Here we are—another Thanksgiving Day, very different from lst year although the election had already yielded its results. Although we expected serious change, very few of us really were emotionally prepared for the last eleven months. It has seemed so chaotic, and frightening for many.
Today should be a day of not just celebration, being with friends and family, but also a day of reflection. Over the past several centuries, including those before we became a Nation, our leaders have called on us to remember that we should be grateful to God for our freedoms and our heritage, which includes the influx of many peoples from mnay different lands that have helped us become America.
What is it about this holiday that is different form our other holidays? This holiday asks us to think about who we are as a people in a different way than July 4. This holiday tells us that we need to be grateful for those who welcomed us as strangers. In the same way we should welcome others.
Prayer for the Day
Burdened by the fruits of your fields, received through your goodness,
We give you our heartfelt thanks.
For the many who search for freedom bringing new life to our land,
We give you thanks.
In Thanksgiving, may we repair oppressive behaviors against one another
Bringing equity and justice to all.
In the name of the One who sustains us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
If you are really thankful, what do you do? You Share.
W. Clement Stone, businessman, philanthropist (1902-2002)
There is no racial or ethnic involvement in Thanksgiving and people who may be very distant from the Christian system can see the beauty and positive spirit that comes from the holiday.
John Clayton, American sports journalist (1954-2022)
When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf, you shall not go back and get it; for it shall be left for the alien, the widow, and the orphan, so that the Lord your God will bless you in your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
Deuteronomy 24: 19-20