Pastor Lynell
by Lynell Caudillo
Thanksgiving is the most underrated, overlooked holiday of all. (Perhaps because, other than food, there is little else that advertisers can sell us for Thanksgiving!) Yet for us as believers, this should be one of the most important days of the year and something we should practice daily. Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude”—being thankful for what we have vs. wanting more of what we don’t need—is something that is almost a foreign concept in our culture today. Early settlers who first colonized the United States faced incredible hardships, and after surviving some very tough beginnings, set aside three days for a “festival of thanksgiving” in December of 1621. Pilgrim Edward Winslow recorded in his journal: “And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet
by the goodness of God we are…far from want.”
Indeed, for most of us, even in months when there are unexpected expenses, we are “far from want.” We are rich by the standard of a world in which 90 million people live on less than one dollar a day. In addition to economic blessings, we have countless spiritual blessings too, if we know Christ as our Savior. Hence, thanks-giving should be part and parcel of each and every day.
Parents of a young three year old girl were devastated when they learned she had leukemia. With the best of medical care and time, the girl’s body responded and the cancer went into remission, with a hopeful prognosis that it would not return. The parents were overjoyed. The father visited a nearby church and stayed after worship to share his story with the pastor. He concluded: “We just want to know whom to thank.”
When we experience gratitude, we want to give. Gratitude yearns for expression. How best can we give our thanks to God? The answers are countless: in how we live our lives daily for Christ, in giving words of hope and encouragement, through diligent prayer and intercession, through faithful worship and service, in the sharing of our economic blessings with those in need. In November and December there will be several opportunities to give thanks and to share our blessings. Please note articles elsewhere in the website regarding the adoption of needy families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also in November we will be considering what it means to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us, as our focus in worship. In December we will focus on the greatest gift ever given, and our response to the coming of Jesus.
May we be as generous as God has been with us, in sharing our material and spiritual blessings during this season of giving!