Treasure Digest

• Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?
• A Mother's Gratitude
• Turning the Hearts...Remember Your Roots
• Be Ready to Give an Answer: Didn't You Follow a False Prophet?

Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?

The wonderful fall Holy Day season is now over, and we're back home remembering what a great Feast we just enjoyed, both physically and spiritually. Now the Christmas season is going full blast, with all ads geared toward Dec. 25.

In all this hullabaloo, a traditional holiday is forgotten. Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? "Thanksgiving" is "the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God; a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor; a day set aside for giving thanks to God" (American Collegiate Dictionary).

The United States has been celebrating this holiday as far back as 1621 starting with the Pilgrims. President Abraham Lincoln thought it important enough to make it a national holiday in 1863. He set aside one day a year to honor God and thank Him for the rich blessings He had poured out on this nation. His Thanksgiving Proclamation dated Oct. 3, 1863, states in part:

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added... I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States and those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

The Bible is full of scriptures regarding giving thanks. There are 28 scriptures on "thanksgiving" and 73 on "thanks" (31 in Psalms alone). Altogether on this subject there are at least 139 scriptures. It's easy to see that God wants us to be thankful.

Most people plan a family get-together on this day. It's the big "turkey day," with all the trimmings and the emphasis is on feasting. Thankfully, this day has not become too commercialized; after all, people don't buy gifts, new clothes or other items for this holiday. Unfortunately, they also tend not to remember what this day stands for. If a prayer of thanksgiving is said, it usually is short and seems to be an afterthought.

This is one holiday every year we can enjoy with our family and friends and those who don't share the Holy Days with us. We should always be thankful for our blessings, and this is an opportunity to share our thankfulness with others. Open up your homes, share your abundant blessings and generosity with those near and dear to you.

Start some new family traditions on this day. Ask each person, including the children, to share what he or she is thankful for this year. Oh, yes, make sure there is a prayer of "thanksgiving" to our Creator God for His richness toward us each and every day of our lives. "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving" (Psalm 95:2). "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations" (Psalm 100:4-5).

— Shelby Faith
St. Louis, Missouri, congregation

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A Mother's Gratitude

I don't remember when Anna and Elizabeth Hastings became permanent fixtures in the St. Louis congregation, but I do remember coming to realize there was a big hole when they weren't there.

We expected to see Anna coming in the door, pushing her daughter's wheelchair and depositing their belongings on the front row. And we had also come to expect Liz's smile, which literally lit up the room, as she greeted first one and then another.

Brethren made sure to get a "Liz fix" before leaving services. She was such a vibrant part of our congregation. When she felt good, everyone felt good. And when she was having a bad day, we all left feeling a little low—as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 12:26: "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it."

In a recent letter, Anna asked me to pass on some things about her daughter. Liz was 14 months old when they found out she had cerebral palsy. "She was a beautiful child in heart, mind and body, and always had a beautiful smile," Anna wrote. "Liz was never able to talk except for a few words and sentences, but she understood everything she heard. She could never walk alone, only with the help of the arms of another person holding her up. So she was confined to a wheelchair or a chair made especially to fit her body."

One might think that someone so physically challenged could offer very little to others. Liz proved that wrong. "Her heart went out to people... When they were sad, hurting or had problems, she always tried to give comfort the best she could—holding their hands or listening. When they cried, she cried, and when they laughed, she laughed." (Brethren in St. Louis know that Liz's own hearty laugh and expressions of delight were highly contagious!)

Anna mentioned her daughter's love of giving gifts, like handmade cards, even though it took her a very long time to laboriously print her message and sign her name. "She loved God's people, and her happiness was seeing the happiness of others," her mother wrote. "God, in His kindness, gave her the gifts of loving and caring."

At age 48 Liz received some devastating news. She had ovarian cancer and the doctors gave her six months to a year to live. In spite of such a blow, Anna and Liz continued to take their places on the front row as often as they could make it.

Her health began to deteriorate. She suffered several strokes, and ultimately was ravaged with a stubborn infection that led to gangrene, and the amputation of both legs. Our congregation grieved and prayed with every downturn. Finally on June 15, 2004, at age 501⁄2, God gave her and her family release from all the suffering.

During this ordeal, numerous prayer requests went out, and the Hastings received hundreds of cards. Anna worried that they could not express their appreciation to each individual. She decided the best way was to share a little of Liz's life, and the following expression of her gratitude:

"I am Elizabeth's mother, and I would like to thank all of you for the many prayers and cards that she and we, her parents, were blessed to have... She was a unique young lady, and we miss her very much. She's in God's hands waiting for the resurrection. We can't wait until we see her again and her beautiful new healed body. May God speed the day when Christ returns to make all things new. Thank you all, brethren, for your love, prayers, concern and kindness. We will never forget that, and you. Sincerely, Anna Hastings."

