Monday, November 3, 2008

Crowding Out Thanksgiving

Each "holiday" is so blown out of proportion that you tend to get tired of all the talk, all the magazine covers and articles, all the decorations and things in the store you can buy featuring the latest holiday.

I'd like to purchase a magazine in October without the cover, the recipes, the decorating, the activities being about Halloween. Do we really need more themed recipes/activities/decorating??

And now that Halloween is over - Christmas will begin full throttle!

How about little old Thanksgiving? With Halloween becoming a bigger "holiday" each year with elaborate yard "decorations" (if you can call a legless skeleton with a wispy old shawl, seated in an old wheelchair a decoration...or a guillotine with a head on the ground next to it, a decoration) - and with Christmas getting bigger and bigger each year, Thanksgiving is getting crowded out.

Thanksgiving seems like the most "Biblical" of holidays. Though with the media changing the name to "Turkey Day" perhaps some folks forget what the holiday is really all about. "Turkey Day" is just becoming a day off of work, a day to watch football and a day to have a nice meal with family.

How about the "thanksgiving" part?

Some folks think that Christmas is the most Biblical holiday since it is when Jesus was born. But actually we don't know when Jesus was born and actually the Bible has nothing to say about remembering Jesus' birth or celebrating His birth. I tend to think that Thanksgiving is the most "Biblical" holiday as the Bible has much to say about giving thanks and even some commands to give thanks.

Sure the Bible doesn't say anything about having to give thanks at the end of November (in the USA) or in October (in Canada) - the Bible doesn't command New Testament Christians to have an official day to celebrate His goodness, rather the implication would be that we are always giving thanks - always thankful for what we have...or don't have.

I know American Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away - but before you move unto Christmas - why not take some time to think about being thankful. Why not think of the whole month of November as a time to think about, prepare for, teach to your children and practice being thankful?

We're so worried that if we don't get to work now on our Christmas shopping, Christmas baking, Christmas cards, Christmas activities - that we'll run out of time.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord…

Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."

2 comments:

CanadianGrandma said...

I agree with you 100%! Giving thanks to God should be a daily event and,as you said, even for the trials that come our way! Thanksgiving has indeed been forgotten as to the real meaning of it.

Heather said...

Absolutely right on!