Good evening brethren and Happy Sabbath! I hope this note finds you well. Just a reminder that the Charlotte congregation will have Sabbath school tomorrow after services.

Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is one that I have always enjoyed. In part, it’s one of the few secular holidays we can celebrate in a clear conscious. Also, it has always meant special time with family.

As a kid, we’d often go to my aunt’s house and have 30-40 people there with aunts, uncles and cousins galore. They were truly good, wholesome times. Except when the board games came out - then it was all out warfare…

Real meaning

One of the things - besides the fun with family, food and football - that really appeals to me about Thanksgiving is it’s deep meaning. It springs from an attitude of real gratitude by the early settlers for God’s graces and the kindness shown to them by Native Americans in those early years.

For us today, hopefully it triggers similar thoughts of gratitude, particularly what God has done for us. We have many rich, physical blessings we enjoy in this country, but as faithful disciples, there is much, much more.

What are you thankful for?

As you sit around the Thanksgiving table this year, maybe take a moment to think about what you’re thankful for. Food, shelter and family will surely be on that list. But there’s at least one more thing we as firstfruits can add to that list. You guessed it - God’s Spirit. It is a blessing that goes beyond measure. It gives us eternal life, God’s mind, wisdom, discernment, understanding - the list goes on and on.

Rather than expound outward to large concepts such as those, let’s use God’s Spirit to actually focus back in on Thanksgiving for a moment. Without His Spirit, none of our physical blessings carry much meaning. By nature, they simply do not stand the test of time. But in the light of God’s Spirit, the tangible blessings of life are magnified. It helps us to see the good in things we can so easily forget about. What would otherwise be just another man made holiday becomes an occasion to better see and understand God’s blessings. And that is something to be truly thankful for!