—Karen Meeker
St. Louis, Missouri, congregation

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Turning the Hearts
Remember Your Roots

When a man and a woman in love marry, the couple has to blend together two family systems. These family systems may be somewhat or very different from each other. Neither was completely right or completely wrong. They are just different. Which traditions will be kept from which family? How many of each mate's family traditions, rules and rituals will be retained?

With families on the move so much today, it is difficult for children to be given roots for stability in their lives. Not only are relatives far away, but traditions, values and family rituals may also be lost.

It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to give our children a connection with the past. What makes your family what it is? When we form a new family unit by marrying, we certainly have the prerogative of choosing which lessons and experiences of our family of origin we will bring into our newly formed family. We also may choose to make sure our children have frequent connections to our family of origin through visits and by retaining some or many of the rituals, experiences, values and rules that we lived by when we were growing up.

Deuteronomy 4:9 gives the sense of carrying on the teachings and traditions of our families. "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren" (emphasis added).

So, for the family to feel a sense of stability, it is important for parents to make sure their children have a connection with the past. This may be done by spending time frequently with grandparents and relatives to grasp family tradition and stories. It can also be done by parents discussing what past family traditions they want to carry on with their young children.

By developing and retaining family rituals, traditions, values and rules, we will be "remembering our roots" not only for our generation, but for generations to come.

—Gary Antion

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Be Ready to Give an Answer: Didn't You Follow a False Prophet?

A friend of mine brought it to my attention that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong has been purported to make several prophecies that have failed through the setting of dates. Now, my friend's argument is that, if this is true, the teachings that we understand from the Bible today have been handed down to us by someone who is, by biblical standards, a false prophet. And if this is so, my friend goes on to ask, how can I put my faith in the teachings that I hold dear, knowing this?

No, we do not agree that the late Herbert W. Armstrong was a false prophet. He did not claim to be a prophet, nor did the church regard him as one. We believed he was striving to be a faithful minister.

If you read his writings or heard his messages, you would encounter admonitions he often repeated with great emphasis: "Blow the dust off your Bible! Do not believe me! Believe the Bible!" So, we respectfully disagree with the idea that he interpreted the Bible for the Church. It is the responsibility of each person to study and prove his or her own biblical beliefs.

When I say that we regard Mr. Armstrong as a faithful minister of God, I mean that we do not venerate him as a recipient of "holy writings" in the way that many religions look to men who once led them. He was not infallible. He served well, and now he is at rest. We are moving on, addressing the present, continuing to look to the Bible for our beliefs, continuing to do what we are commissioned to do: preach the gospel of the Kingdom and care for those whom God calls (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20).

You will immediately recognize the same biblical message Mr. Armstrong taught when you read our magazine, newsletter, booklets and brochures. However, we should note that Mr. Armstrong saw the need to constantly grow in knowledge. Similarly, you may well find minor changes in our teachings, reflecting better research tools that bring out previously unseen nuances in biblical teaching. But the foundation is the same as it was in the Church of God decades ago.

Regarding what Mr. Armstrong taught about when the end would come, he definitely had a passionate belief that Christ would return in his lifetime. In that regard, he shared a perspective with the apostles and elders of the first-century Church of God. The history of the Church begins with their expectation that Christ would establish the Kingdom immediately after His resurrection (Acts 1:6).
In the first recorded sermon, Peter quoted a prophecy from Joel about the last days of the age of man (Acts 2:17), applying it to what was happening in A.D. 31. Decades into the century, the book of Hebrews says, "...in these last days" (Hebrews 1:2).

James, the brother of Christ, wrote: "You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" (James 5:8-9).

Paul wrote: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:15), obviously believing that some of those then alive would see Christ's return.

The apostle John wrote: "Little children, it is the last hour" (1 John 2:18). He concluded the book of Revelation, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly'" (Revelation 22:20).

Where did they get such an idea? Notice that both Paul and John said they were repeating what Christ told them. If you read Matthew 24, perhaps the primary presentation by Christ about the end of the age of man and the beginning of the Kingdom of God on earth, you see where all believers get the idea that Jesus would return in their lifetime.

Christ spoke in such a way that those who heard Him in person, as well as everyone who heard or read His words down through time, would gather the same impression: He could return in their lifetime.

Why did He do that? He obviously wanted us always to have hope and a sense of urgency about the future. Some would say that is misleading, but consider that in the next waking moment for all of God's servants, they will find themselves rising through the air to meet Christ as He returns (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Jesus is the Prophet foretold in Deuteronomy 18:18. Certainly, He was not a "false prophet," in spite of the fact that countless disciples took His teachings to mean that He was returning in their lifetime.

In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, God addressed the subject of those who are false prophets. Interestingly, He presents a scenario in which the man foretells something that actually happens, pointing out that this is no proof of his authenticity. The proof lies in the man's message. Does he teach God's Word accurately, or does he seek to mislead people into rejecting God's law and His way of life? Mr. Armstrong strove to faithfully teach the Word of God.

—Cecil E. Maranville