Gathering, Feasting, and Thanksgiving ~

     With (U.S.) Thanksgiving a week away, I am sure many of you have get togethers planned, travels arranged, and shopping lists to make. Whether you have a traditional thanksgiving meal with your family or a Friendsgiving with take-out, this season is a time to reflect, give thanks, and look forward to all God has provided.

     God loves celebrations with a purpose! In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to hold various feasts, not just once, but annually as memorials to great works He accomplished on their behalf. Those feasts celebrated moments of victory, such as when God delivered them from the Egyptians. Or, there were moments of praise, such as feasts held when the first fruits of the harvest would be gathered. The origin of our American Thanksgiving (which will be discussed next week) also had a purpose. And as Christians in America, we should consider this a feast of remembrance, much like the Israelites.

     In all the feasting and gathering remember the purpose and the reason we can still celebrate: Jesus Christ. The freedom we have to gather, the provisions for our feasts, and the reason we can give thanks is all because of our good God!

     Reflect on His goodness as the festivities begin; recount His blessings with one another. And, in a world so consumed with commercialism and materialism, look to the deeper meaning and the reason we have this holiday celebration. Then, we will truly have hearts that swell with THANKSGIVING.

     “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

God bless you! <3

Tera