Blessed Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to remind one another of the many reasons to be grateful in Christ.
While most people cannot afford to have all the trimmings noted in our banner, even more do not have the privilege of sharing a time of Thanksgiving with others. However, if you are like us, we invite such individuals to share what we do have.
The Phinney family works to have our home decorated in festive fall & Christmas decorations for when our guests arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. When they walk through the doors, the smells of roasted turkey & trimmings are mixed with the burning holiday candles. The Christmas tree is lit, and sentimental homemade nicknacks are scattered throughout. If this isn’t enough sensory input, classic Christmas music fills the air. Yes, we play Christmas music on Thanksgiving!
As each guest approaches the dinner table, each is “wowed” by a meticulously adorned dining table. Then comes my favorite part, small talk breaks out in every room. The evidence of a joyous celebration is in the air.
Our tradition is to have all guests bring a side dish or sweet treat. At times, we have guests who cannot contribute. With that, we remind them that the gathering is for sharing one life with another – their attendance is their offering.
After loving on our guests with gestures of adoration, they are invited to the table. As the priest of my home, I begin by sharing a story of sacrifice that emphasizes that poverty is not a reason for skipping Thanksgiving celebrations. We pray for lonely people throughout the world. We intercede for the poor, and then I request we eat this meal in honor of those less fortunate. With that, I grab a bread roll, break it in two, offer up both pieces unto the Lord, and lay one on my plate, and the other I pass around for each guest to tear off a piece of the roll while we conduct Holy Communion. After a Spirit-led prayer, we enjoy the labor of those who prepared the meal.
The room breaks out into chatter. My soul laps up the communion of the Saints. In the mix of all the chatter is the delight seen on the faces of those enjoying the food and fellowship prepared for the gathering.
My family and I are old-school traditionalists. Both my wife and I came from families with strong traditions. I grew up in a home where Thanksgiving was minimal. Meaning we didn’t have a lot of refined foods on the table. However, my mother decorated the gatherings with fresh-cut foliage from the outdoors. My job was to arrange the decorations with a splash of homemade designs. Jane is 100% Dutch. She brought into our family traditional Dutch cooking and strong family values. Through the years, we integrated our strengths into all celebratory events.
Not long after we were married, we both saw the need to use Thanksgiving to celebrate our gratitude for Christ. Soon, each celebration became an opportunity to invite friends and strangers into our home to reveal the message of the Gospel. In this transition, we have formed some of our favorite memories.
My roots run as far back as my grandfather, John Phinney, coming to the newfound land on the Mayflower. For us, Thanksgiving has a patriotic history and spiritual roots that go back to the Old Testament. In the United States, as for my family, Thanksgiving is historically a day to praise and give thanks to God for our blessings and ask Him to heal the nation's wounds. It is also a national day of repentance for our nation’s sins and selfishness humbly. While our nation continues to forget its roots, our family does not. We continue to place our hope in Christ – that He will revive the hearts of the citizens of America. Few today remember the founding Biblical principles our country was founded upon. As for me and my household, this challenges us all the more to pray.
As our family sits around a well-decorated table and home, we commit to praying for you and your household. We know that many of you are alone, betrayed by family, and suffering from few friends, BUT know that we will be interceding before our Lord for your comfort. We also know that many will not have a bountiful supply of food to share with others. Our challenge to you is – what you DO have to share, share it with others. Focus this celebration on your gratitude in Christ.
Thanksgiving is all about praying for others while giving what you have from the heart of Thanksgiving. Some of the most remembered passages on giving thanks are meant for all of us who love Jesus.
Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. (Ephesians 5:19-20)
Think of it: Always giving thanks for everything—no matter the circumstances! Thanksgiving for my favorite Apostle, Paul, was not a once-a-year celebration but a daily reality that changed his life and made him joyful in every situation. Lord, make us all like our brother.
Have an enriched celebration in Christ this Thanksgiving. Know that you are loved in poverty, despair, and great abundance. I pray that you know that Thanksgiving—giving thanks—to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer in Jesus Christ.
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