Seasons of celebration are upon us. Not long ago, we celebrated, with our fellow Americans, the Thanksgiving Holiday. You know, the day before “Black Friday”… the unofficial start of the Christmas season, and of course, shopping till you drop!
Thanksgiving, for many, is the preparation and consumption of a massive feast, morning parades, and afternoon football games… and, of course, the obligatory afternoon nap! But, none of these has anything to do with what Thanksgiving is supposed to acknowledge. Our modern holiday traces its origin to a celebration where the Plymouth settlers held a harvest feast after a successful growing season… generally referred to as the “First Thanksgiving.”
As believers in Christ, we of all people should understand the necessity of giving thanks... not based on historical research nor a celebration of national heritage, but rather through the what the Psalmist understood was the reason to give thanks. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
This, of course, should describe a lifestyle rather than the occasional activity… or even seasonal holiday. With Christmas on the way, may we reflect on the goodness of Him who did not remain as a baby in a manger, but the One who was born, lived, died, and rose again to life that we may live with Him forever… Thank you, Jesus! May You be the reason for our season of celebration!
