Scripture tells us: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all His benefits (Psalms 103:1-2). God inspired the apostle Paul to write: “And be you thankful (Colossians 3:15).

So let us be thankful!

     Let’s first and foremost be thankful for our Heavenly Father’s calling through Jesus Christ to be recipients of His kingdom’s blessings (Ephesians 1:3-6). We have been abundantly showered with so many “bests” in this way of life. We have the best Father Above, the best Savior and heavenly High Priest, the best Spirit granted, the best Covenant, the best sustaining grace that is forever present, the best of God’s loving law that sets a hedge around us, and the hope of a better resurrection. Every day we have immediate access of reading about God in our own tongue that we might fully grasp the glorious scope of His love towards us.  Just imagine that! We have much to be grateful for during this time of national reflection and it allows us an additional moment to individually pause with even deeper introspection and reverence regarding God’s goodness.

So let us be thankful!

     Let’s be grateful that we have the privilege to be Americans. What an incredible history is ours! This coming Thursday, we imbibe in a tradition nurtured nearly 400 years ago from the humble beginnings of Plymouth Plantation on New England’s marshes. We come to remembrance that praise and gratitude are so often forged through adversity. Yes, this holiday has been tarnished by commercial excess and secular malaise, but lest we forget, this day continues to forge a tremendous collective imprint on the American psyche. A special time of families, friends and neighbors gathered around a common table after a year of blessings, challenges and setbacks, yet all still together is a beautiful setting to experience and behold. After all, rejoicing through suffering and regrouping for another day is a pilgrim’s reality; be it yesteryear or today, be it in the very roots of our nation’s birth or the spiritual DNA of our spiritual calling.

So let us be thankful!

     America has always been about new beginnings, freedom and re-birth. America from its inception has been about not where you came from but where you were headed in a land of boundless freedoms unlike any in history. A society forged by the words of its founding document that proclaims,” All men are created equal.” Isn’t that similar to our invitation to be citizens of God’s Kingdom? It’s not where we hail from, but where we’re headed that counts!  And, we too, are pilgrims on a journey with a destination not yet achieved, but see “that city on a shining hill” as if it was already in our hands, because it’s in our hearts.

So let us be thankful!

     As we come together at our sundry tables decorated with the bounty of plenty, please for your own sakes gaze beyond the turkey, mashed potatoes and yam, the biscuits and pie (oh boy!) and consider how blessed we are by the TRUE SOURCE of all goodness. It’s not merely Yankee ingenuity!  What has made America special is an incredible God. It’s only He who is indispensable.  And on this favored day so attuned to relationships---smile a little more, look at each generation around the table and lock into their eyes, shake their hands a little firmer, hug a little tighter, laugh a little heartier, let go of that which may have come between us, and rejoice that there’s a purpose being worked out here below--and feel God’s pleasure that you are an instrument of His love.

So let us be truly thankful as spiritual pilgrims of God!

Your fellow pilgrims in Christ, Robin and Susan