Happy Thanksgiving! What a great holiday. It's all about the turkey, right? HAPPY TURKEY DAY!
Hmm. Not quite.
It’s the Long weekend, right? Woohoo! Sleeping in on Monday after the Turkey on Sunday!
Hmm. Again, not quite.
This is one of those times where we see the church being at a little different meaning than the secular world.
Thanksgiving in the world: one day – or maybe one weekend. Thanks
Because here in the church, this weekend is about celebration. An entire festival – yes this is a festival – to celebrate the harvest.
So here we have some challenges. I’m going to articulate on 3 that I see.
Firstly: we’re called, as Christians, to be a joyful, thankful people. So we really ought to be thankful every day. 1 Thess 5.16-18 reminds us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Secondly: this is the Harvest festival. A time to be thankful for the food which sustains our bodies such that our worship can sustain our souls. Yet in this day and age, most of us don’t grow our own food or purchase from the farmers themselves; many of us don’t even know where in the world our food comes from. For some, the holiday feast will include a ‘foodlike substance’ (think Cheese spreads or boxed foods”) on the plate or a pumpkin pie topped with ‘edible oil product’ – *shudder*
Thirdly: The purpose of the harvest festival was to truly celebrate, and to delight in the connections: connections to the land, to the family, to the stranger, and to God. Yet our connections with the land are diminishing. Our connections to family are sometimes strained (I wonder how many dinner tables will have to enforce a ‘no cell-phone or tablet’ rule?). Our connections to the stranger are gone, the scriptural requirement of sharing choice provisions overlooked or ignored (see Lev 19.9 and 23.22). For many, the connection with God is also a rarity, a stilted grace before digging into the feast is hardly the celebration of prayer and gratitude this was intended to be.
So then – what is the appropriate Christian response to this weekend?
It’s a feast. It’s a party. It’s time with family, in true celebration.
It’s a time to make Thanks giving about Giving Thanks.
This may be easier for our French-speaking friends. Thnaksgiving is called <> That means the action of grace.
So let’s talk about that. What do we mean when we say ‘grace’?
Grace is a free, spontaneous gift from God. Totally unexpected and undeserved. And an invitation to share in God’s divine life. It’s translated from the Greek χάρις (charis) which means "that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune."
There’s 2 main types of grace that theologians have articulated over time.
The first is called “sanctifying grace” – this is a stable, permanent state of that delight, joy, happiness. It’s God’s continual gift to us, and we can only be rid of it if we choose to reject it completely. By the grace of God, we are granted redemption through Christ.
The second type of grace is called “actual”: grace – not actual in the sense of real or genuine, but temporary – one act. Actual grace is a transient state of grace, happening in great acts of states of holiness, recognising God’s intervention into which is then incorporated into that action itself. By the grace of God, we are all gathered safely this morning.
So – grace. Lovely. Present. Real. Something we all experience, something we all have access to, something we all benefit from.
It is this grace that we celebrate this Thanksgiving weekend – not just as one day to say thankyou and overindulge, but as a call into action. Action de grace – actions of grace.
Actions of God’s grace, to God’s people, for God’s people, by God’s people.
God’s grace will be known in the world – and celebrated in the world – because we take up that challenge. We are called to put our own ThanksGiving into actions that demonstrate how grateful we are as the people of God.
So how does that look? How is that going to be known? How will that celebratory grace be shown to a world that is feeling disconnected at every level?
That’s going to be up to you. God will stir up in your heart a desire share that grace – in your own unique, creative, beautiful way. The discernment of that way is up to you.
So I invite you to spend some time this weekend connecting. Consider your food, your drink, your clothing – and be thankful for what you have, not worrying about what you don’t have – as we are told to do.
Consider your connections, the people that God has put in your path, and how you might relate to them.
Consider how God’s grace is flowing in their life just as it flows in yours.
Consider new ways to connect with those people as a result of the grace that is shared between all of us.
Consider being a recipient of grace – and consider how you are called to respond to that grace, and as a result of that grace. And consider if everyone chose to do the same.
This Thanksgiving, let us truly give thanks. Let us embrace the actions of grace that we are called to. Let us be grateful for the gifts of this life that we have, and recognise that one of those gifts is the opportunity to know, live in, and share the grace of God. May our Thanksgiving be an active demonstration of giving thanks – this turkey-filled weekend and throughout the year.
