I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. – Psalm 69:30
 
We have entered my favorite time of year, Thanksgiving. Putting the recent election aside, people just seem to be genuinely kinder, more grateful, and more thankful than usual this time of year. For me, this time of year carries the greatest traditions.

For a few years of my childhood, my Mom implemented what I thought was the absolute worst tradition ever. On Thanksgiving Eve, she would serve only a bowl of white rice for dinner. No seasoning, no sauce. Just bland, sticky, white rice. She wanted to remind us of our blessings. The next day we would be feasting on turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry jello salad, pecan pie; but there were people in the world that never experienced these feasts. There were people who were going to bed with empty stomachs and no clue where their next meal was coming from. My brother and I seemed to miss the point, at the time. We whined through the entire meal and begged for even a sprinkling of salt. We suggested that we send that rice to those hungry people and get on with the feast. But, considering we still talk about this tradition at nearly every family function to this day, perhaps she made her point more clearly than she thought. Kudos mom, even though we hated it then, you taught us a valuable lesson.

My favorite tradition is purchasing and packing up a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need. I love thinking about the people we’ve shopped for on Thanksgiving Day, hoping that they see the love packed in that meal; praying that they find peace, rest, and hope as they settle down to eat together. As I’ve brought my own family into the world, this tradition means even more, as together we share with others.   

Over the past few years, I have loved the new tradition people initiated on Facebook through the month of November, posting something they’re thankful for each day. I wish these attitudes would carry on year-round so that social media remained positively social rather than degrading into arguments that aren’t going to change anyone’s mind.

This year, we implemented a new tradition in the Sugano household: the thankful pumpkin. I saw a post about getting a pumpkin and writing down something you’re thankful for everyday running up to Thanksgiving, and then using that pumpkin as your centerpiece on Thanksgiving Day. We began our first thankful pumpkin in September. Since then, Brinklee has taken it upon herself to be our thankful pumpkin steward asking everyone each day what they’re thankful for. She often helps her little brother come up with his items, as well, listing things like toothbrushes and bubbles. Each day, we experience great joy reflecting on what we’re thankful for. This tradition may stick a little bit better than the white rice on Thanksgiving Eve, although the sentiment of gratefulness, thankfulness, and sharing with others is the same.

What traditions remind you to be thankful at this time of year?

Emalee Sugano

Lord, though the world is in turmoil, there is much to be thankful for. Thank you for your abundant blessings. May we always remember and be grateful. Amen.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
   Worship the Lord with gladness;
   come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he that made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
   and his courts with praise.
   Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
   his steadfast love endures forever,
   and his faithfulness to all generations.
— Psalm 100 NRSV

I grew up hearing this psalm sung by the choir at the beginning of worship on a regular basis. There was something so grand about it that I would get chills and sit up a little in the pew. Then I joined the choir and felt the thrill of singing this to announce that we were in the House of God, and that the Almighty was in attendance!

At the same time, I love church camp and camp songs. When I am there it feels like Jesus is right there with me, as my friend.

The church words we use for those two pleasant experiences of God are “transcendence” and “immanence.” God transcends time and space, and is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. At the same time God is immediately available, a very present help in time of trouble. When we share the Good News of God’s love, through witnessing to our faith in words and acts of service, we are demonstrating that the transcendent God is immanent. The Almighty is here, working through us.

Sometimes I fear that the broader cultures are losing a sense of transcendence. There is no wonder, no awe, no sense of time and space beyond ourselves. We want to be in control of everything and make everything work to our immediate benefit. Even the growing trend of teaching “mindfulness practices” treats them as tools to make those in the workplace or the classroom more effective.

What a great opportunity we have as people of faith! When I get stressed, so caught up in the momentary crisis that my heart races and my teeth grind, I can find relief in dwelling upon the divine nature of God.  I can, through prayer, through study, through worship, and through fellowship, become more mindful of the now AND recognize that there is something beyond. I can bow before the Creator of the Universe and know that God’s own beloved is my friend. I can know that I am a sheep under the watchful eye of the Shepherd. I can crawl up into God’s lap.

You are my Creator, you are my Sovereign, you are my Friend, O God. In times of fear and stress, allow me to be awed by you magnificence. In times when I practice the arrogance of hate, allow me to be calmed by presence of your love. In times of ease and self-satisfaction allow me to hear your cry in the voice of the hurting. May your power move through me, that I might glorify your name. In Christ I pray. Amen.

Pastor George

We will talk about this more on Sunday. Here are the questions for discussion.
1. To whom and for what are you accountable?
2. What difference does it make to you that Jesus is Sovereign?
3. How can believers lovingly hold one another to account?

All you inhabitants of the world,
   you who live on the earth,
when a signal is raised on the mountains, look!
   When a trumpet is blown, listen!
For thus the Lord said to me:
I will quietly look from my dwelling
   like clear heat in sunshine,
   like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over
   and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning-hooks,
   and the spreading branches he will hew away.
— Isaiah 18:3-5

The Bible is full of instructions for us to be on the watch for signs and wonders.  Along with this are reminders that God works in God’s own way and on God’s own schedule. Signs and wonders, then, are not meant to be used to gain an advantage over another (no insider trading!) Instead, the signs and wonders are there to give us hope in challenging times. They are a reminder of God’s faithfulness in the time of trial.

In the last few days we have received information from pharmaceutical companies that there has been significant progress toward a safe and effective vaccine. Of course we still don’t know when we will be able to go back to being inside for worship. Indeed, there are troubling signs: such as the astounding increase in the number of cases. But there does seem to be some light at the end of an increasingly long tunnel.   This can cheer us on, I pray that it will cause us to redouble our efforts to show our compassion for one another!

There are other remarkable signs of faithfulness among the people of our community. For example, in youth groups and our Messy Church we have found people seeking to reconnect through our virtual settings. These aren’t just signs, they are real people whose lives are being touched. Nevertheless, they point both to the fact that we are changing lives, and that there are many more we would like to reach.

This past Sunday we received 28 covenant cards, totaling $149,298. There is still a long way to go toward making our goal of each person or family receiving the blessing of making a commitment, but we are well on the way. I hope that you will take the opportunity to provide a sign, for yourself and for your church family, of your intent to be present, to be in prayer, to share your gifts, and to serve.

May you be blessed by seeing the signs of God at work in your life.

Pastor George

Thank you God for the signs you provide on our journey through life. Thank you for the light which guides our way. Thank you for Jesus, who shows us what it is to love completely. Thank you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit which allow us to light the way for others. Thank you for the reminders of your abiding presence in times of pain and loss; and thank you for the knowledge beyond hope that you are ours and we are yours. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.