recent years retailers extended those shopping hours to Thanksgiving evening. Last year, I have to admit, I went Christmas shopping Thursday evening. This year retailers have out done themselves by opening earlier, commanding now the whole day. Even in my small town of less than 5,000 our largest retailer will open at 6 am on Thanksgiving. I have decided to once and for all settle this matter, to take a stand.
Should Christmas command our Thanksgiving Day?
Let’s look at a little history. That first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and a few special guests, the Pilgrims were celebrating a harvest in 1621. It was a feast that lasted three days, celebrating a good spring, summer, and bountiful harvest. They had started the winter before with 110 people, 57 died before the remaining 53 celebrated this first Thanksgiving. Each thankful survivor had family and friends that did not. Each Thanksgiving guest had made it and had enough provisions for this second winter, each one a “blessed” survivor. Every single Pilgrim knew personally some that didn’t make it, or knew someone less fortunate. They each had loved ones and friends, who had starved, froze, or just got sick, and died, yet for some reason they, the fortunate, remained. Those survivors offered thanksgiving.
In October 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, during a Civil War, during a time of death and destruction, his proclamation spoke of God’s blessings. He also had to admit that not all were so fortunate for he also stated in his proclamation “…commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged….”
Thanksgiving appears to me to be for the survivors, the blessed, the fortunate. For those that have something others did not share in, no matter how small the blessing. Jobs, homes, family, health, possessions, we rattle off our blessings around a feast, sometimes without serious thought of those lacking the very things we have in abundance.
The first Christmas, we find Shepherds tending their flocks. Angles appear to them at night saying “fear not!” (DeAnn will now think of Charlie Brown’s Christmas) and then these angles declared “we bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people”. Christmas is a celebration for everyone, an event to be shared. Christmas is for the hopeful no matter your current condition. Blessed or cursed, hungry or well fed, homeless, sick, dying, alone, Christmas offers a promise of something better for everyone.
This Thanksgiving I will bow my head and thank God for my family surrounding me, and know that Grandma will be without family this day, as millions of others will be also. I will thank God for health knowing that both new and old friends are facing life threating illnesses. I will thank God for my home, yet weep for those in the Philippines living this day in conditions that I cannot fathom. I will thank God for his provision and yet near me, maybe at the same table, are people in desperate need of God’s provision. True thankfulness you see is almost selfish. It is a private, solitude act, a humbling experience.
This Thanksgiving I will offer God my thankfulness, wipe my tears for those not so richly blessed, lift my head, eat some good food, and rise from the table to quickly begin celebrating Christmas, something that offers good news for everyone, no matter this life’s condition!
Yes and it should!
Wonder just how bad the traffic will be in our town of less than 5,000 this Thursday
David
