It’s not a coincidence that I chose the week of Thanksgiving as a time to look at Family as a reason to be Grateful to God. In the final weeks of Pentecost we’ve been on a Gratitude Journey. We’ve looked at Nature, Heritage and History, Community, and the World as places we can find reasons for Gratitude.
Family is a complicated organism. It is the people we live with, those we are related to, and those we are descended from. It is also the Family of God, which is a much larger and more diverse entity. Family can comfort us. Family can make us angry. Family can be dysfunctional. Family can hurt and it can heal. It is the first relationship we experience. Family is where we can feel at home, where things are familiar and we know where we stand.
The readings for Thanksgiving Day help us look at two ways that God provides home and family for the faithful. In the Deuteronomy lesson, God gives instructions for giving thanks “when you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance…” (Deuteronomy 26:1). Just like at Thanksgiving, “you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you…You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house. (Deuteronomy 26: 2, 10-11)
The lesson from Deuteronomy reminds the Children of Israel that they should remember the family they are from. In a sort of creed, the people were instructed to recite “this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 26:5-9)
When we gather with family, it can sometimes be difficult to deal with the personalities, and sub-texts between one another. We too often remember past hurts, and maybe even bring them up. Perhaps if we followed the words to the Philippians and looked for the good in each other, our gathering would be easier, and we would find that the ‘God of peace’ will be present.
You might want to write a creed like the one in Deuteronomy using your own history. For instance, mine might start “A traveling pastor was my great-grandfather…” Or alternatively it could say, “A hardworking farmer was my grandmother…” What might yours say?
If you are dreading Thanksgiving, make a list of at least one thing you are thankful for about each person attending. You may want to share this with each individual.
This prayer for Thanksgiving from the Book of Common Prayer is a good one to pray on Thanksgiving, or throughout this week. “Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Starting next week, I’ll be offering a way to deepen your Advent wreath devotions by adding symbols to your wreath throughout Advent. It is hard to keep focused on the Advent part of December with all the stores and music proclaiming Christmas! I hope that by taking some time each day to consider one of the symbolic representations of Advent (adapted from Jesse Tree images), I will find some quiet for my soul, and I invite you to join me. I’ll be posting images, on Facebook, of my own Advent wreath as it progresses.
There will be a video describing the process and a pdf file with images to cut out, or you can create your own with the instructions that will be provided. There are also kits available with the pieces needed for the various symbols. ($5 each) This could be a nice family activity, or you can just use it to deepen your own Advent walk.
If you need some other Bible references about family, try these:
Ephesians 2:19-22, John 1:12-13, John 13:34, Genesis 2:24, Romans 8:15, Col 3:13, Ephesians 6, Proverbs 22:6, 1 Corinthians 13
