I love Thanksgiving. It’s always been my
favorite holiday because it opens the door to the Christmas season. We make a
turkey (even if we’re alone) and we put up our tree. When the kids were little
we started the party the night before baking and decorating Christmas cookies.
We’d be up until the wee hours of the morning, get a little bit of sleep, and
then get up and put the turkey in the oven. Those were the days! Of course, we
were a lot younger then.
Thanksgiving changed for my husband and me
in 1984, and has been a very poignant time since then. Don’t get me wrong, it’s
still my favorite holiday, but it now gives us somber pause, reminding us of
Jesus' redemptive work in all things. Each year we are reminded of the baby we
lost on Thanksgiving in 1984, and then of the baby we brought home on
Thanksgiving in 1989.
I’m certain that this year will be no
different. And as we suffer many griefs throughout the year (and who doesn’t)
God's redemptive work in the past gives us hope and we can be thankful that He
knows the deepest parts of our hearts in each matter.
Leviticus 23:33-43 (the Feast of Booths)
reminds us that Thanksgiving was God's idea. And as I was studying these
Scriptures in order to teach about Thanksgiving this week, I saw something in
my commentary (on Psalm 118) that never dawned on me before and I want to share
that with you:
This Psalm praises
the Lord for His unending love for His people. It may have been the last words
sung by Jesus and His disciples before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where
He was arrested and led to His death (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26). It will also be
sung before Christ’s return to defeat the forces of evil and to rule the world
at the end of history (compare Psalm 118:26 with Matt. 23:39). When reading
this psalm, consider what might have been in Christ’s mind when He sang it for
the last time.
—Fire Bible
Commentary
If the commentator's supposition is
accurate that would mean that Jesus was giving thanks for God's greatness and
mercy before He gave His life for our freedom.
That's awesome.
I wonder this morning (I wish I had time
to look in my older commentaries for it!) if the Pilgrims had set out to
celebrate a "Feast of Booths" on that first Thanksgiving, giving
thanks not only for the food the Lord had provided, but for His extravagance in
Jesus.
This Thanksgiving, I pray that we’ll all
sit down to our delicious turkey dinners and be thankful for God’s redemptive
work in our lives. He gives us a freedom that is not controlled by government
or political leaders, and in that there is a peace that passeth all
understanding.
©
2017, Ta`Mara Hanscom
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I love Thanksgiving because it's that time in between the sugar-rush of candy on Halloween and the present-opening madness of Christmas. A time to just sit back and reflect on the many blessings God has bestowed.
ReplyDeleteYou post made me stop, pause, and reflect, TaMara. Thank you, and wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteSo touched by how special Thanksgiving is to you, and for such reasons! Have a wonderful holiday.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that your faith gives you hope and peace. I believe we are taught morals and strength of character and should use those skills to affect change for the good of society. Change comes through standing up for what we know is right...not passively watching and waiting.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. Wishing you and yours the "peace that passeth all understanding." Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDelete