Thanksgiving is a bit of an odd holiday, isn’t it? The more I think about it, Thanksgiving is closer to Valentine’s Day in its nature than Halloween or Christmas. What I mean is Halloween and Christmas have special moments that happen specifically on those days. For Halloween many of us either go trick or treating or raid the candy bowl we’re supposed to be giving out to the kids who come to our door. Over Christmas, we spend times celebrating the birth of Jesus and often opening presents with loved ones. These are things that we typically don’t do – or shouldn’t practically do – every day of the year. Presents get expensive and candy eventually can take a toll on our health.
But one of my main complaints about Valentine’s Day – besides its rampant over-commercialization – is the fact that love is something we should be celebrating every day. Why is it we focus on one specific day to make someone feel extra special and extra loved? In the same way, I think Thanksgiving is a holiday that tries to force what should already be our every day reality. We’re being told that this day is the day that we have to be thankful. But truth be told, if you happen to be either traveling some distance or hosting a Thanksgiving meal, being thankful may be the last thing on your mind. This Thanksgiving my household hosted a Thanksgiving brunch, and for the past week, we’ve been worrying about what we’re going to be cooking, who can bring what side dish, whether we need to buy a new table cloth because the kids wrecked the last one, how do we substitute that one ingredient that we can’t find at four different grocery stores – Thanksgiving in this moment isn’t about being thankful, it’s about survival. We’ll be thankful when Thanksgiving is over. But there are times we need reminders, don’t we? We need reminders of the wonderful things that we don’t always appreciate. And sometimes this includes our family.
A couple of weekends ago, at Sunday School, Deacon Connie, who leads Sunday School most weeks over at Esperanza, asked my oldest what he was thankful for. He thought for a moment, and he said he was thankful for his little sister. Sitting right next to my eldest happened to be his little brother, who was not specifically mentioned as something he was thankful for. Deacon Connie asked if he was also thankful for his little brother. Big brother rolled his eyes and said, “I guess….” With all the exasperation an eight year old can manage.
Sometimes life is like that, isn’t it? Whether it’s family or the blessings we have in life, sometimes as important and wonderful as these things are, they also can frustrate us. I’m thankful for my kids. I’m also not sure all three of them will make it through Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe some of you are fighting with family right now or time and distance has led to indifference. Sometimes relationships with families are broken beyond repair. And this can bring sorrow, even if we know it’s for the best. It’s hard to be thankful in these family oriented holidays when you find yourself in these circumstances. And yet, we have much to be thankful for.
Some of us are thankful for our jobs. But we also get frustrated by the things that help us to provide for ourselves and our families. We get worked up by deadlines. We get worried about whether or not our career path is going to remain viable. Some of us are working jobs where we’re undercompensated, overworked, and/or simply underappreciated. Some of us are longing for meaningful work, or work that at least provides enough for our daily bread. It’s hard to be thankful for what’s been provided when you aren’t sure you have enough. And yet, we have much to be thankful for.
We have much to be thankful for because if we’re serious about being the family of God here at Esperanza, then we recognize that there are people who love and support us, who can be family with us even when our biological families are distant from us. We have much to be thankful for because even when we’re struggling, there are people in this community who will come together to serve the neighbor, by providing possibilities for food for those who don’t have enough. And we have much to be thankful for because even when we are struggling – like we all do from time to time, we have a God who sees us and loves us so much more than even the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
That’s what Jesus reminds us of in the gospel of Matthew, when he admonishes his followers not to worry (Matthew 6) – that God sees us, even in our struggles and our worries. The people Jesus was speaking with were people who had very realistic worries about their future. One bad season could mean the difference between health and security and poverty or perhaps even death. Jesus knew this, and knew that times of plenty weren’t guaranteed. But what was guaranteed was God’s love. What was guaranteed was the fact that as God provides for creation, God does indeed provide for us, so long as we are able and willing to look toward the common good and truly live as a thankful community together.
So this holiday season, if you’re feeling just a little strung out, because a lot of the expected festivities fall on your shoulders, know that God sees you. If you’re feeling like you don’t measure up because you don’t have enough or because you don’t think you have a place at the table, know that God sees you. And here, in God’s holy community gathered around Christ’s table, you will always have a place. And in this place, at this table, all are fed and nourished beyond all measure. Here, at this table, where we receive again God’s grace, we are all invited to share. Because here we have more than enough. And for that reason, we can all be thankful this day and throughout the holiday season, where we are reminded of God’s love come down to earth, and so respond with abundant overflowing joy and gratitude for God’s eternal goodness given to all of us.
Pastor Chris