John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.   

Even up until today I have been saying that I wished Thanksgiving here in the United States were in October and not so close to Christmas so that the two would not seemingly overlap and interfere with each other.    Yet tonight, the Lord revealed to me His wisdom in allowing Thanksgiving in the United States to be exactly where it is, directly preceding Christmas.

Thanksgiving is a call to humility, to positioning ourselves as grateful recipients of undeserved bounty.   What bounty could be greater than having received eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?   Thanksgiving prepares us for the Christmas season and this was no mistake.   Once again, this is Romans 8:28-  all things working together for good for those who serve the Lord.

Christmas is coming.  There are signs of it everywhere.   That special hope is starting to fill the air, along with smells from the kitchen- recipes being tried in preparation of Thanksgiving day and the days soon after and for several weeks to come.   Music of Jesus and holy nights and wise men and angels we can hear-  fill the secular airwaves to touch hearts that may not be gold.   Folks are preparing to spend too much money in the hope of bringing joy to others.  And on Thanksgiving itself,  so many will be with family, traveling near and far, for the sake of relationship.  Who is the author of these events?  All good and perfect gifts are sent from the Father above.  We will find people, near and far,  hopefully in prayer, indulging in the breaking of bread and walking through whatever family tradition exists for the special hours of Thanksgiving Day.   “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.”  Amen to that, Lord.  Amen.  And thank you.

If you have a particular tradition for Thanksgiving that points to a positioning of hearts, please post it.  We have done several off and on as a family but i would love to have a new one, one that will remain throughout generations.   The ebb and flow, blended together through consistencies as generations pass, creates a connectedness to timelessness.  This sense of being one with other generations is invaluable to creating a foundational continuity that doesn’t represent us as individuals, always evolving, but does represent a God that never changes.

Take away:  May the Lord use this time of year, the bounty of our lives, the anticipation of the Christmas season, to renew our hope and our dreams and our faith in HIm.   May we take the opportunity of Thanksgiving to position our hearts in a deep and profound place of humility and gratitude so that we can be well prepared to celebrate the ultimate gift, the coming of the Son.   

Prayer:   Father, thank you for Thanksgiving and for the upcoming Christmas season.  I pray for a deeper still sense of humility, that I may see you and know you all the more throughout the coming weeks and months.